Every bus stop is a nightmare in Chennai especially for the aged and women and even more if it is peak time. The buses for their part do not stop necessarily in front of the stop and may chose to stop feet away from it and that too either front or back and most of the time will surprise you. I had once asked a driver, why do they not stop just in front and why always away? He arrogantly replied, why make a big fuss and how can one expect them to stop precisely.
Just go to any bus stop during peak time and you would see hoards of people clustered and in a ready state to run. There eyes would look no place but in the direction from which their bus is due and would be staring emptily in that direction even if no buses were coming. And if any bus is in that direction, they would be straining their eyes and would like to know whether it is their route and if so they would be in a sprint mode. And before those who want to get down do so, they would push their way in and occupy a convenient sitting or standing position. Who is standing by their side, who behind, who front, how many, etc will be of no concern to these focussed bus hoppers. No organized entry nor exit, sweat and turmoil, day after day woof is this a journey or a sin washed?
Bus hoping is more orderly in Mumbai or in places like in US where people queue up on their own without a monitor or volunteer with a baton around. They would wait for the bus to open it's doors, allow those who want to get down do so and then get in one by one without pushing and shoving. The bus drivers also will wait patiently and take off only when the doors are shut and would not speed away without giving enough time as is done in Chennai.
Is this a culture deficit, expression by the insensitive society which is selfish or is it simple economic sense where time and availability of scarce resource is optimally used. If one bus is missed, the next may not come in more than half a hour and any other mode of transport will be too expensive proposal.
And then you see half the bus reserved for females and even if most seats are empty you would see many females sitting near window side with no one near them And no male can dare occupy those vacant seats too.
But then even if there be a few, why can'[t they ply orderly and why can't the people get in and out decently in an orderly fashion?
This culture needs reform. For the manifestation of this is seen in all walks of life where people think by hook or crook one somehow has to achieve and attain what they think and want and that is why corruption and crimes happen. The pattern by which the women seat also show how this society is prone and conditioned to misuse any priority or reservation made available to a section. I have to some how get in and I won't bother whether the driver ids disciplined, whether he is breaking a rule by stopping ahead or behind, I wont bother whether anyone else also got in and I care a damn if you got a seat- Is this a social mentality? Is this good for brotherhood? Isn't this selfish and I don't care attitude the chief reasons for so many social ailments in our country? Isn't Raja, Kani and many other from this society suffering now because of this ailment?
Stop Look , Think and proceed.
