handsfree on the bus

who thought hands free device was invented for drivers? Who would have imagined the extensive use of hands free device in India? We have changed the meaning of handsfree here. I had pleasure of travelling on a overcrowded jeep from gandhinagar to ahmedabad. As we know they fill this with as many people to make max profit from each trip. The extra confident driver drives the jeep with more efficiency than formula one drivers. Ofcourse his both feet firmly on pedals and one hand on steering wheel and other holding the roof of the car with deadly grip, rest of the body he pushes out of the car to allow one more passenger in front letting his butt hanging in the mid air. ....So back to handfree, generally they are used by non-drivers only. I was lucky to find seat in that next to open exit window/door, lady sitting in front was holding the rod above firmly and handbag with other on edge of the seat and talking away on handsfree. On crowded public travel hands free devices are must where finding and moving your hand on peak hour is a task. Although it appears as if people are falling over each other in buses, amazingly your personal space is never invaded, people know how to hold their luggage and body to themselves on bumpy drive with sudden breaks and changing of lanes. People come aboard and immediately put their heavy laptops on laps of seated passengers. Seated ones with reflexes puts palms to secure the stranger’s laptop. I wonder if they know each other already! But no. There is no ‘r u sure you don’t mind’, ‘u r so kind’ ‘so thought full of you’ no such exchanges. Indians act and move on from each situation without fuss. I was offered once to hold my 3 tiny booklets to seated passenger in case my hand was getting stiff trying not to fall! People are less paranoid about rights and personal space in general, intellectual property rights and many more including more importantly teenager’s rights!

Still from the bus...I enjoy hop, skip and jump on buses. That allows me to see so many sites I would otherwise ignore/miss. I was looking out and saw shop called yellamma devi’s shop. There where photos of cow and other deities and garlands. There were couple of ladies looking ever so pretty with big bindi, saree and double gajra in hair and doing some work. As I followed their hand movement I saw it was meat shop and they were chopping away. ‘devi maa, itnaa bhi sumhaar mut karo!’ I have also seen other unsuitable names such as supriya pig shop. Oh no how can a pig be su-priy?! If it is priy then why priy pig would have such fate?!! Essentially a Butcher sounds so poetic and graceful with that gajra!