IT was strange the way the bus conductor went on repeating the names of bus routes, all in one breath. Hanging off an iron rod, he seemed totally oblivious to his surroundings, to the speed of the bus and the vehicles zooming past him, missing him just by an inch. I ignored him again like I always did, like everyone did.
I adjusted myself in the uncomfortable, once clean, plastic covered seat and diverted my attention to my co- travellers — an old fragile lady tried to adjust in her seat while she shared it with a rather fat and sleepy one. “I’m not fat, I’m just big-boned,” she might say. So, the big-boned lady was ever so reluctant to let the fragile old thing to sit comfortably. The old lady finally realized it was a losing battle and decided to wait for her bus stop. I, despite myself, smiled and, to my surprise, she smiled back at me.
Just when I was about to start reading the book that I had in my hand, a commotion on the men’s side drew everyone’s attention. A young man, clean-shaven, wearing a crisp white shirt, his hair gelled and well-placed, was adamant that the bus conductor hadn’t returned his change. Was it two rupees or three? The conductor was all too ready to badmouth him. An exchange of abusive words and a few shoves made the young man retreat. Either he thought that the conductor would return the change, or he realized it was thoughtless to fight with a Pathan. Whatever the case, it was peaceful again — if we don’t account for all kinds of sounds the bus makes while it moves and jerks and the constant hum of the people around you.
The most troubled aspect of a bus journey is when it jolts to a halt after every few minutes. It would never stop at a proper bus stop, which is why most of the time you’ll find many bus stops deserted. The driver is the king. He applies the brakes wherever he likes and drives the way he wishes. Sometimes he drives so fast that you wonder if his life depends on it. And occasionally so slow, as if you are on a donkey cart and the donkey is in a lazy mood. If the driver wants, he’d stop after every five seconds, for reasons unknown to most passengers; and if he doesn’t, you’re in a different kind of trouble.
On the bus, the people around me were busy. Jabbering and shifting from one position to another. Old women constantly talking about the way the drivers drove and men hitting the side of the buses whenever the bus came to a stop. Young women were reluctant to tell the driver to stop so that they could get off.
After few uneventful minutes the bus suddenly screeched to a halt. There were a couple of screams and grunts, not to mention abusive epithets. The conductor stuck his head out of the window and started talking to the old man, who had made him stop the bus by bringing his motorbike in front of it. A heated argument ensued between the two. The Barey Sahab, his brows furiously furrowed, perspiring profusely, blamed the driver to have almost knocked him down. The driver clutched to the word “almost like a lifeline and thought himself innocent.
He, another Pathan, quickly exchanged some words with his conductor in Pushto. And the conductor tried to make the Barey Sahab see the reason. The Barey Sahab, however, refused to cooperate and kept on screaming at the driver. While the bus and motorbike stood at the turning, cars stuck behind them and honked their horns to get some space. People on the bus were not devoid of any ideas and comments either. Some suggested angrily to drive over the Barey Sahab, some offered to fight him off, some said it was definitely the bus driver’s fault, unable to imagine that any ‘bus’ driver could be driving in the right manner. “We can be sometimes right, you know,” the conductor said.
It was all like a terrible dream. I could see the Barey Sahab uptight, probably another victim of tension and frustration. The authoritative voice of the police constable, who by the way arrived after quite a long time, made things settle down. And the bus continued its journey.
The turbulent ride left an unforgettable impact on me. There are so many things I want to change around the common man and around myself, but it appears all I can do is watch and learn, and ... wonder.
