Schumachers of Chennai

"They drive like maniacs, they show scant regard for traffic rules, courtesy?? thats greek and latin for them... " and so it goes, a flurry of complaints against the MTC crew.. If you have ever had the dubious pleasure of travelling in the badly maintained battered MTC buses, the lifeline of Chennai's transportation, you would not hesitate to accept it. And neither would I, for I had travelled in 21G, one of the most famous buses in Chennai, connecting the northern and southern ends of the city, for 4 years during my college life.

That experiece didn't change for me even a year after I passed out of college. But I was in for a surprise this morning. It was 6.45 in the morning and I didn't want to leave that early to office, for game 6 of the NBA finals had just started. It was chill outside and the weather, absolutely brilliant. Mr. Sun who was consistently serving at 40/30, as KG pointed out, was not yet out and what else could I ask for. T51 arrived spot on at 6.50. I happened to witness some impeccable behaviour of the crew. The counductor was courtesy exemplified. Never have I in recent times seen a conductor so polite to the passengers. He announced the name of each stop, never cribbed even if a 50 rupee note was given to him for a 2.50 ticket and above all, he was always on the move despite the heavy rush. The driver on the other hand, followed traffic rules to the core, slowed down and honked at the sharp turns, never crossed the speed limit and he let the real maniacs, the Sathyabama and SJCE college bus drivers, to overtake.

I was only happy that there are quite a few good crew members with MTC as the week began on a bad note for hundreds of commuters who were left stranded in the Tambaram bus stand as the crew went on strike. And demonstrations are becoming the order of the day everywhere in the city. Is Chennai becoming another Kolkata??

Engrossed in these thoughts, I alighted at Tidel and was all set to start a brand new day in office. The sun was still not out. The widening of the OMR stretch between Madhya Kailash and Siruseri had already started in the morning. Tidel Park is a beauty to watch in such a glorious weather. A tasty combo (Idly, Kichdi and Vadai) and delicious filter coffee at C++ Sandwiches made up my breakfast with "Kannum Kannum Nokia" in the background.

In the meantime, my favorite team the San Antonio Spurs had lost game 6 of the NBA finals. It would be a cracker of a finale on friday between two 'D' minded teams and I dont want to miss it. Its 'D' that fetches you championships, they say. Quite true it is!

Altogether a brilliant morning it was.. though a bit upset with the spurs losing a chance to wrap it all.