The Accident

We were at the crossroads literally with my daughter's friend Vivek at the wheels of his newly acquired car. He had taken us for a drive to a nearby TK waterfall. My daughter had suggested the trip the previous evening but cautioned me saying it would involve some trekking. It was kind of her to do so as I had been diagnosed with arthritis in my right knee and one with right senses may avoid. But I said yes, always ready for being in the middle of nature a change from the urban jungle. A large part of the drive involved criss-crossing the road in the city, avoiding traffic guided by Google maps and more so since the PM was in the city for a road show. I thought at least the roads would be repaired where he traversed and the garbage would be removed. None of us in the car were his fans and one could freely air one's opinion. Once we crossed the city limits verdant countryside greeted us. The sky was over cast and there were some drizzles too. The air felt crisp and fresh in the as we let the windows down in the car, which one does rarely in the city confines. Finally, the Bangalore weather had arrived. As the road snaked through the country side we admired the greenery that was to be seen. We also saw some big bungalows and my daughter's friend Jeetu commented that I should possess one such just to chill. I said chilling is all a matter of mind and I chill at my own flat in the urban jungle. 

Finally, we reached the parking lot leading to the trek. The trek itself was not difficult. But there was no path and the mud was slippery as the drizzle had made them so. We were not wearing the right kind of shoes. But people were walking in with their chappals, a few even with sandals with heels and few others wearing sarees even. Just a few days ago I had parted with my trekking shoes as I had thought I would be in no position to do so. Life has its own way of teasing one. We made our way through the mud and muck created by trekkers: plastic water bottles, wrappers of biscuits and chips, tissues, even sanitary pads. At the top the view was picturesque. We found a group of people blaring some Hindi music. I came here for the silence that nature offers. But that wasn't to be. There was even drama enacted for us with a girl standing on a rock and asking how she would get down and another replying "use your legs." Finally, a boy got up, walked up to the girl and extended his hands. A real hero indeed! On the way I noticed a kettle of kites hovering around. I remarked that I had never seen such a kettle before.

The city was as usual full of traffic on the way back and we were lamenting the fact of wrong side driving by scooterists and bikers as if it was their divine right. I had taken to cycling as a preferred mode of exercising for both cardio and legs with the onset of arthritis and considered two-wheelers as Lord Yama on wheels who had given up his buffalo for modern two-wheelers. Jeetu mentioned that apart from two-wheelers he added state buses that create night mares on the roads even during day times. We both chuckled at the sarcasm that was punny as well.

By then we had reached a junction and waiting for the green signal. The signal had turned green and Vivek started the car. It was at this moment I had noticed a speeding state transport bus on to my left who was trying to cross before the signal turned red. I screamed "Vivek" by then it was a bit late. The bus had swerved in our direction and in my mind, I thought the driver has lost control. Vivek too must have noticed the bus thundering down like the Lord Yama as if to send us towards our death. He deftly swerved towards extreme left and took a U-turn. By then I had closed my eyes and heard others' and Vivek's screaming too. The next few moments passed by in a flash when I realised I was still alive and opened my eye, shaking in the body, to a loud crashing sound of metal and saw that the state bus had crashed into some cars on the opposite side of the road where we had stopped. People were running helter-skelter and screaming loud. I saw a woman come running out of a shop and started sobbing in front of what I guessed was her car now badly smashed up.

As the bus driver came out some people caught him by the scruff of the neck and started beating him. Within minutes the driver had collapsed down. That is when I saw the traffic police arrive and stopped the beating. Soon the ambulance came and whisked away the injured driver.

Some passengers from the bus hobbled down from the bus. Nobody had died and some of the bus passengers had succumbed to minor injuries.

Some fifteen-twenty minutes had passed by this time and Vivek said let us go. He too was shaken but seemed to have recovered by this time. Others too had calmed down and we drove in silence.

In the evening the transport union had declared their intention to strike the next day as a sign of protest against the beating up of the driver. Some enterprising TV journo had in the meantime traced driver (Manjunath)'s family and interviewed them in the city. Manjunath's father said he had sold a piece of agricultural land to pay as a bribe to the transport department for his son's job. Just about a month back he had been confirmed in his job. The interview created a storm in the midst of gag end of the election campaign. The CM announced a high-level probe. But opposition ridiculed the very announcement that he wouldn't be ruling come next week.

As it was election time the national party in the opposition called for minister's resignation. They croaked "see we told you about the 40% commission sarkar which is ruling the state." The ruling party was put in the back foot. They could hardly savour the success of the PM's road show and the accident had to happen. Media had also carried stories of the car owners whose cars were smashed out of shape in the accident.

A civil activist filed a public interest case in court calling for a probe into recruitment of transport staff. Some in the media doubted if the driver had a valid license, in case he did, if he had bribed his way to get one.

Along- side election noise the accident continued to make noise in social media. Nothing much was reported if the driver had recovered from the accident. Some other news mentioned that the bus in question was unfit for road travel.

All in all, many felt that it was just not an accident but something more sinister that would upset the electoral calculations.

As I write this story just a day before voting, media discussion about the accident was still going strong along-side election campaigns. A bus driver perhaps in his mis-judgement would have changed the course of history.