The day I got Hanged

Yes, I know that the title is grammatically wrong - I have used those words on purpose. If I was a spirit blogging from beyond the grave about my death day brought about by the noose, I would have used the title 'The day I was Hung'. But as you are probably aware, I am not a spirit blogging from beyond the grave. But today I got close to that description.

Today we had another bus strike. Barely two week after from the last bus strike, we have another bus strike. And as it happened in the last strike, the enterprising vehicle owners got their show on the road - sorry about the pun. As luck would have it, I did not see any of these vehicles - when I waited for the bus, all the vehicles I saw were overflowing with humanity. After waiting for a long time, I lost my patience and boarded a already full jeep. Now you are probably wondering - how do you board a vehicle that is already filled. The answer is - you can't - no sane person would even try. But I would - not because I am insane - but because that is the only way I could get to work.

So what I did was get on the back of the jeep. As it was already full, I could not get inside. I had to stand on a small bit of metal that is (normally) used as the step while getting off the jeep. Then I hung on to the railing on the top of the jeep. Now I know that this is a little hard to imagine if you have never seen it done. Let me assure you - it ain't fun.

So this is the day I got Hanged - with a capital H. A small slip and it would be the end of the road for me(again, sorry about the pun). I would become road kill in less than half a microsecond.

So the easy part is over - I got on the jeep. Now the hard part. If you think that standing on a bit of metal a quarter of a meter wide, hanging on for dear life on a moving vehicle is not difficult enough, add four more people to this equation. Other people who also want to get to their work as desperately as I do also got on the jeep. Now there is five people standing on a bit of metal a quarter of a meter wide hanging on for dear life. After five minutes of this, your hands start to ache. After ten minutes, you start to feel extreme pain in all your extremities.

To cut a long story of misery and suffering short, I got to the office sure that my fingers will never type again. But the pain started to fade after some time - as the existence of this blog post will testify.

Now here I am, gratefully typing away at the keyboard hoping that I would not see another day like that again - knowing well that it is an empty hope. More Bus Strikes are on their way - and with that more suffering for us.

Let me finish with the words I use to finish the post about the last bus strike...

If you think that this is bad, let me assure you that you 'ain't seen nothing yet'. There is an even worse time - hartals. But more about that when one comes and I have the time to blog it.