The Bus Trip

A person might have travelled all his life.... on airplanes, bikes, cars, ships.. anything... but if he has not travelled by a ptc bus in chennai.. he sure is missing some real adventure. Its one heck o va ride....
Five reasons why you would travel on a ptc bus:

1. You are broke.
2. You are an engineering student.
3. You love to stand.
4. You wanna have an effortless workout.
5. You dont have a choice.

Let me now describe my experience,

The reason i travel in a PTC is because i am an engineering student. so i miss my college bus... and i go to this bus stop in mylapore. i have to take bus no. 21g. i wait... wait... wait... wait... for about 30 minutes, and one ancient, obsolete, miserable bus rolls by, well.. u cant even call it a bus... this cubical box with lot four wheels and lots of people... when i say lots.. i mean LOTS.... it was literally over flowing with people. I try to get on the bus but then... thats not an easy job. i push my way through all the people... and board the bus.... and it starts rolling again. Now the most difficult part.. i must locate the conductor. But i turn to my left.. all i can see is people, to my right.. people......

" people people everywhere, no one i know"

So the best strategy i can adopt here.... i take eleven rupees from my pocket with dificulty (because i cant lift my hand without hittin atleast a dozen people) and give it to the hand nearest to me cos i cant see the face and shout.. "ORU TAMBARAM " and my money disappears.... after 2 mins of rattling, the same hand appears before me and gives me a ticket..... i put it in my pocket (again with much difficulty) and i slowly push my way to through the swarm of people and stand near a seat.... i have to stand cos all seats are occupied.... i grab this bar above my head to stop myself from fallin.

This is where i work out.... a complete physical exercise... next only to yoga... u sway back and forth.... side to side.... ur arms get a special exercise cos u have to hold on to the bar tight and this increases its muscle power... ur legs try hard to keep the balance and this exercise makes it strong.... but the best part of this workout.... when the driver applies the brakes..... you have to stop urself from fallin... ur whole body moves forward... and u must hold real tight... this exercise is the best in the world....... travel on a ptc twice a day, u wont have any health problems for the rest of ur life.

So i stand there.... hoping that the person sittin near me would get up in the next stop cos i ve already had enough of exercises..... but he has no intentions of gettin up no matter what. so i just stand there... my eyes greedily lookin at all those lucky ppl with seats. i give up hope and i search for my next prey... near whom i can stand waiting for him to get up... i find an old man... i move to that place pushing and shoving.... and finally stand next to him..... the bus stops in the next stop... i turn to find my previous prey getting up... another man quickly sits there.... i feel like an asshole....

Another thing i noticed is.... ringtones....... the popular song in the state right now is "SUTRUM VIZHI".... and every phone that rings on the bus... the ringtone is "SUTRUM VIZHI".... every two minutes u could hear a phone squeeling "SUTRUM VIZHI"...... and in bout ten minutes.. u start hating that song.

Well... so the bus rattles on and on for forty five minutes... unfortunately none of the preys i select get up from their seats and my legs are sore... my hands ache like hell after holding on for my life for 45 mins..... and finally one person gets up.. i rush to that seat and sit down.... aaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhh what a relief!!!!!! And as i start settling down... the conductor wails... "TAMBARAM VANDHAACHU.. ELARUM YERANGUNGA".... :(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(

So i get down.... and breathe the fresh polluted air.... it feels much better than the fragrance-of-sweat filled air inside the bus.... atlast i am free.... I dont wanna even touch anyone for a few hours.....

Suddenly realisation dawns upon me... my college is in vandalur.. but i am only in tambara......

I HAVE TO TAKE ANOTHER BUS FROM THERE TO VANDALUR... OH NO... NOT AGAIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!