God is very smart. Not only did he have the patience to create a whole bunch of men and women, he was smart enough to ensure that each one was unique. This is perhaps why it is always interesting to be around other human beings. You never know what you are up against, so you end up in a very complicated situation or a very funny situation. If you have a good sense of humor (and sarcasm) you would enjoy it. Given the monotonous lives of most of us, it does provide some entertainment. Like travelling in a bus, for instance.
If you are in Chennai, you would know that IT is almost synonymous with the OMR. A considerable number of the IT professionals who work in this stretch would have to travel — a lot, considering that the OMR is far away from the city. Luckily, most companies here are kind enough to provide bus facilities for travelling to and from work. Being a regular traveler, I get many chances to observe and learn about the different types of people you would normally encounter if you board an office bus.
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This article was originally written for Medium by me . Do come back to leave your comments! 🙂
As the Mind Wanders... 
The only time I am able to sleep in the buses, is during overnight travels. Fortunately no one speaks or talks in the cell phone during that time! I guess the bus travel should be a long one, and hence it is a gift to be able to sleep at will in them.
Destination Infinity
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Excellent post. I loved it. If it is an office bus, usually the same passengers come every day. So you would know who the sleeper is and who the loud talker is. I would also put the talkers in the front and the sleepers in the back. That way the talkers can help the driver not to go to sleep while driving.
I really want to enjoy such a bus ride. My office may transfer me to Chennai very soon (depends upon me agreeing to that) for 9 months. But I am undecided because my wife is afraid of the hot weather in Chennai. However, if I accept the transfer, I will be working out of my home. I won’t have the luxury of going in the office bus for 9 months and listen to these conversations.
After a lot of Google/Yahoo searching, if I accept the assignment, I am thinking of renting a flat in Velachery. Is that a good area? People, market, grocery stores, restaurants, malls, and movie theaters? Thanks for the reply.
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This looks interesting..Though I know nothing about OMR. Now will read ur article 😀
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he he he thats like me I sleep toooooo 🙂
actually you are not far away describing ho it is on tubes here in london 🙂
and an accurate description indeed 🙂
Bikram's
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You have given an explanation to these oddities. Each human being is a one of a kind.
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Nice one!! I used to love travelling by public bus just for the same reason; to observe the idiosyncrasies of my fellow passengers!
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Ashwini are you migrating to Medium as your new blogging medium 🙂 ?
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My commute is by local trains a solid two hours one-way – that's four hours of travel jam-packed like sardines in a tin 😦 a window-seat is the biggest luxury 🙂
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I wish I could catch some sleep on way and return from office:) I like to watch others during the journey if not flipping through some magazine, Ashwini!
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When I used to commute in India, even I used to sleep in my cab. 😀 I would plug in my ipod and that would make me feel so relaxed by the time I reached office.
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It indeed is a gift to be able to sleep (and wake up) as and when one wishes to. 🙂
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Haha. I love the idea of putting the chatterboxes at the front. The problem is there are 4 buses for our area and we might not encounter the same set of people on a daily basis.
And, mailed you the details. Please check 🙂
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Thank you 🙂
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Thank you so much Bikram. I think you would be able to relate to it then 🙂
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Definitely one of a kind!
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Thank you. It does feel good to observe what different people would do when subject to the same situation.
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No Mahesh. Had time to post an article along with another post on the blog. So instead of waiting to post it here, I posted it there 🙂
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Tell me about it. I am sure you can completely relate to the hectic travel. And of course, nothing can beat the luxury of a window seat 🙂
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Again, the problem with reading is, it is very difficult to read without getting disturbed, thanks to the road conditions and the skills of the drivers.
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Haha. Yes, I used to do that do when I had to work in shifts for some time. 🙂
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