Crowds and auspicious days – the inseparable twins

                So, why im writing this?cause I believe some that many people still think that the buses and trains are crowded only during holidays like pongal,diwali and on weekends like Friday and Sunday. Let me narrate my experience about the journey (actually a curse) that made me erase the about facts. Regarding reservations and preplanning, sorry I never preplan my travel for short distances(upto 400km).I just move on when im in a mood. So train journey is always a dream for me,  bus is my only companion. I even hate that 90 days advance reservation scheme in train (heard they are planning to make it 120 now,damnn)

                It was on Feb 6th 2011 , a Saturday night @ 10.30 pm(yep till then im really not in a mood to travel) I decided to proceed to Madurai for a marriage. Game starts – bags packed, reached the bus terminal at 11.15 pm.Just getting into it got see the utterly insufficient status of our transport department. On every platform, in every bus, to everywhere,the people are jam-packed to suffocation(actually id say, they chose to do it themselves).And I was really irritated to witness such a scene in a non season day. Its just a Saturday.What the hell guys??.Them I recollected the reason for this over-crowded situation,”Muhurta Naal”,yes the auspicious day we chose to marry that fortunate person(many times,many end up unfortunate).Random thoughts running in my mind about getting a seat in our government jail, sorry bus.A hundred of us would wait at the platform when a bus reaches,damn im not so talented to get into it,overtaking the herd. I can see many people walking mad trying to snatch a seat in any of the bus.Nothing worked out well. I saw a mass lineup of buses waiting to get out of the terminal, though only very buses entering.I walked to all possible places of bus entries, the main road,the depot(yep,that too).For hell sake even the overcharging private carriers are all washed out that day. The struggle ended after 3 hours(yes after 3 hours of madness and frustration) @ 2 am when I managed to get into a trichy bound Volvo bus. I usually never prefer these high tech buses for 6 hour less journeys, still its my doom day escape.

                So a happy ending  all you think? Actually my curse evoked here.The Volvo too is much crowded and many people were standing. I managed to get some space over the spare wheel (with 2 people sharing it) kept aside the middle door. Thus the journey starts now. Some 30 minutes away a granny from heavyweight family members who were sitting on the bus floor asked for my seat (ok .the tyre).So what our society thought us? help the elderly. I too did the same. Gave up the tyre place and sat on the floor. Another 30 minutess away after these ticketing stuffs all over. The same granny placed her grandchild(a wet grinder like girl at 8) on the floor near me. The girl was craving for space sitting near me in asleep,like the Chinese who invade us just inch by inch(in my case cm by cm).After some 10 ten minutes I gave up my place and stood up irritated.Holy cow,the girl now slept more  comfortably.The bus was proceeding at some 100kmph with the only good thing AC saving my life there. It stopped for a tea break at 4.30 in vilupuram.After everyone went out to have a break,I sat on a seat for five minutes,thank god a seat for at least 5 minutes saving my suspension. Again the journey resumed after 10 minutes and again my standing punishment begins. Not one, not two, nearly after 5 hours of standing in a sq.ft space(the feet in pic)(god,ive travelled standing only in city bus, that too not more than an hour), mission accomplished. After that  getting to Madurai was not much of a problem.

                So I told to myself, its not just pongal,diwali,weekends or any other national holidays we see the buses and train crowded. If your time is not good, you’ll be forced to stand even in Volvo buses  on a extremely non-peak day.                   

                                                                ------ Comments are most welcome.