Mumbai tested his patience...

He came to Mumbai with a hope to secure some small clerical job in a government office like his uncle had, when he came to this city back in 1951, from the village.
Little did he know that now it was a different scene ;tenth pass outs had no value and there were much more educated men trying to fit into these mundane government jobs.
Mumbai tested his patience when he saw dreams of realizing his children’s dreams, of giving them education he had been deprived off, in this city of hope and opportunity.

He was a BEST driver and Mumbai tested his patience every single day.
Frustration that accumulated over the hours he spent on roads each day showed on his family when he would return and yell at them, sometimes for no reason as well.
The traffic, the illness due to being on Mumbai roads each day for hours, the non-affordability of the cure for these illnesses tested his patience.
The city tested patience of all sections of people, rich to poor. I pity the middle class women –they are running out of time always- be it to finish household chores , reach office after finishing the household chores, or to rush back home to again cook dinner and wrap up.
Maybe the rich woman’s patience was less tested as she had many servants back home to do the household chores, she had left undone or would not find the time to do. Hence hour-long waits at traffics wouldn’t kill her as much.

Men and women, rich or poor, in cars or buses, were tested each minute especially if they had to make it at time to certain places or offices, mostly headed by inconsiderate bosses who would never really understand. They cant be blamed as they would travel by car and leave home much before time as they had nothing much to do or wrap up at home before they left !
Punctuality -the term seriously needs to be overlooked and the lack of it needs to be forgiven in a city of this sort!
When you’re in a taxi, this city is not only testing your patience but worry could even reach heights of landing you in a heart attack.
Its worth noticing peoples expressions when in taxis , especially the middle class guys who are forced to take a taxi ride.
The meter goes dropping promptly and traffic take hours to clear.

YOU JUST NEED LOADS OF MONEY TO SURVIVE IN MUMBAI!

Now my bus driver gained nothing out of hours of traveling his passengers to various places at Mumbai .All that he got was maybe a meager salary.
Nothing great to compensate the extra hours that were lost on the Mumbai roads. It only added to his anger and frustration rather inevitably for which he’d feel guilty, later.
Now there was another old man in the same city who lived in lane, off the main road, which was the route of the bus, the driver drove on.
Mumbai had for years tested this old mans patience as well.
He was ill and tired but still had to cross the main road to reach the bank on the opposite side of the main road.
Mumbai never gave his son time off from his work to be able to do the little bank jobs like pay the bills, get pass book entries done. Etc.
The old man had the time, maybe, but not enough energy. He would wait patiently at the traffic signal till it showed green and take baby steps, covering one part of the road till the divider, at a time when other youngsters covered the entire stretch of the crossing.

Now one-day fate connected these two men in the most ghastly way.

Dug up roads at every nook and corner of the city, the crowded lanes at Kalbhadevi, and to add to these usual factors, the unusual rally of some politician that day had tested the patience of this already frustrated driver enough.
He must have hurled the BC- MC abuses at least hundred times at taxi drivers and cycle walas that day .No ,he was frustrated and hence wouldn’t even give a thought to the possibility of him being on the wrong.
He had had enough that day since the rally that was on his route had tested his patience enough, making him halt every ten seconds, again making him start up and again halt.
Hence when he got a clear road he sped the bus like a maniac in all fury!
On the other hand, little did the old man who was on his usual routine know that this usual day would be unusually dreadful and even life taking.

They don’t say BE PATIENT for nothing.

And what did the driver get for his impatience? Jail, abuses from passengers and onlookers for being irresponsible, the blame of being drunk- published even all over newspapers, and that’s all!
The dreams he had seen for his family were swept off in a second. Nobody really bothered or wept for him other than his close family.

Moral: Take a deep breath. Be patient if you want to survive in this city, else you deserve places other than Mumbai for sure!