That day we crossed the DND Toll bridge at ten minutes to Seven. I saw my watch and thought; we are ten minutes ahead of schedule. As we proceeded, I realised today we definitely are not going to be *on time*.
I take the famed DTC, Delhi Transport Corporation, bus from Noida to Dhaula kuan every day at exactly 6 in the evening. I still have to get familiar with Noida, where I am currently interning. Half walking, half running from office I reach the nearest bus stop. The sight of a bus with its digital display showing 392 Exp, gives me much relief. With anticipation of a safe ride, I board the bus and pay the conductor the fare. With the constant pushing and pulling of office- goers, it definitely is not a pleasure ride on most days.
That day also I followed the same routine, and fortunately by the time the bus reached Noida Sector 18, I got a place to sit. And the previous days rains had removed the heat from the wind. Peering through the large glass windows, I was looking at the setting sun. Usually, the bus reaches the DND Flyway at 7. But that day, we had already crossed it at by 6.50. And suddenly what we saw in front was nightmarish. The entire Ring Road was jammed. Our bus lost its speed. And we were moving at a speed of less than 5 kilometre per hour! The traffic on the Ashram Fly-over was still moving. But within seconds, it too came to a stand-still.
Ring Road, or Mahatma Gandhi Road as it is known officially, being the main traffic artery of Delhi, is always full of vehicles. And Delhi the city is definitely the city of car lovers. It has more vehicles than those in Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai put together!! The rains had caused water logging on Ring Road. All you could see was cars, cars, and cars. As more people entered the roads, the chaos on the roads only grew. We moved, though at snail’s pace, till Maharani Bagh. Managed to cross Nehru Nagar stop. And then a complete stand - still. It was already 8.30 by this time. . Everyone made their phone calls at home, telling their family of the delay. And then our bus started crawling. More brakes than accelerator. Actually, I would say there was hardly any acceleration. Only brakes. And no movement. We were on the Lajpat Nagar Flyover. Totally stuck in the mess. From the flyover I saw the neighbouring roads. What I saw will remain in my memory for some time. There was the longest jam I could ever imagine. Cars, Jeeps, SUVs, Motor cycles, Buses and people, a never ending ocean.
People had started panicking. Everyone in the vicinity was on their phone. The phones lines were getting busier and busier. The passengers were reassuring their families that they were safe. But, what was the most unnerving of all was the uncertainity. We had already spent two long hours on Lajpat Fly-over. The ride which usually takes 5 odd minutes at the max, had taken us TWO HOURS...!!!!. All of us were hungry, and exhausted. After the day’s work, all you want is to get back home. And here we were stranded, on the road. Without food, without water, without any hope of moving further!!
I called home. Staying in the hostel only adds to the confusion, as you can’t explain the situation to someone not witnessing it live. I had two sets of people to keep informed. My parents and my friends in the hostel. Hence, I made a series of phone calls. In the middle of all this, there came a moment when I felt the fear. I was alone. All by my own. And there was no moving. During one of the phone calls I informed my Sister, "We all are sitting in the bus, and the bus is standing." This grave was the situation.
Finally, our bus moved. Not at a very great speed. But yes, it did move. Gradually picking up. The *Jam* was at last clearing up. We reached South-Extension and felt some relief. The watch was showing fifteen minutes past 9. The traffic wasn't moving at its usual speed. All we prayed for was reaching home safely. At last, after an ordeal of four and a half hours, our bus reached its final destination, Dhaula Kuan stop, at 10.30. I got down, ran towards my Campus gate. My friends were waiting to receive me. The relief I felt on reaching my hostel room is hard to describe!!
As I write this blog post, I still wonder how can I few inches of rainfall flood all the roads of Delhi. The city authorities claim of flawless arrangements for CWG. But the reality looks much much farther than that. And the agony of the common man going through all of this is unprecedented. What if I didn’t have my cell phone, what if I didn't have helpful friends, what if some mishap occurred?? I was fortunate. But were all of the people on the roads this fortunate??
I saw one family with three kids sitting on the road, the mother exhausted was not able to stay awake. There were many many girls on bus-stops waiting for the next bus to arrive. Children, families, women, all stuck in the situation.
However, there is always Hope among the Chaos. All passengers in the bus had started a lively conversation. It looked as if they knew each other from ages and as if nothing big had happened. We all shared the same concern, but still found humour in the happenings. The connect was very strange but after all the connect is all what we need!!
