Its 11.30 in the night and I can’t sleep.
Came to bed at 10 been tossing and turning since then, eyes are burning, there’s a headache, feeling feverish and yet I can’t sleep. The bloody mind just won’t stop thinking.
I have not been able to understand Bangalore’s weather yet. I am basically a hot person (pun intended), used to taking cold water bath Feb onwards while I was in Delhi. The entire month of Jan when I was in Pune there also I used to take cold water bath, but here I find the water a bit too cold, so I prefer warming it up a bit. May be that’s why ever since I have come here I feel feverish every night and also cough a lot and get up every morning with a headache and sore throat. Just not been able to understand what to do. May be should start taking cold water bath.
During the day however I just love the weather. The only thing that I don’t like about Bangalore so far are the auto-walaahs. I’d say they are much more rude than their Delhi counterparts. To begin with, all place seem to be unacceptable to them. Ask them, “Assayee Road to Millers road?” “No” comes the answer.
At times they are so rude, they won’t even respond to you. At the very utterance of the name Assayee road they would make such a face and would drive away from you so fast, that you would feel sorry for ever wanting to go to a place like Assayee Road.
Now ask them vice versa, “Millers Road to Assayee Road?” “No.” “Assaye road to Vasanth Nagar?” “No”. “vice versa?” “No.” “Millers road to MG road?” Yes. Thankfully. But “Vice Versa?” No. “MG road to Assaey road?” No. or Yes but one and half.
Its so damn irritating. If I tell them Assaye road, they don’t know where it is. So I tell them the nearest known place, that’s either Cox Town or Ulsoor Lake. And those places are again unacceptable. One would think since Ulsoor is a sight seeing place (well not really but kind of), auto guys shouldn’t have problem finding passengers from there…but usmein bhi problem.
The other day while coming back from MG road I told the autowallah, “Assaye road?” He said, “Achint Road amma” I said, “No, Assaye Road, Ulsoor Lake ke paas”, but he is adamant. He thinks I am mistaking Achint Road to be Assaye Road…how weird, as if I wouldn’t know where I have to go.
Anyway, I spotted a pre paid auto booth. A lady there made a strange face at the sound of Assaye Road. I told her Near Ulsoor Lake. On hearing Ulsoor Lake, she went about telling me a whole lot of things for 5 long mins in her mother tongue…most probably kannada. I just could hear the word, Ulsoor Lake and railway station too many times amidst her conversation. Once she stopped I told her, “not near the station, its near UlsoorLake.”
She then charged me Re. 1 as service charge and gave me a bill of Rs. 18/- Here you don’t pay to the authorities. You pay to the auto wala only but the amount is pre fixed. So it’s actually ‘rate pre-fixed auto booth’ and not ‘pre-paid’.
When I finally reached my PG the guy started saying, (read this with the accent) “Ulsoor Lake bola tha na amma ye to aage a gaya na, paanch rupiya aur dene.” I got very infuriated. I yelled at him and stormed out. If the authority don’t understand Assaye Road is that my problem, and my PG is just about few meters from Ulsoor Lake. And in any case I had given him Rs. 20/-
The first day, when I couldn’t get any auto while coming back from work I got really worried. Didn’t know bus, didn’t even know the routes that I’ll walk down. After being turned down by about 7-8 autos I got emotional with the 9th one. “Cox town?” I said. (that time I didn’t know I should be calling it Assaye Road) “No” came the response.
I immediately asked stopping him from driving away, “Idhar se Cox Town ka bus route pata hai aapko?” “No”. I said, “aapko bus route nahi pata, hum ko nahi pata, aur aap log koi nahi jaate ho, koi ghar kaise jaayega. kyon nahi chalte hai aap log.”
He said, “abhi us side mein nahi jaane ka hum ko,” and quickly drove away.
I repeated the same question to the 10th guy as well. He didn’t know what to say and drove away. I guess the 12th or 13th guy agreed to go.
I have now realised it completely depends upon theories of probability whether I’d get an auto or not. There’s no other logic. I just keep hitting on each one of them.
Dr Sanjukta Basu 
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