I went to Kerala after a long time. After living in the Chennai city for many years, the village gave me a new experience. I rushed to the bus to catch a window seat. The climate was good and I enjoyed it completely agreeing with people who refer to Kerala as God’s own country.
The travel in the bus was pleasant until the bus stopped near a school. There were lots of students waiting for the bus.
The first shock came as the conductor told the students that only a few could step into the bus while the others would have to wait for the next bus. The conductor scolded the few who tried to sneak in.
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Students were allowed to pay the minimum fare but in case the regular passengers came in the students had to get off to make way for them. Besides, they were subjected to abusive language too. In fact, the drivers also skipped certain stops if there were schools or college nearby.
A school boy who sat behind me and was forced to get up once the regular passengers came onboard. Even though he was willing to pay the full fare, the conductor asked him to get up from his seat or else he would have to get off the bus.
I was listening to all this and decided to give my seat to that boy. He refused initially but thanked me profusely saying how he was very tired from trying to finish his school work. He also said that he had not had his lunch and felt weak. I told to calm him down and wished him before I alighted.
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This is just one incident that I witnessed. In Kerala this is a common situation for all the students boarding the buses and not getting proper privileges while travelling by busses.
The private buses don’t even care to stop at the bus stops where students wait after college hours. This is a sad situation and some action needs to be taken.
HARISH V.N., M.B.A Graduate, A.M.S Engineering College, Avadi