THOSE of you who travel within Karachi via public transport must have come across a creature that has been ruining the lives of many, known as the minibus. Before I go into the details of my horrifying experience, I reckon its better to tell you something about what a minibus is.
It is a vehicle in which you can neither stand in peace nor sit down. I am amongst those people who have reached the height of a few inches more than 6 feet. I was proud of my stature, until one day when something happened.
I missed my point bus to college and instead of wasting time, I chose to travel by minibus. As I embarked on the bus, an unknown hand came from behind and pushed me in the tiny, cramped bus with a low roof. The idea of passing the rest of the journey like this was enough to make me shiver. I looked towards the entrance, but alas, there was no exit point as it was surrounded by fellow passengers! Suddenly, I felt myself being pushed forwards. It was a passenger standing beside me who was doing so, and I tried to tell him not to do so. But before I could utter a word, the conductor crew shouted: “Bhai, aagaay itnee jaga hai. Aagay ho jao!”
To keep myself busy and not to think of the surroundings, I started looking at the people sitting down. I thoroughly studied their faces. They seemed so calm that it made me feel that they were there for eternity and the journey would never end. Out of nowhere, I heard a voice say: “Aap yahan baith jao, aap kay liye bohot mushkil ho rahi hai kharay honay mein.” I looked at my saviour with a look of extreme gratitude.
I again looked around at the people who were standing — as if telling them that nothing in this world can take it away from me. I sat down right next to the window and the fresh air felt good. I gazed outside to see the wonders of the city but at that instant my eyes forgot to blink and my gaze fixed at a passing building. I felt shocked as I rushed to get up and got off the still-moving vehicle. Oh the agony, I had already travelled four stops ahead of the designated one.
THOSE of you who travel within Karachi via public transport must have come across a creature that has been ruining the lives of many, known as the minibus. Before I go into the details of my horrifying experience, I reckon its better to tell you something about what a minibus is.
