All day Travel Ticket (Best Bus)

This decade is declared as ‘Download Decade’ and some believe it as an ‘Information Decade’ but utilization of information to spread it among end users is really shocking.

I hardly travel by Mumbai BEST buses; I find Local trains more convenient (in the sense of understanding the routes, not for comfort). Standing on any strange bus stop and finding any informative indicator of busses and its route is as rare as my BOSS approving any of report in first attempt. Well Jokes apart, many of the times it happens, you’ll find single Pole with small board displaying stop name & only bus route numbers. Just imagine how tough it is for new commuter to understand the exact bus route number which will help him/her to reach desired destination? Now possible alternatives would be,

1)      Asking any of the co-commuter who is also waiting for bus on same bus stop (you’ll be lucky if he is a daily traveler)

2)      Waiting alone on bus stop and keeping eye on every upcoming buses so that you can read the bus route number and last destination of it (lucky you, if your destination is same as the bus’s or else you need to know geography of city to calculate whether your destination is somewhere near by or on the way to the final destination of bus)

3)      Finally toughest alternative, make the bus stop at the stop and try to ask any of the commuter who is already sitting inside the bus or else to the conductor. You can ask the query but you should have very least expectations for proper and clear response; and in all this exercise you should be very active cuz you may need to follow up for response in bit of running motion and if it is positive and even if you ask conductor to stop, he wont. And you’ll need to run till you catch it or leave it and once you step up inside the bus you’ll find notice/warning board in Marathi adjacent to steps saying, “Chalatya bus madhe chadhu agar utaru naka, tyane tumachya jivala dhoka aahe” (do not get down or board the bus in its accelerate motion, it is dangerous and can be fatal.)

Since last 4 to 6 weeks on every weekend I need to travel by BEST bus from central to western suburb via one of the busiest link roads. Generally while asking for ticket we’ll address it to conductor by desired destination name, e.g. Dindoshi Depo or else Marol Naka etc but in my every journey I found some of the commuters were addressing it by fixed price, e.g. “ek 20 wala dena” (give one of 20Rs). I thought, in that particular bus route 20rs ticket would be of specific place where these people want to go. Next time I changed to different bus route number for same destination but via different route; surprisingly in this bus also some of the commuters were addressing ticket by its cost, Rs 20. I was very curious to ask conductor about this, but he was too busy punching tickets in that over crowded bus, so I skipped it.

Next day to solve my curiosity I phoned some of my friends who are daily Mumbai BEST bus traveler. Out of 6 friends, 5 were clueless and only one who solved it partially, said “With 20 rs ticket, I can utilize it as one day pass for N numbers of round from any locations in suburbs till midnight” in short the BEST has introduced the all day travel ticket.

When I enquired, outcome was shocking. This facility is available since last 1.5 years and surprisingly not been explained anywhere officially, just a small paper cutting in selected news papers and now even after 1.5 years of its launching not all are aware about it. Those who know about it are availing it and people like me need to solve the curiosity by struggling around. Nowhere in/on the bus or bus stop is mentioned about this facility. I appreciate the new facility but what’s the use of it, if it’s not being communicated to every one?

Please find the short details of the ‘Newly discovered’ facility. This is an unofficial circular but verdicts are true, but yet reader are requested to get the updated status by communicating ‘helpful’ conductors of BEST officials rather than waiting for them to explain us.

There are 3 basic options of this ticket; those are (City, Suburb and All zones). The ticket is valid for travel on any route (except AC buses), any number of times on the day of the ticket till midnight. Basic options are explained as follows.

1)      Option 1 (City) : Rs. 15 : Includes, from Colaba/ VT/ Nariman Point/ Churchgate till South of Mahim / Sion

2)      Option 2 (Suburb) : Rs. 20 : North of Mahim / Sion, including beyond Dahisar / Vashi

3)      Option 3 (All zone) : Rs. 25: Anywhere the BEST buses exist in the city

The ticket layout is also different from the regular ticket. Instead of punching in the ‘stop/stage number’ of the route that the passenger got in from, the conductor instead has to make 4 punches: - Date (1 to 31), Month (1 to 12), Gender (Male or Female), Year (eg: "9" for 2009, "0" for 2010, etc.)

The most important of these is the Gender. While subscribing group tickets make sure to specify the gender correctly to the number of commuters in the group. This ticket is available with all the conductors on all the regular routes.

Happy Journey.

Artistic & Fantastic

I have become laziest creature these days or else you can call moody. The incident which I am about to narrate was actually occurred on last Friday and after lot of convincing effort from my ‘second’ mind resting somewhere inside me, I have made my fingers dancing on keyboard to transform that incident on paper (e-paper yaar!!!!)

Well, It was Thursday evening, I packed my bag and left office little early for Nashik. It was one of my good friend’s paintings exhibition in Nashik, scheduled on Friday and anyhow I was insisted to attend it and encourage her talent. (“agar apane friends hi encouragement nahin denge toh dusare kya denge?” this was the invitation tag line of her over phone. I tried to recall when last I had seen any painting in real?) I reached at venue on Friday morning & no doubt hotel’s banquet hall was looking very colorful due to all the paintings. My artist friend shown and explained all the paintings, we stopped at a painting, I don’t know what to call that art either Modern or abstract. It was like this- a nude girl was showing her back standing in some flower garden surrounded & touching her knees from ground. Though that girl was showing her back yet her half face was visible and directing downwards like looking at ground & till reaching to this painting My friend had already explained me around 10-12 painting but that explanation too couldn’t help me to at least ‘read’ this painting, I said reading cuz I was just seeing it and finally I surrendered and asked her, “what’s this?”. She cleared her throat and taking the pride of disclosing the unreadable theme (at least unreadable for art illiterate like me) “Yeh Haya hain….”

“Kya hain??” I asked again. (It was tough to take off the eyes from painting)

“Yeh HAYA hain ek aurat ki…. Ek Nari ka Sharmilapan” She explained it in one line.

I was speechless, not on her painting but it was very hard to digest her explanation. If it was shyness then what the hell is she doing in floral garden and that too naked? But I dint make this feedback vocal, (her parents, uncles-aunties, brothers, sisters all were present and I was all alone.) I avoided risk; after all I wanted to reach my city safe and sound.

“Wah!!! Kya khub soch hain tumhari..” I commented and looking at exit door moved to next painting.

Somehow I dared to see all the paintings and listing to it’s contradict explanation but real irritating task came when I been introduced to each and every member of her family. I simply couldn’t restrict and after toughest panel interview when I checked my cell screen it was indicating 3:47 PM. Ohh shit,….. I had a reservation for 4’c clock train from Nasik to Mumbai and it was impossible to reach station in 13mins.

Now how to return to Mumbai in comfort was a big question to me, and on this situation I received around 22 suggestions from 11 family-members, and I made believe that if I want comfort (sitting place in train) I should catch 09:30 train on same day and additional plus point is that I will easily get reservation and if not then I need not to worry since at night time most of the trains will be empty towards Mumbai, resultant it would be more comfortable journey rather than chasing at evening, so till then I should be with them and ‘enjoy’ the exhibition; and foolish me, I agreed.

After balancing my patience level and cursing myself for missing my train I waited till 8PM and finally waved goodbye to my artist friend and her artistic family. I came out in hotel lobby praising god for helping me in safe rescue. Along with these ‘lovely’ memories and new awating challenges I was on the way to station to catch my ‘comfortable’ transport, but still time had sworn on to screw me till the possibility. I came to know that there is no such train on 9.30 and next scheduled train is on 11.00 but that too around 30 mins late.

I was really not in a situation to think over it. I took cup (glass) of tea from stall and literally sat on platform, (on ground actually) sipping that tasteless tea and waiting for train for which I had no reservation.

About an hour passed and I was still sitting on platform & looking around. On same platform just about 50 meters away a girl was standing, beautiful and modern, HOT infact. A good figure, with nice dressing and color sense, tight fitting Capris with white fitting top with Micky mouse’s picture on it (ahh!! Lucky Micky…). Her haircut was wavy with burgundy color touch. A sunglass/day-night was hooked to her capri’s belt holder, and wearing high pencil heel sandals. In short this girl was hotter than the tea I had just an hour ago and pretty enough to hold attention of tired passengers crawling on platform.

Just murmuring some code words this girl removed her wallet and took out a coin and stepped on… ohh it was a weight checking machine. Now this act was hiding her face from my view and I was desperate to go near to weight checking machine from other side to ‘face her face’, but since I was tired and still sitting on platform I preferred to observe her from the place I was sitting. After an attempt; machine shown some flashing lights, some weird voice played (I could hear it away from 50mtrs) a card ticket came out, girl looked at it something disbelieving expressions, she kept that ticket in her jeans’s back pocket and removed her wallet again and took out another coin (I was puzzled, what for this now?) but this time she bent little (??!@#@$$$@*****) touched her feet and after little effort removed her right foot’s bigger and heavier sandal than her hand, same way other too. Collected the pair of beautiful footwear in her left-hand, this attractive and ‘very smart’ babe inserted a rupee coin with right hand in machine. Again light flashed, roller rolled, weird voice played and this time little later another ticket came out of machine in tray. She collected it, read it and with right hand swinging half the back with cringe fist yelled something with happiest expression…. Probably it was “YESSS!!!”

I just couldn’t read the tickets but I could sense that there was some difference in weight between both the attempts but till now I simply couldn’t calculate how can it be possible and how this beautiful babe was without brain that made her believe the removing sandel from feet & holding it at hand will reduce her weight….. of course it was magical machine but I was amazed on her intelligence that made her sense machine’s magic. She surely dint notice me but I was sitting on platform and after her second attempt I burst into laughing and till I reach Mumbai I was hardly controlled.

I thought to check my weight too, but horrible honking smashed in my ears and my train arrived on platform, situation was still worst for me, rather than getting vacated; train over crowded with more passengers and with no choice I got pushed in compartment called ‘GENERAL’. My right foot was on floor and bent in knee while left was untouched and floating in a tight grip of two people’s crushing body, my one hand was raised and moving like flashing light in a search of some handle to hold (but it was unavailable) and other hand was busy in rescue of my bag from two other squeezing bodies. I was unable to see outside, after sometime I lowered my right hand took out my cell, it was indicating new sms, I checked the time; it was 11:57PM. Message was from my artist friend,

It read “Hope you have reached safe to Mumbai…..”

DEMOCRACY

I remember a story that I had heard when I was a kid, I am not a good storyteller but yet I’ll try to narrate it;

One day all the animals in Forest calls a meeting, agenda of meeting was to elect a new king of Jungle (Forest), all animals gathers at the venue. All the deserving candidates came up prepared to show their skills for the said position.

First of all Elephant steps ahead, and try to convince all the animals that he is the only strongest creature in jungle, and he can protect everyone well, moreover he adds other of his experiences to show how suitable he is for the post, everyone gives big hand to this big jumbo. Then Rabbit comes on stage, and address to the audiences that how intelligent he is and what qualifications he has got that matches the requirement for the king’s position. One by one all the other animals tries their best to convince other animals how they are the best. Finally a monkey steps ahead, as he was very much popular among all the animals because he was the best actor, buffoon, and very talented artist, no introduction was needed for this candidate as already he was one of the celebrities in the Jungle. So the moment he steps on the stage, he shows his talent to everyone, he makes everyone laugh by his various tricks and tactics of acting skill. This impresses everyone, and he gets voted as a new king of the Jungle with the big applauds by the audiences.

From Next day he starts handling all the responsibilities and tasks as a King, but soon due to lack of knowledge and lack of experience, he fails to maintain the progress of jungle in all the fields, he keeps himself busy in pouring his bank balance and income by illegal ways, he looses all the control over the security of Jungle and soon neighboring Jungle’s king takes the advantage of this situation and attacks on Monkey’s emperor. Well, this was the story and I don’t think I’ll need to explain the climax of this tale. It’s well known and well understood isn’t it?

Same situation is ours; it’s acceptable that in Jungle they are electing kings in such way, but what about us? What are we doing? Just because person has got great fame in any other field, does it mean that this person should try his luck in politics too? Is a politics being a big game in our nation, biggest, greatest and of course strongest source for power, income and fame & name, right?

I am a big fan of Mr Sunjay Dutt, he has done many good movies, I adore his personality, I have seen Vastav, Naam, Mumnnabhai MBBS, Lage Raho Munnabhai, etc many times, but is this actor eligible for being elected as a leader? Has he got all the virtues and qualifications needed for an ideal leader? (It’s another part that none of the existing politicians has got required qualities.), On July 31, 2007, Sanjay Dutt was sentenced to a jail term of 6 years for illegal possession of firearms acquired from terrorist acquaintances, who were responsible for the 1993 Bombay bomb blasts. He was granted interim bail by the Supreme Court of India on August 20, 2007. In January 2009, Dutt announced that he would contest the Lok Sabha elections on the Samajwadi Party ticket.

In India how easy it is to making other digest the crime and against that gain the publicity. I wonder what exactly this filmy hunk would do If he win this election? And what other criminals would learn from this side of democracy? Paisa Bolata hain, only this will remain truth right? Or else those who have got lot of money they are free to commit any crime, even moreover they may get a chance to rape India’s democracy by wearing politician’s apparels. Its another thing if such contestants are winning but real curse is, these culprits are easily getting tickets to run in the elections. This is what we call India Shining.

I am not only pointing towards the people who has got criminal background, but people who has got good fame in different field are immediately trying their luck in politics; and once they win the election they shows their back to the voters. There are so many examples, Govinda, who won the election but what remarkable he did for his field that really wonders me, same about Lata Mangeshkar, she used to remain absent in Parliament, nothing different about Dharmendra. Still there are so many actor/actresses who are playing dual role, and doing nothing best in single either. It would be wrong if I blame them, they are free to try anything, but it’s us, the people who are stupid that we are allowing them to contest such elections and even further more we are making them win it. If this is a Democracy, I really dislike it.

Jaago re….