CAN WE DO IT?

          After two months of eating and sleeping, today was the time to pack up things and get back to my second home. Bus travels are hectic in Monday mornings as all the office – goers and students tend to get back to their respective places after enjoying the weekend. Luckily, this has never been a problem for me as dad, who always accompanies me to the bus stand (courtesy the amount of luggage), is an expert in climbing up the bus at the right time to get me a window seat mostly.

          Since it was early morning, the bus was going at a good speed due to less traffic. Suddenly, the brakes screeched. Apparently, a cow or dog must have crossed the road; it might have been a cyclist or a pedestrian, too. But then, grumbles arose from the passengers. “You idiot, be responsible to your duty!” said one; “Son of a *****, can’t you drive carefully?” yelled another; “Have you gone mad? Why don’t you slow up a bit?” shouted a third fellow. Till now, it was okay.

          The next moment, everyone started discussing previous incidents which they’ve witnessed, heard, or imagined, that had resulted in a disastrous note, in a loud tone. The ultimate thing happened when a fellow passenger, on seeing me sitting quite, said: “Thambi! Enna amaidhiyaa ukkaandhurukinga? Unga pangukku naalu vaartha kaelunga…” (Brother! Why do you stay calm? Utter some swearing words towards the driver) He had told it very sharply as if I was to bid some amount in an auction but this made me wonder what has happened to us.

          This attitude reflected quite a few flaws in the basic nature of individuals. First of all, we’re not ready to stand against something on our own. We need the company of someone. Secondly, we force the same kind of behavior into the psychology of a stranger. As this chain goes on, there will be no one left with courage and dare.

          Now, getting back to the incident, even I have been a severe critic of the Government bus drivers (in particular) in the past, muttering words like, “Sena maadu! Katta vandi maadhiri oatraan?” (Lazy buffalo, driving like a bullock cart!!) These swear words were constantly coming out of my mouth in almost every bus journey, thanks to the slow driving due to the ‘great’ road conditions of Tamil Nadu. Not after I met one of my friends’ dad, a bus driver. Seeing him just once would reveal how much a driver suffers to complete each and every trip; his eyes would show up the tiredness due to extensive sleeplessness during nights; the rough palm of his hand would depict the hardships of holding the steering for a long time; his occasional momentary pauses at the college entrance to meet his son for a fraction of second would convey how much he had missed his family owing to his job.

          How many of us know that there are inadequate drivers for the innumerable number of buses available throughout the state? How many of us have ever thought of the extra trips a driver is burdened with in order to compensate for the lack of workforce? In addition, the supervising, administrative authorities are mostly appointed by the direction of the local politicians. These irresponsible people would willingly appoint the driver in a worst route; but in order to revert to an easy bus route, he would have to pay a huge sum to the authority, which would in turn be transferred to the coffers of that politician (What, according to you, is the source of money that is given during elections to lure us? Dosh earned through these kinds of illegal activities). There are instances of drivers superior in terms of age being humiliated and abused by their senior officials, who would be younger, with no appropriate reason.

          A bus driver is, in some way, Lord Paarthasaarathi Himself. After all, Krishna became driver for just one person (Arjuna). But, a bus driver is doing this Godly job for a comparatively less salary. He toils day and night, overcomes back spasms, controls his emotions at times of abuses, all these to earn his living. Moreover, the money he gets doesn’t justify the incredible work he does. Have we not experienced awful situations due to the strike organized statewide and nationwide in the recent times? Haven’t we been at the mercy of them? So, please never complain. If a driver speeds up, do understand that while it’s risky, the fault is not his. The system has to be blamed. And as it is, from education to cricket, and media to transport, politics has spread its evil roots everywhere.

          Even the Public Sector Employees and the Corporate Workers are being granted enough days as holidays per month/year. The same is not guaranteed for a driver. He has to work, he ought to work, he is forced to work. We’ve to be thankful actually; if it can’t be done, at least don’t scold them. There is a 19 – year – old (it’s me), who has already suffered from a strained spinal cord. There are people complaining of not able to sit comfortably for two hours continuously; there are bike riders, who feel inconvenient after driving some 25 kilometers at a stretch. Can we project us into the same situation as a bus driver? Perhaps, that is the only way to show the greatness of the multiple incarnations of Paarthasaarathi.

          Similar fate strikes scavengers, when they take leave for one or two days. After all, the 50 or 100 bucks we give for their picking up garbage from all houses in a region is not even worth 25% the service they do to make us exist in a clean environment, free of dust and pollution. The healthy physical state of us is not due to the eradication of 10 different kinds of diseases by the Hamam soap, but due to these poor workers, in front of whom the White Collar Job Holders are literally nothing. Please respect these noble workers by asking yourself, ‘Can we, or would we do their work?’