I belong to a small town in Himachal named Hamirpur. Having spent most of my life in Delhi, I have travelled from Delhi to Hamirpur innumerable times on this route which crosses cities of Chandigarh, Nangal and Una.
Now we proudly have a Volvo bus on this route and numerous ordinary ones but I have travelled ever since there were just two overnight buses from Hamirpur to Delhi. In those times, when I was a school kid, I was fascinated by some markings/notices on the bus. Apart from the usual ones 'Sawaari apne saaman ki khud zimmewaar hai'...there used to be some markings for seat reservations. Popular amongst them were 'Mahilayon ke liye' or 'reserved for women'; Viklango ke liye etc. The one which used to irk me the most was 'M.P/MLA ke liye'. I used to wonder, why would any M.P/MLA travel in a bus. Why have they reserved one seat for MP/MLAs, once we know, they are never going to use it. This feeling has been with me since a child.
A few months back, I was travelling to Delhi from Hamirpur and the bus stopped a little outside Chandigarh Bus stand. Somebody asks the conductor 'seat hai' and he nods. And I find a handsome looking man walk in and sit in the front row. It doesnt take long for me to recognise that he is my MP from Hamirpur, Anurag Thakur, who has of later got popular nationally because he is seen in many IPL cricket matches.
I start contemplating, why would this hot shot MP take a bus to Delhi. Perhaps, his car brokedown and thats why he had to take a bus. But I thought, he must enough money to hire a taxi, then why take a bus. But I was happy that at last some MP is finally travelling in a bus. So what if its a Volvo and not an ordinary one. Anyhow, he got down at Mandi House in Delhi in the morning being welcomed by his driver.
Last month, after Holi I was coming back to Delhi in the same bus and guess what. I again find him in the bus...but this time he boards it in Hamirpur. A red beacon car drops him at the Hamirpur bus stand. Now, I think..he seems to be a regular. Lets see.
I had my dinner at home and so I had nothing to do but sit outside the joint in Bangana, where the bus stops for dinner. Anurag probably was also full, so I just walked up to him and said Hello. I shared with him that I was pleased with the fact that he is travelling by bus...and told him my story of childhood of seats reserved for MP/MLA. He very casually said...Oh i use this bus a lot. I smiled and he said lets meet up for coffee sometime in Delhi. He shared his email and I left the conversation to start another one with my girlfriend over the phone.
I shared with her that Anurag was with me in the bus and she was not ready to believe.
Thats the state of affairs in India...to find an MP in a bus is unbelievable. Thats the reason, I really liked Arvind Kejriwal's morning walk and his statement that when in Scandinavia, you can bump into your Prime Minister at a bus stop...why not in India.
Frankly speaking, I was delighted to bump into my MP ( I am a voter in Hamirpur) in the bus. And so were so many other passengers who later surrounded him. I even remember during my earlier sighting of him in the bus...there were many passengers taking selfies with him at Mandi House at 5 am in the morning. Some people met him on the way to Delhi at Bhota, Barsar, Bangana and Una. It seems they were party people.
But anyways...
Great Going Anurag! I hope to meet up with you over coffee and see you more often on that bus. I think you should also try the local ricketty bus to Delhi sometime. I will be happy to accompany. And I am happy that finally those reserved seats would get utilised.
P.S - I am not a member of either BJP or AAP
-Why I chose to put this on this particular blog is because I consider it as a public solution...and would want it more. Perhaps, the era of rath yatras is gone and if a politician is really serious, he should travel with the public in public transport.
Now we proudly have a Volvo bus on this route and numerous ordinary ones but I have travelled ever since there were just two overnight buses from Hamirpur to Delhi. In those times, when I was a school kid, I was fascinated by some markings/notices on the bus. Apart from the usual ones 'Sawaari apne saaman ki khud zimmewaar hai'...there used to be some markings for seat reservations. Popular amongst them were 'Mahilayon ke liye' or 'reserved for women'; Viklango ke liye etc. The one which used to irk me the most was 'M.P/MLA ke liye'. I used to wonder, why would any M.P/MLA travel in a bus. Why have they reserved one seat for MP/MLAs, once we know, they are never going to use it. This feeling has been with me since a child.
A few months back, I was travelling to Delhi from Hamirpur and the bus stopped a little outside Chandigarh Bus stand. Somebody asks the conductor 'seat hai' and he nods. And I find a handsome looking man walk in and sit in the front row. It doesnt take long for me to recognise that he is my MP from Hamirpur, Anurag Thakur, who has of later got popular nationally because he is seen in many IPL cricket matches.
I start contemplating, why would this hot shot MP take a bus to Delhi. Perhaps, his car brokedown and thats why he had to take a bus. But I thought, he must enough money to hire a taxi, then why take a bus. But I was happy that at last some MP is finally travelling in a bus. So what if its a Volvo and not an ordinary one. Anyhow, he got down at Mandi House in Delhi in the morning being welcomed by his driver.
Last month, after Holi I was coming back to Delhi in the same bus and guess what. I again find him in the bus...but this time he boards it in Hamirpur. A red beacon car drops him at the Hamirpur bus stand. Now, I think..he seems to be a regular. Lets see.
I had my dinner at home and so I had nothing to do but sit outside the joint in Bangana, where the bus stops for dinner. Anurag probably was also full, so I just walked up to him and said Hello. I shared with him that I was pleased with the fact that he is travelling by bus...and told him my story of childhood of seats reserved for MP/MLA. He very casually said...Oh i use this bus a lot. I smiled and he said lets meet up for coffee sometime in Delhi. He shared his email and I left the conversation to start another one with my girlfriend over the phone.
I shared with her that Anurag was with me in the bus and she was not ready to believe.
Thats the state of affairs in India...to find an MP in a bus is unbelievable. Thats the reason, I really liked Arvind Kejriwal's morning walk and his statement that when in Scandinavia, you can bump into your Prime Minister at a bus stop...why not in India.
Frankly speaking, I was delighted to bump into my MP ( I am a voter in Hamirpur) in the bus. And so were so many other passengers who later surrounded him. I even remember during my earlier sighting of him in the bus...there were many passengers taking selfies with him at Mandi House at 5 am in the morning. Some people met him on the way to Delhi at Bhota, Barsar, Bangana and Una. It seems they were party people.
But anyways...
Great Going Anurag! I hope to meet up with you over coffee and see you more often on that bus. I think you should also try the local ricketty bus to Delhi sometime. I will be happy to accompany. And I am happy that finally those reserved seats would get utilised.
P.S - I am not a member of either BJP or AAP
-Why I chose to put this on this particular blog is because I consider it as a public solution...and would want it more. Perhaps, the era of rath yatras is gone and if a politician is really serious, he should travel with the public in public transport.
