The fun to travel in Public Transportation

Public Transportation. When you hear these two words; how do you react? How do you feel? What is in it for you? Why choose it? 

My reaction is mixed, mostly inclined towards a positive side albeit a personal lack (being tall is a difficulty inside a bus !) 

I feel social. 

I get a glimpse of daily life. 

It is cheaper to choose from; well of course, that goes without saying out loud !

You, my reader, may have other answers! Do answer them in the comments section below !

GS Road at Lachitnagar, Guwahati

Being born and brought up in the city of Guwahati, I have commuted a quarter of my life (except the gap in between for college and jobs); in city buses of this not-so-planned-at-all city. They are its arteries and veins. You cannot imagine Guwahati without buses. 

I remember a day when I was but a little toddler, my mother had taken me to her parent's home almost twelve kilometres away from where we stayed. Father was in his office at the other extreme end of the city limits. After a day of playfulness with my dear cousins, we were to return. I was tired. We were inside a bus on our return trip. My mother made me sit beside her. I was dozing off, eyes sometimes glanced a view or two. 

I heard a voice conversing with my mother. I saw a young woman, perhaps in her twenties standing beside me. The bus conductor was also murmuring something. Then I realised, I was seated in a Ladies Seat. Here in Ghy (Short for Guwahati, as we Guwahatians boast of even in official postage envelopes) have left first front rows reserved for ladies. 

My mum was ready to hold me on her lap and let her seat on my seat. But the sweet young woman declined politely, seeing a very fragile and sleepy kid (yours truly!) - who was dozing off soundly among the chaos of the city. That has been my first memory of travelling in a city bus. The memory happened almost near the end of 20th Century.

Chandmari neighbourhood of Guwahati

If not city bus, school bus is something almost all the school kids have travelled into at-least once or twice. We travelled for almost 12 years of our schooling by school bus. The one hour long journey to the school and another one hour back home. We used to wait in our designated stop for the bus. The school teacher would sit in the front row seat and usher us to seat as the bus filled gradually. Kids from Nursery to X standard would all have their own groups. The big ones would rule the back seats. It was forbidden for smaller kids to even look to those backseats. We waited for those seats until we were of IX standard ! still there was lot of babels and unruly gossiping among the age groups. The school bus was the melting point for all-kid-brainstorming. It was our jam.

There is a funny saying with all sort of memes out in social media. it goes like this, "Ei-adabari-chanmdari-ganeshguri-dispur-soy mile-khanapara, khali gari, khali gari, ahok ahok, khali gari, khali gari."A Guwahatian would laugh hearing it. The meme here gives the names of bus stoppages that are uttered by bus conductors to usher in passengers in an already packed and inclined-at-an-angle bus full with passengers, that there is no place to put both of your feet! I saw once in Facebook a meme, where John Abraham- with whom I share my birthday- was seen in a photo hanging from a bus door and yelling (from the Hindi film Shootout at Wadala) and the above tagline Ei-adabari-chandmari-ganeshguri....was put on the pic! Creative memes!

Now public transportation also comprise other means. Let me walk you through some of the hilarious memories and some grand reality.

First comes the auto-rickshaw. The three wheeler CNG fuelled drive that we had in our college days in Gujarat to visit the nearby city. Infocity was the famous hangout place, a tech city township developed on the city outskirts. Restaurants, shops and open spaces were the attractions along. We also went to get a glimpse of beautiful girls from National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) and Dhirubhai Ambani Institute of Incformation & Communication Technology (DAIICT) and get jealous if the chosed one has a boyfriend! One of my friend used to say, "Bhai, NIFT ki ladkiya, kya batau tuhje yaar! , aankhen sek le apna, tar le aaj, dekh bhai dekh". Crudely it can be translated as, "Dude, look at the girls of NIFT, feast your eyes! Just look at them, bro, just look at them!" Yes the NIFT girls are very pretty. They are an inspiring symbol of women empowerment in the Indian fashion Industry. Their contribution is bold, brave and unparalleled.

Sometimes a guy even tried his luck to approach a girl. Very few succeeded in getting a girlfriend even. But to reach this mesmerising place, Auto-rickshaw was the lifeline. We would plan a week ahead, keep our chore for the weekend and venture out together in packs of ten or twelve guys in one auto. Imagine the dilemma of the auto. the short ones would crawl and sit behind, then the back row was cramped with four guys, three-four more guys sat on a thin plank facing the back seat. And finally two sat on both sides of the driver. After filling every nook and crack of the vehicle, Driver would start the auto and take us to our target destination!

Autorickshaw travel at Pandu, Guwahati

When I was in Kolkata, I was eager to get a view of two means, the 100+ years old Kolkata tram system and the hand pulled rickshaw. And I used another transport to get a glimpse of the tram. I used the famous Ambassador Yellow cab, very old and very hot interior. I was passing Chowringhee Road and reached Esplanade, when the driver pointed out the Tram car. The sight was mesmerising, we were at crossroads waiting when the tram passed rather very slowly.

Tram system near Eden gardens, Kolkata

I too got a glimpse of the hand pulled rickshaw near Hogg's street and Sudder street. Kolkata is another long story to tell.

Hand Puller Rickshaw at Hogg's Street, Kolkata

I will write about in in coming days. and the 50-something year old yellow cab reminded of what to travel on a comfy sofa in a humid environment!

Yellow cabs seen through inside of a yellow cab at The Oberoi Grand at Esplanade, Kolkata

During our first jobs after college, we got separated in different cities of Gujarat. Three of us were posted in Bharuch, one in Anand, two in Vadodara and one in Jamnagar. On weeked we used to catch trains in between stations. Dheerendra used to came from Jamnagar to meet us in Bharuch on weekend. A general one way ticket cost around INR 20-30 from Bharuch to Vadodara. Trains were available by the hour. We would meet at a place, roam the city and have lunch and dinner in one day. by 11.0 pm, My college roommate Harsh would rush I and Lokendra to train station. We would run to the ticket counter, get our tickets and run the platform to catch the last train of the day to Bharuch and Anand respectively. There was this adrenaline rush that we became Usain Bolt in those 5 minutes to 12 night ! Our friendship has been so tight that we yearned for every minute to spend having fun and rush at the last second to the train.

Railway Tracks near Guwahati Railway Station

When I and Kailas visited Sivsagar to wander among the architecture of Ahom Kingdom, we used two means. We took a packed Traveller/Winger van to Sivsagar. Upon reaching there, we located the places travelling in a Tom Tom. A Tom Tom is a battery driven Electric Rickshaw. Very very slow but real smooth ride if you don't mind the road puddles ! In INR 10, we reached the Dols (Temples) and in another INR 20 we reached Talatar Ghar (Royal Palace) in a regular rickshaw.

TomTom at Sivsagar, Assam

Then there are ferry ride on the river Brahmaputra in Kachari Ghat of Guwahati and Bogibeel Ghat of Dibrugarh. Government ferries charge less around INR 20 while private ones charge INR 50. The price difference comes at a price of shedding the comfort. Government ferried are packed very tightly along with two-three cars, motorcycles and scooters. People and vehicles are transported two and from two ricer banks. but the cool breeze blowing your face is a delight when you stand at the top deck of the ferry for those 40-50 minutes.

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Dheamji Ghat, Dehemaji district, Assam

The Vikram, Blue coloured big sized auto is the normal mode for Dibrugarh Town. Office goers, school kids, collegians, workers all commute the same vehicle. It was just INR 10-INR 15 to reach your location. It maybe a bit cramped, crowded and uncomfortable, but it does the job. It is a type of Desi Jugaad. It means, when we don't have the exact tool to use, we create a makeshift or less compatible tool to complete the given job. There are books even on Desi Jugaad. Read it if you change by at the Airport! In Ranchi city, after departing from the railway station, I and Tapan boarded a Cycle Rickshaw with our suitcase thrown at the back supported by the inside of the reclined roof. We cruised though the city and reached Hotel Radisson Blu. Typical paisa vasool style in India meaning economise your short trips.

Typical Blue coloured Vikram autoricksahw at Dibrugarh, Assam

In all these you will find some things common. We travel with the public. Known and unknown people. Sometimes we start a conversation with strangers in a bus or tram on a common topic. Discussions can be about quality of vegetables, the rise in petrol prices, and even art, movie and book discussion if you stumble upon some creative person. 

There is a feel of equality among all passengers. Inside a bus every one gives the same fare and sits on the same type of seats. No luxury included. There seems no demarcation of social and financial status. Few days back, I saw an old street vendor hop into the bus, put his trade behind the driver seat and came near me. I gladly offered him the empty window seat beside where I was seated. For that time, we sat together. We did not speak. But it felt like we conversed in silence. His face was calm and demeanour looked composed. Irrespective of him being in a thin financial situation, we were equal in that bus. All deserved the same respect. I felt good. It was a sense of belonging to a great society where transportation played a major role in making us equals irrespective of financial position.

We also tend socialise in reality. It is difficult to hold a smart phone all the time in a bus, unless you are hooked to your phone. In a public transport we can actually look to the outside world through our eyes, see people of all walks of life converge at one point and be able to listen to different languages spoken at the same time. We can see the city streets through the bus and can anticipate how much our city has change in these decades. We get a live storytelling experience through our eyes and ears.

So next time you feel to connect to the real world outside your smart phone, pick a public transportation. It is healthy for the environment even. and it is rewarding in its own way. 

Happy travels. Explore places. Win hearts.

Cycle Rickshaws in Ranchi, Jharkhand