The Bus.

I take the bus these days. Public transport in Delhi. I never thought in my lifetime that it would happen but now I realise it is not as bad. I like to sit by the window and be lost in my own thoughts and in between look at the world go about their business. It reminds me of my school days. I lose track of time and suddenly it feels like I’ve been there forever. Everyday I think to myself, this seemed like the longest ride ever. I think of things that make me smile and suddenly realise that I look foolish sitting there smiling to myself. Sometimes I just don’t want the journey to get over. I notice things I have never done in all these years of travelling by the same roads. Things look different from higher up.

You know what would make people really happy? If they had a personal horn they could carry around. I’m sure they’d love to carry on the frantic honking they do while they’re in their cars. Pushing, shoving, always in a hurry, no patience, I fail to understand what is their problem. Nobody has the patience to just wait a second to make things easier. It’s such a desperate attempt to push everybody out of the way because everyone must be first. In a traffic jam, don’t people realise that the person in front is in as much hurry as they are and that frantic honking and abusing isn’t going to make the person go any faster. There is no space to move. Just breathe.

I notice the traffic situation everyday. I get annoyed everyday. And I realise that it is such a distant dream to take the country forward. Nobody cares about anything. Just not. Nobody  has the time or the patience or the will to do anything other than step on other people.

When I stand at the bus stop IIT, I notice every single day that while there is heavy rush hour fast moving traffic on the roads, that is the exact moment everybody decides to cross the road. Nobody waits for the red light. I mean, its 2 whole minutes away (gasp). But no, they insist on running back and forth fast moving traffic, risking their lives for nothing, stalling traffic in the process because they are stranded in the middle of the road. And everybody insists on doing that everyday. I have never seen a person cross while the road is empty.

It’s difficult to understand how peoples mind works. Why they lack such basic common and civic sense.

Going back to lovely bus journeys. I have been in this desperate mood to just get out and travel, on my own or with one or two people I don’t mind being with. I want to see places, do different things. Being on my own and in the bus makes me feel a bit like that. No one to bother you or interrupt your thoughts, no dependence, just being and seeing.

Life is in a happy place now. There, I said it out loud. And there is so much more to look forward to in the next few months. Which I hope translates into more writing.