Journey to Office

Ufffff...Oh No.. Gosh...well thats how I started my journey in a local bus. Not That I wanted to..But was left with no choice

My company was far from where I stay and this was the only cheapest and conveneint mode of travel is what I thought.

The first day in my new office. I was so happy that I am here but the journey to office costed me nothing but a deep thought of 3 hours everyday along with the usual 30 bucks that I pay to go from home to office and back.

People would come in or rather push themselves in so that they can get a little space to keep one of their feet in and travel throughtout their journey with a hope of getting a place to sit.

Somtimes I was lucky enough to get a place to sit, and that was the time when my mind would start wandering while looking at the kind of people I met in bus.

I woud sit and think how would it be for those 2 school going boys who find place for themselves by tearing the crowd and then wnating to get down at their stop. Born with a golden spoon in my mouth, I could never imagine that their could be kids who had to struggle right from their childhood. For me life was like a peice of cake until I experienced the bitter truth of LIFE.

For all those women..who would cook breakfast and lunch for their children and husband, send them to school/office and then themselves get ready and get into the crowded bus to reach office in time and to add to their terror, you would find some rowdies in the bus who are their to create nuisance, who wud trouble them and make their journey even the more worst.

People who dont wnat to miss their bus so they would push ppl to get in and on top of it our very dear condutor..wud keep screaming..e chala..sarka pudhe sarka..

as if trying to say there is so much place in front so go ahead n stand comfortably.

I never knew there could be sooooo many kind of people I would meet in that small box where so many lives cross each other with thousands of thoughts in their mind. Each and every soul u meet has their own bundles of sorrows and joys..

Some get in the bus coz they wanna go and bless the newly wed, and some to congratulate their dear ones who are blessed with a new life and some who are grieving and wnating to cry out aloud coz they had just been departed from their close ones. And some who have had a fight early in the morning with their spouse or bai or boss. All their expression come out here in this laal dabba on people who they ahve never met and probably woudl never meet again.

They would take out their frustration either by puching them, screaming at them for pushing them or in whatever ways that come to their mind.

I still remember when I was standing for quite a long time waiting to get a place to sit, I saw one gentleman enter the bus with a strong personality..who was proud of something which none of us understood..

He asked me If I would like to sit..When said yes, he asked one of the guys sleeping on the first to get up.. I was zapped..that he wud wake up that guy so that I cud sit.

I remembered Nana patkar in one of his violent acts. I got scared and sat quitely. This guy then started narrating stories when he was in jail.he did this..he went to jail coz he supported one lady for so n so thing..I was overhearing all this and got all the more scared. I just kept quite and sat there like a dumb. He then got down at a stop aftercreating more such nuisance. I wanted to get up and offer the seat back to that guy but then again kept quiet, out of some fear, feeling bad that the guy is now standing even though he had a place to sit.

I reached my destination and felt good that atleast today's journey ended...

Well that was just one day's journey,...thsi journey never seem to end. I was realising that LIFE in reality is not a bed of roses but it has thorns for everyone. To reach those roses, you have to cross all barriers and YOU HAVE TO, no choice for anyone.

I just remember another incident which just happened today, I think that would be one thing I would never forget. I got a place to sit quite early today. I placed my ear plugs and started enjoying the music. I saw a lady (lets name her Zubeida) who came n stood right in front of my seat, where another old lady was sitting (lets name her Lalita), with her back towards me. Zubeida was nicely drapped in a black sari. The moment I saw one lady getting up to leave behind my seat, I patted Zubeida to go n occpy the seat behind mine.

Zubeida turned and said "No My stop is near". I looked at her and to my surprise , this nicely dressed standing calmly not disturbing or pushing or hurting anyone..was nether a SHE nor a HE. I identified her coz she had lil beard grown up. Well but she appeared so beautiful to me and I found her all the more prettier coz she refused to take that seat even though her stop was quite far from there. She was fearing that If she goes n sit, people might feel uncomfortable and might brush her aisde, on which she wud feel even more bad. I saw Lalita, who was sitting on the seat front, already getting uncomfortable coz the person standing next to her was "a mistake of GOD or another wonder of GOD or just another beautiful person GOD created(which definately is not what Lalita thought). But considering herslef the most God fearing person..she constantly was moving her fingers on the Mala and saying some prayer in her mind.

Then we reached near Bhandup and I saw Zubeida, whose eyes were wondering on her frinds who were begging outside, must be thinking that on getting donw I too would have to start the same old story of begging.

How I felt that time That I could do soemthing for them. How I felt my journey to office would end once and for all. How I wished that I was back in my childhood where I didnt fear anything. How I wished everybody could feel the way I felt about these people. How I wished things were organised and disciplined in our country too.

But not sure how I could help them, how I could make things better, how I could explain what I feel to others,I too became a part of the crowd, who wanna be the first one to get into the bus so that I could get a seat to sit and not bother about persons who would stand for hours till their stop comes. I feel like I am lost in this crowd like most of us, who cannot or dont want to do anything and just be a part of the maddening crowd.