To those of you who have stayed in the real Bangalore for a while, both these terms are self-explanatory. To the rest of you, Atal Sarige is a scheme started by a previous BJP government here. It is named after my favorite Prime minister of India - Atal Bihari Vajapayee ji. These Atal Sarige buses are basically old buses which have refurbished seat layouts and paint jobs. They ply between areas which are frequented by the common man at half the normal rates
The Volvo buses which are a common sight all over the city go by the name ' Vajra.' These buses are filled with the IT crowd. They ply at rates that are about 3 times the normal rates.
The Volvo buses which are a common sight all over the city go by the name ' Vajra.' These buses are filled with the IT crowd. They ply at rates that are about 3 times the normal rates.
I travel from one end of Bangalore to work and board both these buses in order to reach my destination. My co-passengers in the Atal Sarige buses are folks who use body parts other than their fingertips to earn a living. There are masons, painters, carpenters, garment-factory workers, vegetable vendors... I've even traveled with a couple of ragpickers once in a while. The conversations here are about rising prices of food, the rains which flood houses, an upcoming festival or fair at a suburban locality.
I switch buses and enter a Volvo and it is a whole new city in there. A whole new world. The woman who sits in front of me probably spends more on her hair and make-up in a month than the woman who was sitting next to me on the previous bus spends on food and lodging. The conversations here are about the exchange rate of the dollar and how it is tougher to get a H1-B visa now.
The Atal Sarige has real Bangaloreans. The city has not been protective of them. They moved to the city dreaming of big things and luxuries as did the IT crowd in the Volvo, however, the disparity is unfathomable.
The folks in the Atal Sarige feel comfortable talking to strangers about how they've stopped using onions in their food and are using cabbages instead. The poor folks in the Volvo don't have the time to talk to their own friends, strangers are out of the question.
The folks in the Atal Sarige feel comfortable talking to strangers about how they've stopped using onions in their food and are using cabbages instead. The poor folks in the Volvo don't have the time to talk to their own friends, strangers are out of the question.
I see genuine smiles on one bus, while I see mostly knotted eyebrows on the other. On one bus, the school kid next to me wants to know why I'm chuckling to myself while looking into my phone; on the other, the guy next to me is too busy chopping virtual fruits though he's never offered to chop real fruits to help his mom prepare a salad.
Me ? I gel equally well with both crowds. My commute is a journey. A journey toward finding the right balance between the two cities. This is Bangalore. The city offers you everything you need and sits back and watches while you imprudently pick only what you want. Jai Karnataka.
