RELUCTANTLY OLD

Crude oil price went up and the everything else in this world became costly. The inhabitants of that barren land have been lucky, but wonder how do they flirt this God given opportunity. It's more of a concern thinking the earthly juice may soon dry up – as the fortune-tellers harp on. The net effect of price rise is my grounding after my short lived love in blue sky. Interestingly, I developed a self-defeating luxury for which I am not made for.

The urge for visiting my native place was getting stronger in the last October. This has been absent not only for my kids but also those of the neo-city dwellers. For these kids, there are no native places but a pretension of it. They don't get intoxicated at the smell of native place. Theirs' is the place that looks good on TV screen. Suddenly, I decided to go home and being grounded chose Indian Railways. Good thing is Indian Railways is now a profit making organisation for which everybody from the Railway Minister to the lineman claim their eminences. A good team work that is praise worthy.

Tending to be green I chose the public transport to reach Secunderabad railway station. APSRTC: Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation is one of the few public transport in India having good name for its service. Let me spend a minute on it. For commuting in Hyderabad city, there are three types of buses viz. Ordinary, Metro-liner and Veera. Very wisely bureaucrats in APSRTC have chosen for three, probably being inspired by the importance of three in Hindu religion e.g. Brahma, Vishnu and Maheshwara are the three taking charge of the total creation.

Ordinary buses are mainly chosen by poor fro its low price. Many a time, while traveling in such a bus you must be prepared to smell sweat soaked shirts of your co-commuters. Never mind, if you find yourself in the midst fo flesh. If you are short and out-of-size particularly overly sized then certainly you are at the receiving end. Metro-liner is fairly better with a lot of free space, a modest sitting arrangement at slightly higher cost. You are for sure for not finding a commuter who breaks his back in the hot Sun. Sometimes, you may get air of aroma from neo deo users. Veera bus is the luxury one and also the expensive one with push back seat to accommodate a passenger with out-of-proportion body. This is the kind of physique, socially, is taken as an index of the development. And Hyderabad is very much on that track. The bright proof - US has agreed to set up a consulate office in Hyderabad. What else proof you need? You yourself even can judge from the growing number of joggers/walkers on Tankbud/Necklace road.

As a Veera pulls into a bay and comes to halt, many shy away for its high priced fare. A person who decides for Veera could be a guy either on comfort searching or at the resigned state. I was among the later category to choose a Veera to reach Secunderabad railway station. I moved to middle of the bus to stand on alley for want of a seat. A feeling of disappointment creeps in if you don't get a seat in Veera. The feeling is alike to that of missing a first class for two marks; or being drained out after purchasing a plot and not being able to construct a house – the pain of a narrow miss. However, for every Indian there is a great history to back up and teach you to adapt. I prepared myself for one hour journey standing on my own leg, of course!

Veera pulled itself on much publicized well transformed road. A stop came and an old man boarded the bus. He looked around desperately for a seat to discover a youth occupying a seat for senior citizen. He walked up to and exercised his right little forcefully as the young guy showed an inhibition. Finally, the guy got up leaving the seat to the old. The young guy stood on alley and the guy standing nearby changed to a happy state, probably due to 'if not me not so others be' syndrome. The young guy at the loss of the comfort and embarrassment was getting tormented and looking for a point to cheer himself. Suddenly, he murmured at the hearing range of the old man commented on his deceptively black hair camouflaging grayed ones. The old man while settling on his comfortable push back seat got a pale face for being reluctantly old.

14th Nov. 2008