To and Fro I GO.............

Over the past few weeks, the traffic in Bangalore has been getting from worst to something which is best not talked about. I spend about 4 hrs average with my cab driver ; that is a tad less than what I spend with my wife(free time per day). Now is that not horrible. Earlier when I used to start from office in the evenings, I used to call up my wife and ask “So! What’s for dinner?”, rather I should actually be asking, “So! What’s for breakfast tomorrow morning? “. But, crib, curse or whine, there is actually nothing one can do, but to sit in that cab and wait for the traffic to move and the honking to end! Over a period of time I have devised a few things to keep myself busy in the cab... Here goes…..


1. How am I driving sticker! There are these stickers on all corporate cabs “How am I driving?” “Am I Rash?” “Give Feedback on 184830” etc etc, I wonder if some one actually calls such numbers and gives any feedback. So when I am stuck there with nothing to do, I have called such numbers and given them some feedback about the cab in front of me. No luck many times, either the mobile # is not reachable, or the person who picks up the call had already quit the job and was no longer responsible for taking feedback for that cab :-)

2. A thing which guarantees you about a hour of non stop chatter is asking the cab driver where he is from and how did he make his journey from his village to the IT capital of Bangalore. Some stories are genuinely touching, some are made up, and some make you laugh. But they guarantee you an early ride back home and some respect you in a very special way for hearing them for one hour. And from the next day, the cabbie does not seem irritated on you when you reach your pickup point a good ten minutes late!

3. My cell phone has about 157 ways of making noise. What better time than now to listen to each one of them and choose how my cell should ring when my wife calls, when my friends call and how to growl when my boss calls? Go on changing, scrolling through each of the tones. Now, you should also realise that is not a polite thing to do and it disturbs others who are busy gazing outside the window or dozing. After about 20 rings, ask a loud polite question,”Hey! Am I disturbing you’ll?” . No one has ever replied with a YES to this question, but their expressions always say YES YOU IDIOT! SHUT THAT CRAP, OR WE ARE GONNA THROW YOU OUT!

4. Read all sign boards you can see from the window , bumper stickers loudly, if boredom is too much spell out each board. Read number plates of the vehicle in front.

5. If sitting on the front seat, keep changing radio channels... If behind... Keep nudging the driver or the person in front seat to change channels... Tell them the correct channel name and number; flaunt your general knowledge :-) ... Once the channel of your choice is on... Sit back... Sigh a relief... And grin.

6. Open up a pack of chocolates or biscuits... Eat alone... Look around... But do not share... Enjoy the sadistic pleasure of getting those hungry greedy glares. Buddy if you ask I shall give, So don’t give me those greedy stares!

7. CURSE....LOUDLY... The government for horrible state of affairs in the city...the organization for setting campus so far from the city...the transport department for setting up horrible pickup routes where you go from one corner to another picking colleagues

These things have helped me so far to keep my sanity in the long journeys, well yet to see how many days before I go mad or change my job or change my house somewhere near… Till then I would continue with these and if I am bored with these, well I will think of a few more :-)