LIFE in a METRO..

Shutting down the alarm in my mobile, after a couple of snoozes,
I decided to get up from the bed before my eye-lid again closes..
I just had two minutes to spend on brushing and ten left for a quick shower,
And 15 more in front of the mirror is all it takes for that complete make-over..

I rushed downstairs to gobble up my breakfast and  gulp down some milk ..
I chose to slip into my favorite flats instead of shoes, to save time, that's the trick..
I hurried through the curvy roads to catch the Volvo bus just in time..
And was fortunate enough to get a window seat as it suits me just fine..


Looking out of the window I was lost in my own world..
Organizing my thoughts giving them some order and poise..
My thoughts were suddenly shattered by the fight..
Or so I thought by their volume and noise..


I then realized it was the busy conductor asking for the right change..
But why this howling and shouting early in the morning? It looks so strange..
Thinking about this I went down memory lane..
A period when day-to-day life was not such a pain..


There was just one red-colored bus used for local roaming..
The middle class and poor used it alike without discriminating..
There was no Suvarna no Big10 no Marco Polo...
Neither was there a Pushpak nor a Volvo..


The early morning buses were filled with vendors and their bamboo baskets...
In AC buses it isn't any different now,as baskets are replaced by laptop caskets..
Those buses were filled by the scents of flowers, fruits and incense stick fumes..
In Volvo its filled with the headache causing odor of deodorants and perfumes..

Some old lady hummed a tune, the other busy preparing a jasmine flower garland..
School kids hung on with their heavy school-bags, shoes -socks and  pockets full of sand..
But today all you hear is the blaring FM Radio and the GPS announcing the places,
With all IT professionals hanging on with their backpacks and Tupperware carry cases..

There is no one to call the red-bus conductor "Uncle" anymore..
Or chit-chat with him and share with him tales happy and sore..
No one to fight with him for giving soiled or torn notes..
As he juggles to find change for all the 100 and 500 rupee notes..

There is no acknowledgement between fellow travelers, no hi, no hello..
All they do is to switch on their iPod and sleep with their heads hung low..
No one shares a biscuit, a fruit or a chocolate..
No one I have come across offers their seat to an elderly, off late...

The old buses did not have AC, nor did they give you the luxury of individual seats..
But there was a joy when the fresh air blew in while we did a two-by-three of our seats..
We waved and screamed when a double-Decker bus passed by,
We didn't find it silly.. No one objected.. No one asked "Why?"


And slowly the red colored buses then changed to Blue and White..
And the name changed too..from BTS to BMTC..Right ?
How life has changed and evolved!! And so has Bangalore city..
with lots of things to boast about and now the Metro too in her kitty..

Time has advanced and so has the technology and how it has reflected in our lives!!
I found the change in a short bus journey and was surprised to see how it thrives!!
A local bus journey is not a luxury anymore nor is it supposed to be exciting..
Its become just a means of transport for you to race through and keep moving!!

I realized that it no longer matters if the attached sentiments are absolutely zero..
I guess that's where we are heading to.. to a Life in a Metro!!

Destiny's Guest

It was a bright chirpy Saturday morning,
The day of the week when I plan to be lazy and free;
I headed downstairs breathing in the fresh air,
For my normal dose of hot morning coffee;

I took a step down and it was just then,
that I saw a creature moving and struggling...
It was so tiny, so tender, so gentle..
But what is it? A rat or a squirrel ??

I stood there observing what it would do,
It struggled to move but turned too..
The 3 famous dark lines on its back were there,
It was a squirrel, that too a baby there..

We took it to a Vet as we didn't know what to do,
He said, "He's too small, he may not live for more than an hour or two..
Give him some milk and cuddle him up warm,
If he lives, its only cause of his lucky charm".

We brought him back home and cuddled him up tight,
Stuffed him around with cotton, dry grass and whatever we found right.
We fed him some milk, he gobbled it up quick,
"go slow" I said,"your food pipe isn't yet that big"

He was too tiny, too tender, too fragile to see,
He hadn't yet opened his eyes but responded well to me..
He played inside the small shoe box, his cozy home for now,
He hid himself inside a sock or went in and out of a glove..

He cuddled up at night when the weather went cold,
went cranky to drink milk, which is better seen than told..
His games amused me and made me realize, that all kids are same,
Human or not- what's in a name ??

He had become a part of the family, one among us,
Would make a lot of noise and a lot of fuss..
He was almost like an adopted son,
who needed care, love and lot of affection..


I showered him with all that and he responded well..
Each day after office he helped me cope with my stress as well..
I waited for him to grow up and christened him too,
To see him jump on his bushy tail and go out to the world anew..


But my plans were disposed as they were meant to be mere dreams only,
They were shattered when I saw he didn't grow up and fell silent suddenly..
There was no jumping, no cuddling, no cranky sounds..
All I could hear was my heart's sorrowful mourns..

He missed his mom, her warmth, her hug, her gentle care, 
She was not there for him, and that's not fair..
I did my best to make his shoe box a luxury suite..
But alas! in vain.. as mother's love has no substitute..

He left me one night and bid good bye..
leaving me with sweet memories of days five..

With lots of love, I send u from your nest..
May in peace u rest, my destiny's little guest!!..

DEATH leaves a heartache no one can heal, LOVE leaves a memory no one can steal!!