Reading Time: 5 minutes
A typical Bengali will describe the passengers as bats clinging on to the doors and windows of buses and trains. The passengers seem like bees bent on protecting their honey combs. When the buses have not even a square centimetre of floor board left, the conductors will shout and usher in more passengers claiming that their buses are half empty. At times, the conductor will get off the bus and check through the windows whether the passengers can be pushed inside so that more passengers can be accommodated. To such endeavour, the conductor will be greeted with some honey-coated, sugary words from the passengers and the bus will start again. Here’s a slice of life in crowded Kolkata by Soumya, exclusively for Different Truths.
After passing out of college, my job brought me to the City of Joy. For three long years, I pushed myself in the busy hours of the day to my place of work; until recently I was placed in the three-shift duty. Three shift duty has given me the opportunity to travel during odd hours of the day when you find ample options for conveyance. It has also given me the opportunity to admire the beauty of our public transport system, which used to be a penance to me.
A typical Bengali will describe the passengers as bats clinging on to the doors and windows of buses and trains. The passengers seem like bees bent on protecting their honey combs. When the buses have not even a square centimetre of floor board left, the conductors will shout and usher in more passengers claiming that their buses are half empty. At times, the conductor will get off the bus and check through the windows whether the passengers can be pushed inside so that more passengers can be accommodated. To such endeavour, the conductor will be greeted with some honey-coated, sugary words from the passengers and the bus will start again.
At each bus stop, you can feel the vibe of the passengers. The adults in mid-40 will walk briskly with
The women, you can see from their faces, at first will give a grumpy look, then they will take some time to decide whether to get on the bus and finally when they have done so, they start off with the rat race. The men of mid 20’s with a grin on their faces casually grab the handle of the bus and seem to enjoy the breeze outside the bus.
As long as the crowded bus runs with pace, the passengers are content that their decision to cling on to the bus was fruitful and you almost gauge a smile on their face. But, on the contrary, if the roads are jam packed and if it happens to be a hot humid day, soon the temperature of the bus will attain that of a volcano. “Why are you leaning on this side?”
“Stand straight!” “Where will I place my feet if you take all the space?” “Remove your bag or it will be thrown outside!” All such allegations will be raised against fellow passengers. A majority of co-passengers will support/disapprove such allegations and the crowded bus will turn into a courtroom.
You may take an auto rickshaw to avoid all this. You approach an auto driver, you will find him say,
So you are left with the Metro railways. You reach the platform and realise “Great men think alike.” The platform is packed with ardent office goers ready to run on a whistle. The train arrives and gets stuffed. The last few to get into the coach push the people inside and make room for them. If that is not enough the RPF personnel comes to rescue and with their batons pushes your bag and what not to ensure that the gate is safely closed. Once you are stuffed you are not allowed to move. Even if you feel that you are being pick-pocketed, you won’t be allowed to touch your hip pockets to check.
If you want to avoid all sort of hustle, you need to try out Tramways. Trams are Kolkata’s heritage. Two wooden bogies driver by white-haired veterans. He has a bell which serves as the horn. Indeed the trams are very environment-friendly. They take you to places where normal vehicles are barred due to one-way traffic. The tram is the cheapest mode of transport in Kolkata.
Political meetings and processions are the surprise elements on roads. Suddenly you will find stranded for two hours without any reasons. However, Kolkata Police does a commendable job managing traffic.
The craze in Kolkata’s public transport is due to its easy availability. Unlike other metros, Kolkata is well connected as far as the far-fetched areas of the cities are concerned. Thanks to the overzealous people who make this public transport a success.
©Soumya Kanti Roy
Photos sourced by author and internet.
#Kolkata #KolkataTraffic #Autorickshaw #Bus #Train #People #KolkataPolice #Tram #CityOfJoy