A Trip To Kollur

During last summer days, I and my cousin Padmini planned to visit Kollur, and on one of the Sunday we actuated it. Prasad was willing to arrange a car,but we were interested to go by bus. Hence we caught a bus to Kundapur and again another to Kollur.We reached Kollur at around 11.we had our children among us.
Kollur is a very divine place with a awesome nature around it. It has a beautiful mookambika temple. And people all over south India visit this place. Theres always a rush of devotees especially from kerala. We can feel a divine serenity all over the place. We moved around, bought few things to children. We forgot all our wordly matters and encountered a kind of spiritual pleasure. We took prasadam i.e lunch hosted by temple and it was already 2.30 we decided to head back as we wanted to reach home before dark.
We went to bus terminal . I wish to tell you one thing, In kollur, not only in kollur but in whole udupi and D.K districts there is the privilege of only private buses and not of govt.buses. That day There were many private buses standing in kollur. All most all buses were mangalore buses. Anyway mangalore bus has to go through Kundapur to reach mangalore so that was not a problem. It was already 3 o’clock, we boarded an empty bus and relaxed. After a while, the conductor came in and enquired us. When he came to know that we are going to kundapur, he straightway forced us to get down, saying that ‘ let the bus first be filled with the passengers who go to m’lore and then you can get in !!. We were shocked !! and did not get his point. We entered another bus, and the same incident repeated ! . we went on enquiring every bus, and slowly realized the actual problem. They give first priority to m’lore passengers.Only those passengers are bestowed with seats and not others. the next preference goes to Udupi passengers and the poor passengers who get down at Kundapur , have to forget the comfort of seats and just stand hanging for whole one and a half hours of journey and that too in curvy road !!
knowing that we went frustrated. It was so unjustice! But nobody was there to raise the voice. The bus conductors actually rule there. There were so many passengers needing to go to kundapur, they were either ready to go standing, or wait for the only bus which was destined directly to kundapur. That bus too was not sure of arriving!! I couldn’t imagine myself holding my one and a half years old baby in one hand and the rod in the other and taking care of my son too! I went mad out of anger and decided to get my work done.until then it was already half passed three. I just told padmini ‘lets go and sit’. She was not willing to come but couldn’t ignore my words and just followed me and both of us sat in the front seat. Immediately the conductor watched us and asked us where we need to go .i told,
“ Udupi!” I myself wondered by the utter calmness in my tone! He looked at us unbelievingly becouse just ten mins ago I had enquired him and told him that we need to go Kundapur! I was damn sure that he did not believe me. But still I sat adamantly. I was calculating that once the bus takes a start what anybody can do, just there would be exchange of some arguments. At that time sitting comfortably throughout the journey was important for me. The main reason was all of us were too tired and it was Tanisha’s time to sleep. I found Padmini was not feeling comfortable. She was nervous for the shame if we get cought . I told her to relax. After ten or fifteen mins the conductor began to collect the tickets. It was the one I did not expect! There was no symptoms of bus to start. I started feeling that definitely he will force us to get down. I dont know why i started loosing confidence. i just thought its better to take back my decision before he creates a scene and insult us though i was knowing that I was not wrong. And I had all the experience that the citizens there in keep so ignorant of others and we cant expect any kind of help by them. So I decided to get down. I told padmini and stood to get down. Meanwhile conductor asked me why were we getting down. I told him with the bitter voice,
“ Because we can not travel standing,that too carrying the kids. Its too risky ”
“You told you are going to Udupi!?” I replied harshly,
“No we want to go kundapur. Yes, I lied because we needed the seats. If not us the kids need the seats atleast. And there are no such good people having sympathy over the women or the kids to donate their seats for us!”

He not only him everyone in the bus seemed to be stun. I did not wait for his reply and just got down out of the bus. Right before Tanisha was falling asleep and when i carried her she got disturbed and started crying. I looked at him with anger. He was staring at us. Everyone in the bus was looking at him as if he was a sinner and sympathetically towards us! As the time passed tanisha became unmanageable.She was weeping aloud and was getting tired.Looking at us the conductor went on putting stress over himself out of guilt. Atlast he accepted his defeat and called us back and apologized!! we were surprised by his unexpected act!. Then he requested us to occupy the same seats! We boarded the bus merrily with the feeling of triumph and gave a sigh of relief. It looked like everyone in the bus was happy.the conductor helped tanisha to cheer up! The bus departed, Tanisha went to sleep. Though the bus did not had the stop to our place He provided a stop to Tekkatte, and when we got down waved his hand with a friendly smile!!

This is how we reached home safely before the dark!!! :)