A Bus Ride in Pondi!

My university is situated around 12 Km away from the main Pondi city. So it's almost situated at the border between Puducherry and Tamil Nadu. And the place is a forest, situated right on the beach, spread over an area of 900 acres almost. So basically, we are like tribals living on the outskirts of the big bad city, just that in this case, the tribals (university students) are much more cooler, and hepper than the city populace! ;-)

Occasionally, we tribals have to hit the city, you know, to buy certain essentials, and to treat our tired bodies and souls with some decent, edible food. And to go to the city, one has to take a Pondi city bus, analogous to the infamous Delhi Blueline buses. Yup, the Delhiites reading this would get the picture.....the very thought of travelling in a blueline fills the heart with terror and a big lump in the throat appears from nowhere. Now just amplify that felling ten times, and you'll get an inkling of the feeling i get whenever there is a prospect of geting into a Pondi bus.

First of all, getting in is in itself quite a struggle! The same principle of packing people in the bus like cattle or hens being taken to the slaughter-house, that operates in Delhi works here too. A non-crowded bus is a rarity. But, there are many perks that a ride in these buses provide, for example;

• pleasure for your olfactory senses - as soon as you get in the bus, a unique combination of smells - beer, desi liquor, rotten fish, salty sea water, and jasmine gajras - hits you! Now isn't this a super concoction!? I'd suggest one of these celebs to bring out a perfume line using this combo..........a blockbuster on your hands!!
• Human touch - since Pondi is the place to be for all connoisseurs of cheap liquor, you'll see plenty of old, really old men, usually homeless, travelling around, bare-foot, and stinking drunk!! these men form the majority of the bus commuters. And they have no qualms in snugging up to you, resting their tired heads on your shoulders, trying to sit on your shoulders or head if you were lucky enough to grab a seat, and the likes. yup, people here are very loving!!! :-/
• Music!- And for all the music lovers, most of the drivers are very thoughtful! they keep the interests of their commuters in mind, and play LOUD, ear-splitting, head-banging tamil songs! And by head-banging, I don't mean the Metallica sort of head-banging. I mean, literally, it feels something like a hammer is banging on your head!! And the volume is so loud that stuffing your ears with your mp3 player will not work too.......though sometimes, the music can be good too!
• Thrills - Ever wished while watching Formula 1 that you could be in one of those cars, speeding away to glory!? just get in one of these buses- same speed thrills, and just for Rs. 4. Plus, the thrill of having your life in peril for a good half an hour is thrown in for free!!! :P Really, the Blueline and DTC walas have a lot ot learn from their Pondi counterparts in this regard! They lag waaaaaaaay behind!
• No Reservation! - Yup.....there are no seats "reserved for the ladies". But, there is general understanding here. Men, get in from the front. Women get in from the back. Even if they are travellin' together!!! So the back of the bus is jam-packed with women, and the front with the men. And even if the bus is heavily crowded, and a lady is sitting on the three-seater, no man will dare to sit there, even if the seats remain empty. And to think of it! In Delhi, there are guys who wouldn't budge from the reserved seats even when an old aunty ji shouts her lungs out at them! :P

So, these are some of the characteristics which make a bus ride in Pondi so eventful and exciting. You'll be thinking, "Gosh! that's horrible!". And that's my fault. This was just one-side of the coin.If you get past the smell and the crowd and the general discomfort, you'll see the humane and kind side of the people here, which is associated with most of the small towns in our country. Here, when those homeless, poor, old men try to get in the bus, the people and/or the conductor, help them get in, hold their sticks and make way for them. Even if they are filthy and reeking of alcohol, no one shuns them. I can not imagine that happening in Delhi, where people would shudder at the slightest touch of such an unfortunate individual. Here, everyone is welcome to ride the bus, of any status, any position. Street urchins are not shooed away like stray dogs, as is done in Delhi. Here people do not fight for a foothold, they make way for one another. Everyone adjusts with a silent, mutual understanding. They don't stand rigidly in your way when you are in the middle of the bus and have to get off. They make way for you, so you don't miss your stop. AND ya, EVERYONE BUYS THE TICKET..................WILLINGLY!!! Really, dilli-walas too have a lot to learn from the denizens of Pondi.