“You are lying!!” -How convenient !

Fact- One can be hauled up quite simply. It does not matter if your credential is among the nameless professionals who go about their lives paying taxes, not disturbing peace, adjusting to the footpath-less streets, potholed roads and perennially choked traffic and bad vibes at work. One waits for the weekend to drain the toxicity to start anew awaiting the fresh batch come Monday morning. However one has to make sure that their capacity to tolerate far exceeds the norm. One has to master in bending backwards, playing supine or bending over for whatever. However, sometimes the capacity can get breached where the whole of it can inundate ones presence and at such times something emerges in the self that won’t take shit.

The day started in a fairly normal manner- exercises and bath and with getting the kid ready to his daycare. My wife leaves earlier making her contribution of preparing a wholesome breakfast for her husband and her son. I give him his bath and drop him at his daycare close by here at Kasturi Nagar. I come back do the rest of the chores of getting the kids cloths to dry. After that get into my formals with laptop bag by the side and proceed to walk to the bus stop. I usually drive to office but with the horrible traffic at Nagwara junction during the peak hour getting a little out of hand I off late contemplated availing the public transportation service offered by the Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation. 

As I walked to the bus stop a bus with route no. 500A/34 moved into to halt. This was a bus with two bodies attached into junction describing as such because of the lack of technical word for this contraption, vestibule seems to be word but I am not quite sure. I get in through the door of the first body with a ticket Inspector lady named B.S Yashodha  (pertinent initials coming to think of it now as I write) who was standing at the entrance. I proceed to get my ticket from the Bus conductor and see him behind another Ticket Inspector (TI) in the rear body of the vestibule. I ask him and in a quite offhand manner my request gets dismissed. On persisting he directs me to the TI and on so doing this gentleman charges at me as to where I boarded the bus and “Kasturi Nagar” comes the retort. He directs me to speak to the lady TI and proceed to do the same and present the same case to her. Shaken at the response – “You are lying, don’t lie”, case dismissed. They then demand a fine and I surprise myself – “I am not paying the fine” and force myself to the door of the front body of the vestibule. They obviously manhandle me but they simply were dragged as I forced myself to the door anyhow. Some how quite simply a better sense prevailed- I am not de-boarding the bus and I am not paying the fine do what you can. The left ward off came in handy as I held the male TI at bay. The tempers cooled at there end as well as they now contemplated of proceeding to the police station. I complied getting into the taxi hailed by them. Hennur police station was close by and in my head I was wondering – “Ladies and Gentleman presenting to you a hollow Bangalore”, and things looked up. The station was clean with the submission of statements of both the parties.

All protest songs were playing live in my head and a particular Pink Floyd bass riff from “Another Brick in the wall”. A lady Inspector intervenes and proceeds to take me aside with another gentleman in tow to “resolve” it. She suggests that I don’t argue with them as they will charge me with obstruction of Government personnel and an added harassment of warming a jail cell and present myself in front of magistrate before I am even heard. Better to pay the fine and police record the grievance (not addressed) between myself and the TIs.

Makes sense, given the emasculated life a normal individual is made to feel living with no credible balls to cause any damage. I take the deal and when the Chelan is issued to me I proceed to scribble

“Made to sign under duress

                 - sign Kaustav Guha”

With the TIs scratching there heads. The lady TI protests that this is a government document you only sign, and “Ooh” a fart to relieve my bowel. I record their names Yashodha B.S and Kench Gowda and also the name of the inspector Prasheela B.S.

I get back home and ironically get into my car and drive to work, a cheap attempt of feeling the control back but it worked. Handling chaos on the road is better recipe of palliating a wounded pride of a very common man. I get to my haloed cubicle and work on my complaint at http://www/mybmtc.com

Following was the first attempt at filing a complaint and airing the grievance at the BMTC site.

"To

 Whoever can address the grievance?

I stay in Kasturi Nagar and I wanted to avail the BMTC services to go to Manyatha Tech Park where I work. I got into the bus in front of the Ticket Inspector lady named Yashodha B.S and went into bus looking for the Bus conductor to get my ticket. The Bus conductor (I dont know the name) and another Ticket Inspector named Kenche Gowda were standing and I asked for the ticket, the conductor refused to issue me one and asked me to speak to the Ticket inspector. I did and he refused me and asked me where I boarded the bus, I said Kasturi Nagar, and he directed me to speak to the lady Ticket Inspector. I moved away from them to meet the lady ticket inspector and I asked for the ticket to be issued. She flately refused and denied me boarding the bus at Kasturi Nagar and charged that I was lying. The other inspector then started to shove and push me and demand that I pay the fine. I flately refused and they threatened to take me to the police station. I said so be it and I was very angry at the way the situation deteriorated and moved towards the door and I was man-handeled as they prevented from doing that. I did raise my voice in protest and this is only natural. Myself and the inspectors deboard the bus at Hennur and proceeded to the police station. At the police station I maintained my innocence and the inspector madam Prasheela B.S intervened and advised me to pay the fine and raise a complaint to the BMTC office and I am doing precisely that. I was issued a chalan and while acknowledging I signed and also stated that "I am sigining under duress". I paid the fine and vowed that I will follow up this matter to the highest authority including media and social media to highlight the uncouth behavior normal citizens living in Bangalore are subjected to and do so in the strongest possible manner. I will not rest until BMTC issues me an apology and compensate me for the hardship endured in a commensurate manner.

Date of the harassment 16-09-2013

Route No. : 500A/34

Bus No. : FA2497 (as recorded in challan)

Chelan No. : 174324

Issuing authority: BMTC, TR-34

Ticket Inpsectors: Yashodha B.S, Kenche Gowda

Kaustav"

Little did I know that one could only express ones’ self in 500 “characters”. Quite deflated I attempt and “Only 500 characters” later

“Had boarded the bus at Kasturi Nagar along with Ticket Inspector lady named Yashodha and another Ticket Inspector named Kenchegowda. I asked for ticket to travel to Manyatha but refused by conductor. Wrongfully charged for ticketless travel. Manhandled. Challan collected with Hennur Police Station records as witness. Date of the harassment 16-09-2013,Route No. : 500A/34,Bus No. : FA2497 (as recorded in challan),Challan No. : 174324,Issuing authority:BMTC,TR-34”

An erectile dysfunction.

In the end it now feels good no one is hurt just some wounded pride helped by ample story telling at lunch, bitching the system, bitching Bangalore. “Ooh” another one, the food is digesting.

An SMS

"Dear Kaustav Guha Your feedback has been registered and the feedback id is 3431- BMTC team"