Hi Guys,
A Long walk after a long time. It
was a visit to a nearby township and the one and half hour walk to and fro was
refreshing. It was supposed to be a 6 km walk, but a few wrong paths increased
the distance. And my friend who was complaining about the distance before
starting forgot it after a short distance and got immersed into the nature. It
brought me lot of memories back.
Travel is something that we can’t
avoid in life. We travel a lot. We travel to lot of places. We use a lot of vehicles.
We walk a lot. Yet a few journeys remain fresh in our mind. Each time we get a
new experience.
Two years back, I along with
three of my friends was doing an In-Plant Training at a famous automobile
company’s R&D centre. The company was said to be in the outskirts of
Chennai. When we started on the first day, we were full of energy. By the time
we reached their office we were zapped out.
Each day we would start at 5.30
am in the morning. We will reach Chennai Central by 6.10 am and catch a train
at 6.15 am. The train journey to Minjur (a suburban station somewhere north of
Chennai) would take 75 to 90 minutes depending on the traffic. The journey
would show you the completely contrasting life in the northern parts of the
city dominated by Industry Labors. After Ennore station, you would see a
beautiful estuary where a Lake or River joins with the sea. You can note the
effect of high and low tide clearly on different times.
We would be getting down in
Minjur by sometime around 7.30 am and next part is the tedious one. We need to
catch a share auto that would leave you in the office after 30-45 minutes or
sometime even after an hour. Usually we would reach the office by 8.30 am. The
road it seemed was created specifically with the purpose of creating back pains
and asthma problems. The road was dominated with Container Warehouses and
Trucks that carried the containers to the ports. We need to do the reverse in
the evening and if we were lucky we would reach the destination within three
hours. This was our schedule for the next one week then.
During my first two years of Engineering,
I travelled in college bus and during my fourth year, I used my motor bike to
travel. In between, during my third I travelled by other means – public transportation,
share autos or some days with my friends. Share Autos are yet another interesting
means of travelling. Of course, you should bear in mind that anything can
happen. If you inside the share auto, you might experience a few quick turns
and breaks, nothing more. If you are outside the share auto, particularly
travelling in a bike nearby a share auto, then the chances of you falling down
are very high.
Recently we had a case in
Marketing Management about overloading in Indian Autos. The case mentioned the
average overloading used to around 30% I have seen worse than that. I was
standing in the bus stop. A share auto came. At a place where there can be 6-7
people, the driver loaded 10 people (3 people at the back) and as soon as he
released the first gear, the front wheel went up and thank god, the auto didn’t
fall down.
These days, most of the share
autos have been replaced by mini vans. They offer more comfort, space and
safety. They are the most common means of transport around my college (the
current one). People here are so adaptive and adjustable. The fare is so low.
The drivers get Rs. 10 for nearly 10 kms. The people here don’t mind about the
number of people. I have seen the vehicle full and still the people inside
adjusting themselves for accommodating one more person. They never complain. In
Chennai people will be shouting on top of their voice even if an extra person
gets in.
How many interesting happen when
we travel. I have written a lot before itself. The incident when a conductorwas so informative and friendly and was so honest. Another incident when theconductor was scolding for asking changes. Yet another incident when the driverforgot the conductor.
I want to share a lot other
incidents. But this post is already long. Will continue soon…
Happy Reading!!!
