Bus trips give you a chance to actually get into the blood stream of a city. It also gives you a chance to discover new things and new kinds of people, the kind of people we normal call as an item. A bus trip today was my encounter with a middle aged lady, who with her aggression and attitude made more than 20 males(me too) feel small and timid in front of her. I had stopped travelling by bus as it was quite a bumpy and dusty ride. My maruti 800 was supporting me until yesterday, when it broke down.The bus route was 764, one of the busiest routes in Delhi. I fortunately got a seat and the ride was going smoothly until the passenger next to me got up to get down. The next contender to sit ( a luxury in a Delhi bus) on the seat is normally the one standing next to it. He was a 20 something guy like me, looking to make a mark in this fast, competitive world. As he adjusted his bag to sit, a middle aged lady pushed her way through the small gap between the guy and the seat and at lightning pace grabbed the seat. I'll say its fair competition, and if you delay your plans, someone else will grab the opportunity, precisely what the middle aged lady did. What happened next just adds to her aura. Like always in a crowded bus people, push others and who in turn push few more, to make their way out of the bus at their destination. Thats what another 20 something guy did, to make it to his destination. In the process his carry bag managed to hit the lady, although, I felt it just touched her. She immediately reacted.
If you can't handle your bags, don't carry them. This is not your school, where you'll play with your bags.
Whoa! The strong lady had embarrased another guy, for his mistake. Normally things are oppositte in our male dominated society.
All this while, I was sitting next to her, just hoping, it wouldn't be a bad day for me.
Now it was the conductor's turn. The conductors in delhi buses are the third most rude guys you'll ever find on planet earth. The first being delhi Police and the second being our ill mannered MP's.
The conductor asked her for the ticket. She gave him a ten ruppee note. Their conversation proceeded in the following way.
Conductor : Where do you wanna go (In his usual rude tone)
Lady icon : I am going where this bus goes. Shut up and give me a Rs 10 ticket.
Superb!
This is what was going on in my mind as their conversation finished. Now I was a 100% sure to feature her on my blog.
I asked to myself, Is this the same Indian woman who has struggled to get equal status and respect in the society, especially in lower strata. She has surely come a long way and this lady is the living example.
Frankly speaking, I didn't have the courage to talk her, but I quickly managed to steal a photograph of her, which I've put in this post. I was quite impressed by her and I'm sure you also share the same feeling.