HR-66-2939

En route to Manali, I was thrilled as we passed through the beautiful state of Haryana. (Un)luckily I also had the misfortune of traveling in Haryana roadways buses. I am sure I broke all records of maximum prayers ever said to invoke the good lord by any person, either living or dead, in a single day. The fact that I lived to tell the tale is proof enough that God exists!

‘Getting there is half the fun’ said someone…yeah right!

To this day I wake up in the dead of the night…shivering like hell…as visions of that fateful day haunt me. Brrrr…

“Speed Thrills but Kills”–this is what we have always read, but I am amongst the lucky (?) few who got to experience it first hand: courtesy Haryana buses. On my way to Manali, the bus traveled through steep hilly roads. It was all about zigzag roads, thousands of feet above sea level and breakneck speed… Just imagine!

I somehow felt sure that the driver was a failed F1 wannabe who had made his mind to drive at speeds more than 40 kmph….ohhhhhh…

The power of my prayers ensured that we reached Manali in one piece.

Just when I thought that the worst was over, the good lord threw another challenge at me: in the form of bus no. HR-66-2939 from Kalka to Delhi.

My friend and I boarded the bus at night. Once inside the bus we bought tickets and to our horror realized that the conductor was drunk: his mouth smelled worse than my overused unwashed socks! To add to the excitement (!) in the mirror we could clearly see the tipsy driver blinking the way only drunkards can. The frequency of his blinking was directly proportional to a healthy dose of 2-3 packs. Holy Shit!

Oh God, now what?! Will the driver drive down the highway like a maniac singing loudly (out of tune of course) ‘main peeta nahin hoon pilayi gayi hain?’

All the way I was earnestly praying to God; please God please help us safely reach Delhi.

Curiously, I saw a “No Smoking” board in the bus. I had an overwhelming urge to replace the smoking with drinking: I would rather have a driver who smokes.

What do you think about this experience? Do you have similar experiences to share? Pour in your views and let’s find some way to stop this.


P.S: Thanks Amit... My Official Editor :)