Down To Earth

Beneath the brightly shining sun on a Saturday morning, I waited at the shuttle stand for my second-time-sweat-drenched shirt to dry up.

Feeling a little awkward (with so much sweat on my body) I looked around at people.

Gratefully, some other decent people also wore similar kinds of expression on their faces.

On the stand, the chauffeurs of these shuttles moved about inviting people to enjoy the roller coaster ride of their whirlwinds (as though they were fishermen trying to sell their fishes in the local market!).

What would be the most common reaction of people: Phew! Whatever!

Very conveniently I sat in that van; yet again wiping my face and fanning myself with my soaked handkerchief.

It seemed all of a sudden that people realized they had to sit in the same shuttle. Soon squeezed in the middle, with movement = nil, I gazed around that densely populated Maruti van.

After what appeared to be an era to me, the small stuffed van, smelling of ten other people in it, thankfully started.

Ok! Time to wipe your face again! (By that time I had lost the count)

Here began the journey to my French class.

I shut my eyes (forgetting the smell of the stinky socks of my neighbour) and tried to relax. Tranquility...

But no! The driver got us in relation with a moderately used technology for sound and audio system, “The RADIO”, which was maximized to as loud as the driver could possibly hear and of course make us hear.

Consoling my ears, which were protesting against that cacophony, I tried to concentrate on my previous lessons.

A man sitting diagonal to me merrily took out his mobile phone and plugged in his earphones. (Trust me I got no clue how he could hear something louder than that radio without impairment!)

Ok! Now I know what people mean when they say “STRANGE!”

Our shuttle zoomed out through that fairly congested part of the city as the driver took off believing it to be an ace Air Force I!

After twenty minutes of sheer patience and tolerance (of that ear throbbing music), I got off and walked my way to the class.

Speeding through the road, I saw that shuttle pick up more passengers and all I uttered under my breath was “Phew! Whatever”.