It was a laidback weekend. I dropped my car for service and I needed a ride back. Usually, I would take an auto to get home. As I was waiting for an auto, I saw four public buses in a line heading towards Besant Nagar. Like a spell cast on me, I spontaneously boarded one of those buses. As I came back to my normal senses, I was a bit tensed to think that I might not have any change other than 100 notes.
Fortunately I had some short change. I realized that I have boarded a public bus after over a decade!! I saw people boarding the bus with oversized baggage jostling with anyone on their way, ladies laughing about a harmless bump into a man as the driver slammed on the brake and yelled at a pedestrian.
It brought all the wonderful memories of my younger days when the very same public bus was the way of life for me once. I was very relaxed, perhaps, because it was not crowded. I felt a lively happy atmosphere. Having got into the habit of travelling in an AC car and feeling sorry for the people travelling in a bus, somehow, now, I felt that I am the one who should be pitied. That moment, I decided to take my son (three and half years old) on the bus to get the car back from the service station.
I yelled, as if we were going for a picnic, “Who is coming in a bus?!” My son said, “me, me, me….” Then he asks, “What bus?” I realized how insulated he was from the real world. That was his first time on a bus. So we board the bus. He never blinked once. It seemed like a ride of a lifetime for him. I got him a window seat and he was very excited. Just like any other three year old, he kept on asking questions. At times, he clutched my hands on seeing some strange looking big people. As it was a short ride, I had a hard time convincing him to get off the bus.
I spent Rs. 6 two-way rather than spending Rs. 100 two-way. This made me wonder about our lifestyle. How we spoil ourselves and then blame the system. Overall, I felt good about myself and there was something healthy about it.
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