If you have ever lived in any part of India and have been privy to its everyday affairs, you have witnessed either through observation in passing or first hand, what this picture depicts.
These buses are the lifeline of million of commuters every single day, employers to thousands, not to forget, the most eco-friendly & economical mode of transport in a country where the Ferraris and the BMWs are still far & few in between.
Now I'm one of the privileged few whose daily commute to work usually involves watching the world go by in all its flurry and hurry from a comfortable distance from inside my AC cab. That and the few trips I have taken in various local buses, all the more makes me appreciate the average Indian local bus travel & classify it as an experience on its own.
Inside a local bus you will see a microcosm of the real India. Men, women, children, old people, up and ready with a determination to get somewhere. Seat or no seat, direct or multiple bus changes, nothing deters them from this bus ride, with a lot riding on their backs. (pun unintended).
The fact that a bus meant for 40 manages to pack around 120, comes as no surprise to anyone in a country that goes by the leitmotif "chalta hai" and the bus forming a seesaw because of the weight pegged on one side, is not a rare sight.
I don't know what training military aspirants people go through to build strength and resistance but I would suggest commuting in a local bus to learn some important life skills & appreciate the everyday struggle of a class, that you as a non-bus commuter & a better-off person financially, might be privileged enough to not witness.
The first learning is logistics management. That is, finding out which bus number goes where and from where! Chances are, if you are in city with a strong regional language, the bus route would be written in that language. So your best bet would be asking fellow waiters at the stop, the driver/conductor himself, depending on his willingness to entertain another millionth query about the bus's whereabouts to doing some research online if your city is savvy enough to have its public transport mapped online.
The 2nd challenge and the biggest, is to find a place in the bus! If it's on the weekend or after hours, getting a seat wouldn't be a biggie and you can feel like the king of the world but heaven save you if you're travelling in the peak hours. i.e 8:30am-7:30 pm on a work day! While getting a seat would be a miracle, scoring even enough space on the handle bar without group hugging at least 3 people or getting stomped on, would be a decent start.
Then comes tolerance: You build the tolerance to all that your senses are subjected to - the sights, sounds & smells. You would see old ladies happily chatting about, the sleepy kid drooling away on her mother's laps, ( or on your shoulder, more likely ) the creepy guy at the back, leching ever so confidently at you or someone else but mostly, just plain businesslike nonchalance to get to a place, go on, & carry on their business...You would hear chitter-chatter in multiple languages and accents, the conductor expertly wading through the crowd, shouting "Change illa" every now & then & the occasional screech from a speed break! The smells! The most overwhelming part! Right from a "New Axe: Chocolate flavour" to good ol' jasmine oil to just plain old sweat & muck, you have it all; Fragrances, smells & aromas of a country of a billion people, blending in a bitter sweet space.
Just when you are building resistance to not to frown at the decently able men who conveniently take the 'ladis seats' without any feeling of shame, regret or forboding, you will be touched by an instance of someone offering a seat to someone else more 'seat-worthy', just like that!
Lastly you build physical fitness in learning to hang from the bar and maintain your balance in a bus that goes more bumpity bump than a roller coaster! Why, you get learn some neat stunts by learning to alight the bus ever so smoothly so as to not to end up in a stampede at the stop. Though it's not advised at all, the seasoned Indian bus traveller knows how to get off the bus, even while it's moving without getting run over & breaking bones! Never try that at home, or outside!
It's true, if you want to see India (or any other developing country, really ) in all its local glory, amidst the hustle bustle, do try travelling by a local bus. Here you will see examples of struggle, of determination, of kindness, of indifference, and an intrinsic fabric of society running on those wheels. An experience of years in a few minutes' ride.
Next time an Indian says "..Nothing much, just hanging by the bar", you know what else they could be talking about :)
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