LIVES ON THE MOVE

I prefer taking a circuitous route from Tambaram to Annanagar.. EMU till Nungambakkam climb up the 90 steps huffing and puffing and pray at the small temple at the end of the road, (never have I seen the temple open!) Then amble down to the bookstall selling duplicates. I invariably spend a good 30 mins browsing and buying. Then a share auto to Annanagar, rubbing shoulders and thighs with strangers inhaling the sweat and perfume!

Today I decided to forgo all these pleasures and took the bus from the MEPZ bus stop to Annanagar. I asked a few people waiting for the bus "Annanagar bus?" After confirming I waited craning my neck to read the bus numbers, wiping my spectacles clean. People were running to catch their buses all in a hurry to reach office probably. Buses to all other destinations came and went, some unheard of places too. A lady came to me and asked about a bus and if it had gone, I told her 3 buses to her destination passed by in the last 15 mins. She started explaining to me about the 3 options available to her to reach her destination. I listened patiently and answered that with the record of the past 15 mins her bus would be here any minute. Well ...her bus came and she left. 5 mins later 70 Tambaram to Avadi, mostly vacant pulled up and I sat comfortably in the window seat, the one adjacent to the bus conductor. I prefer this seat so I can hear the conductor announce the bus stops...I am wont to day dreaming!

Annanagar is not new and neither the route, still...The heady fragrance of jasmine clipped on the hair of the lady seated ahead of me wafted to my nostrils and tickled the nose hairs and I let out a loud sneeze. The jasmine lady turned her head and gave an annoyed look. Chennai and jasmine hah, most of the women folk here adorn flowers on their braid, fragrant jasmines, beautiful roses, colourful orange and purple flowers. No stylish jeans or skirts, clad in churidars and saris (some in silk with golden border, Chennai summer and silk!!) with vermilion on the forehead and turmeric on the face, traditional designed henna, (like how our mothers designed our hands, before the designer henna) beautifying the hands...hah I need to adorn my hands with henna soon! The sun was blazing hot, the conductor gave an irritated call to all to buy tickets to escape from the flying squad. I looked out the window, chaotic traffic....lots of 2 wheelers, many women drivers with sari tightly tucked in, manoeuvring the buses cars and pedestrians. Some of the bikes were rushing on the pavements and humans were jumping on to the road. Drivers from their ac cars had a bored expression on their faces. 

A signal stop and bikes and car drivers were seen to be meddling with their mobiles. Even the bus driver was glued to his mobile screen. A group of young school children giggling and busy in animated discussion boarded the bus. The topic being the pros and cons of science stream against commerce stream. Much deliberation ensued on. The youthfulness was a treat to the eyes. At regular intervals on the road there were sugarcane juice stalls and tender coconut sellers cooling the hot Chennaites!
I sensed a movement beside me, a shabbily dressed woman with hair akin to mine, unruly and flying in every direction made herself comfortable in the place available after I had rested my ample self. She had a Tamil daily in her hand and she scrunched her eyes and was engrossed in it. My inquisitive (nosy) mind wanted to check what was intriguing her. She was looking at an advertisement for apartments, boasting of a great location and cheap prices. I left her to her dreams and thanked my stars. With elections around the corner and it was funny to see all the statues of prominent leaders shrouded up in rags. The only unveiled ones were of the Mahatma and Dr Ambedkar. 
The excitement of a kid at seeing the aeroplane landing pulled my attention. I watched open mouthed with the kid as the indigo flight landed. He gave me a look of approval and I smiled at him. Maybe one day he will fly an aircraft or travel numerous times in it. Pulling me out of my reverie was a loud noise, the lady beside me done with her day dreaming was watching YouTube on her jio phone carefully held together by a red rubber band. She was oblivious of the loudness or the stares by the passengers. Yes I did peek over to see and was astonished that she was viewing a short film, hah my lady has an artistic bend. After a while I prayed that her mobile battery dies down as she seemed to have no network problems with jio. 
A tall slender lady with lots of glass bangles on her hands and a small protrusion in her belly got in, a lady immediately offered her seat but she refused and preferred to stand . The bus was still mostly vacant, just the seats were taken,very few standees.... with higher bus fares the trains are over crowded nowadays. My eyes roving back to the road, many were wearing helmets, some had generously offered it to their children or wife riding pillion. A few love birds had covered the face and worn a helmet to stay incognito. Many on the roads had covered their faces with cloth, masked people to beat the heat waves, walking around .Golf course bereft of grass or greenery glared at me.

A scene from the back of the share auto caught my eye. 2 healthy (ahem! I detest the word fat) and 2 not so healthy women were squeezed in the back seat facing the road and each had a tiffin box opened and were cheerfully conversing and sharing food. Were they friends, colleagues or regular co travellers!?! An altercation between the conductor and a passenger was getting heated. The passenger had given a patched or discoloured note to get ticket and the conductor refused to accept it. The passenger reiterated that you are just going to remit the cash so take it. Conductor replied my depot guy ll ask if I was blind to accept this note. Good sense prevailed and the passenger tendered another currency note. The driver was irked that he didn't have anyone to talk to so he pressed his leg hard on the brake and all of us swayed to the front. The bus narrowly hit the parked lorry and sound of broken glass and oohhs and aahs filled the bus.
A metro train just swished off and vanished underground and my eyes fell on another share auto, this one with just 2 passengers. A young couple sitting so close to each other leaving the rest of the seats unoccupied. Their arms were gently caressing and their eyes darted around to see if they were being watched. The youth in Chennai are still old fashioned, no fast paced love story like the other metros!  It was endearing to watch the love scene of the 80's unfold.

A board outside an apartment complex near a bus stop glared at me - the man who gave AR Rahman his name -Dr Omulaganathan ! He is still obscure as his patron reached great heights.... I was interrupted many a times by the shrill whistle of the conductor. This time to inform me of my destination. Didn't realise when the YouTube lady had left the seat. I got up, stretched my legs and smiled at the conductor who stared at me with a bemused look (I must have been a sight with the dust and grime stuck on to my sweaty face) and got off the bus to the scorching Chennai sun.