'Bus day' @ Kochi.

In Kochi, it was supposed to be the 'bus day' today. Personal/private vehicles were to be shunned and people were supposed to have used the buses to go to work or to go for their errands. The state's Transport Minister, alongwith certain distinguished citizens of Kochi, took the first low-floor bus from Fort Kochi to Aluva - one end of the town to the other - at 8 in the morning, to kick off the drive.

Not that this was a unique idea. Many cities abroad - Singapore, London come to my mind, foremost, in this regard - follow this on an everyday basis. The use of personal/private vehicles is strictly a no - no and everyone is encouraged to use the efficient public transportation system. It avoids traffic congestion, brings about enormous saving in fuel and reduces pollution with the added advantage for the commuter at not having to worry about a parking space, at the end of the journey!

And someone with noble intentions had thought of such a 'bus day' once every month in Kochi and today was the beginning.

Sadly, Kochiites couldn't care a damn. The roads continue to be clogged with a number of private vehicles and it's business, as usual, at the petrol pumps! We boast of being the most literate state. But today's exhibition of our civic sense shows how uneducated we Kochiites, nay, Malayalees are!!

Tailpiece.

Travelling by bus in uniform was a unique experience. One became the object of thorough scrutiny, critical observations and was subject to inquisitive queries. I must say that the uniform indeed spreads an aura of 'shock and awe' amongst the civil population!