Short essay on A Journey in an Overcrowded Bus (free to read). Most of the buses in Delhi are overcrowded. Traveling by a DOT’S bus is an ordeal. Last Sunday, I had to experience such an ordeal.
I had to travel from Cashmere Gate to Lappet Nagar Central Market. There was a long queue of passengers at Cashmere Gate. Most of them were office-goers and were in a hurry. But no bus came for many minutes. After about fifteen minutes a bus came. It was very difficult to board it. It was already packed to capacity. Only two or three persons alighted from the bus. But a host of passengers wanted to board it. The principle of the queue was thrown to the winds. Like wild animals, the people rushed towards the bus. They did not even bother if some old lady or child was crushed. I could not catch this bus.
Then two policemen came. They again arranged the queue. Another bus came after sometime. Fortunately, I was able to catch it. As I boarded the foot-steps of the bus, I found, to my chagrin, that I had been trapped. The bus was already packed to capacity and it was impossible to get in. Soon the bus gathered speed and it was impossible to get down either. I felt as if I were going to fall down and get killed
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With great difficulty and facing abuses from fellow-passengers, I made some headway in the bus, although I felt as if I were getting suffocated. I gasped for breath. In a moment of anger, some ‘kind’ hefty man pushed me forward. I fell over other passengers who called me ‘a fool’, ‘a ruffian’, ‘a barbarian’ and what not. One of the men behind me was smoking a ‘biro’. My lungs were soon full with its smoke which I’m told has nicotine as its chief ingredient. I requested him to take pity on me and stop smoking. He gave me jerk, called me names and wanted to slap me but by God’s grace relented. I rather thanked him for this “pity”
At every stoppage there was a scramble between those who wanted to alight from and those who wanted to board the bus. There was a great din and noise. As after more than an hour, the bus reached my destination, I heaved a sigh of relief. I alighted from the bus. But what relief? My pocket had been picked, my shirt was torn, my legs were aching and my heart was sinking. What a journey!