Bus Conductor
Bus Conductor
Essays on a Life Of a Indian Bus Conductor
God has created men and women. This Bus Conductor, with whom I had the misfortune of travelling, was a fussy one and made the life of passengers miserable, whenever, he could.
I boarded a slightly overcrowded bus. Men, women and children crowded near the
conductor for tickets. He was shouting at them particularly the weaker sections
where he expected no retaliation for minor things. Suddenly he stopped issuing
tickets and refuses to accept the five rupee note, as it was slightly spoiled.
The passenger did not have another note, nor was he willing either to travel
without ticket or get down. To break the impasse, I exchanged the note. The
process of issuing the tickets restarted.
Intermittently he was almost shouting at the passengers to move forward, to
stand erect, as if it was possible, to get into the bus and leave the foot
board and threatened to stop the bus, making everyone quite uncomfortable.
Suddenly he noticed a passenger smoking. He almost pounced on that. manand wanted him to throw
his cigarette. The passenger was not the one to be easily cowed down. He argued
that ‘no smoking’ applied to the front and sitting portions of the bus only and
not to the rear portion. One elderly person told the smoking passenger that it
is now illegal to smoke at public places. After that the smoking passenger gave
in.
The argument continued. The passengers waiting for tickets, some of whom was
nearing their destinations, grew restless and had joined in. The altercation
ended only when one elderly person told the smoking, passengers that it is now
illegal to smoke at public places. After that the smoking passengers gave in.
About the same time, the bus reached my stop. I alighted with a prayer that God
may give him good sense.