A Journey in an Overcrowded
Bus
Most of the buses in Delhi are
over-crowded. Travelling by a D.T.C. bus is an ordeal. Last Sunday, I had to
experience such an ordeal.
I had to travel from Kashmeri
Gate to Lajpat Nagar Central Market. There was a long queue of passengers at
Kashmeri Gate. Most of them were office-goers and were in a hurry. But no bus
came for many minutes. After about fifteen minutes a bus came. It was very
difficult to board it. It was already packed to capacity. Only two or three
persons alighted from the bus. But a host of passengers wanted to board it. The
principle of the queue was thrown to the winds. Like wild animals, the people
rushed towards the bus. They did not even bother if some old lady or child was
crushed. I could not catch this bus.
Then two policemen came. They
again arranged the queue. Another bus came after sometime. Fortunately, I was
able to catch it. As I boarded the foot-steps of the bus, I found, to my
chagrin, that. I had been trapped. The bus was already packed to capacity and
it was impossible to get in. Soon the bus gathered speed and it was impossible
to get down either. I felt as if I were going to fall down and get killed.
With great difficulty and facing
abuses from fellow-passengers, I made some head-way in the bus, although I felt
as if I were getting suffocated. I gasped for breath. In a moment of anger,
some 'kind' hefty man pushed me forward. I fell over other passengers who
called me 'a fool', 'a ruffian', `a barbarian' and what not. One of the men
behind me was smoking a 'biri'. My lungs were soon full with its smoke which
I'm told has nicotine as its chief ingredient. I requested him to take pity on
me and stop smoking. He gave me a jerk, called me names and wanted to slap me
but by God's grace relented. I rather thanked him for this "pity".
At every stoppage there was a
scramble between those who wanted to alight from and those who wanted to board
the bus. There was a great din and noise. As after more than an hour, the bus
reached my destination, I heaved a sigh of relief. I alighted from the bus. But
what relief? My pocket had been picked, my shirt was torn, my legs were aching and
my heart was sinking. What a journey!
0 Comments