Two things I've been thinking about lately are buses and the challenges of being a girl, so that's what today's post will be about.
Forget menstruation, pregnancy, discrimination at the work place and all that jazz. You know what's really hard about being a girl? It's really hard not to get toothpaste in your hair when you spit into the sink after brushing your teeth.
BMTC buses are some of the best places to see everything that's good about Indian society. Hardly a bus ride goes by without me noticing a youngster voluntarily getting up to give his/her place to an older person or offer to help someone who is standing up by holding their bag. That being said, one of the greatest disadvantages of Indians is their absolute lack of understanding of the concepts of capacity and volume, particularly where buses are concerned. I once saw a bus that was reeling drunkenly towards the left at an alarming angle which might have been due to the driver's ineptitude but which was more probably caused by the fact that it was carrying more passengers than a goods train could have done in safety. The fact that this precariously balanced vehicle reached the bus stop without accident is a tribute to the excellence of Indian engineers. When the doors were opened, it was seen that the people in the bus were packed tighter than sardines in a can, and yet the conductor, with great generosity of spirit called out cheerfully that there was still plenty of room, his voice slightly muffled by the fact that he was at the time being sat upon by a fat woman. Oh, India!
Forget menstruation, pregnancy, discrimination at the work place and all that jazz. You know what's really hard about being a girl? It's really hard not to get toothpaste in your hair when you spit into the sink after brushing your teeth.
BMTC buses are some of the best places to see everything that's good about Indian society. Hardly a bus ride goes by without me noticing a youngster voluntarily getting up to give his/her place to an older person or offer to help someone who is standing up by holding their bag. That being said, one of the greatest disadvantages of Indians is their absolute lack of understanding of the concepts of capacity and volume, particularly where buses are concerned. I once saw a bus that was reeling drunkenly towards the left at an alarming angle which might have been due to the driver's ineptitude but which was more probably caused by the fact that it was carrying more passengers than a goods train could have done in safety. The fact that this precariously balanced vehicle reached the bus stop without accident is a tribute to the excellence of Indian engineers. When the doors were opened, it was seen that the people in the bus were packed tighter than sardines in a can, and yet the conductor, with great generosity of spirit called out cheerfully that there was still plenty of room, his voice slightly muffled by the fact that he was at the time being sat upon by a fat woman. Oh, India!
No comments:
Post a Comment