The other day I was traveling in this bus (tata city ride). The bus seemed new, but it was in very poor condition. Rolls Royce’s famous ad-line used to say – “The only sound one can hear in the new Pierce-Arrows is the ticking of the electric clock.”. The same for this bus would go like this- “”The only sound one can’t hear in this bus is the horn“. But travel no more than 3 kms and you understand the reason. The roads are filled with holes or are under construction. It’s a wonder how the bus runs.
Nevertheless have a look at the dashboard, and it’s all crystal clear. One can find photographs of various gods. I guess it’s the blessings which helps the bus. Religion of the driver doesn’t matter. Unfailingly, drivers make it a point to burn Incense sticks at dargah and temples on the way. The drivers are highly superstitious and leave no stone unturned. If a cat crosses the road, the bus stops immediately. The driver performs his ritual to offset it, generally by throwing lighted matchsticks on both sides of the road. Only then does he proceed.
Now since the bus travels in rural parts, it’s difficult and costly to get the services of a garage. So, it runs on ‘jugaad’. For eg. In this bus, the driver used to pour petrol in engine to start a diesel bus. 5-10ml of petrol and the engine starts. By the way, the engine starts by push, and not self start. So whenever the bus stops, 5-6 men get down to give it a push. In a way, this is also self start… what say????
