Valli's First Bus Ride Story - PDF

Sant or strange? Tell the class. There was a girl girl named years Valliammai, old and very curious who was called allifor short. Shewas eight...

Sant or strange? Tell the class. There was a girl girl named years Valliammai, old and very curious who was called allifor short. Shewas eight about 7hefront doorway of her house,things. Her favourite pastime was standing rside. It gave her many new, watching what was happening in the stteet unusual experiences. The most fascinating thing of all was the us chat travelled between her village and he nearest town. The sight of the bus. flled ch time with a new set of passengers, was BUS STOP a source of unending joy for Valli. Day after day she watched the bus, and radually a tiny wish crept into her head: she anted to ride on that bus, even if just once. Over many days and months Valli listened carefully toconversations berween her neighbours and people who regularly used the bus. She also asked a few discreet questions here and there. pastime: something done for enjoyment, discreet: quiet and careful, so as not like a hobby to attract too much attention or cause source of unending joy: something that embarrassment caused a lot of happiness  This way, she picked up various small derails about the bus journey. The town was six miles from her village.The fare was thirty paise one way. Ihe trip to the own took forty-five minutes. On reaching town, if she stayed in her seat and n This mearnt thar another thirty paise, she could return home on the same bus. p.m. and she could take the one-oclock afternoon bus, reach the town at I:45 be back home by about 2:45 p.m. recalculated, planned and On and on went her thoughts, as she calculated and re-planned. leaving the villg: One fine spring day, the afternoon bus was just on the point of heard shouting, voice was and turning into the main highway when a small "Stop the bus! Stop the bus!" Who do you thin The bus slowed down to a crawl, and the conductor, sticking it is? Why do the, his head out of the door, said, "Hurry then! Tell whoever it is need to hurry? to comne:quickly." "It's me' shouted Valli. "Ihave to go to town and heres my money Sheshowed h Some cOins. The conductor stretched out a hand to help her up. lcan get on by myself, she said. The conductor was fond of joking."Oh, please dont be angry with me, my finc madam," he said. "Here, have aseat riht up there in front. Everybody make way for madam." The six or seven passengers looked at Valli and started laughing with the condu Valli was overcome with shyness. Avoiding everyone's eyes, she walked quicklyt empty seat and sat down. It was anew bus, its outside painted a gleaming white with some green stripes a the sides. Inside, the overhead bars shone like silver. Directly in front of Vall, abh the windshield, there was a beautiful clock. The seats were soft and luxurious.  When Vallistarted to look outside, she found her view cut off by a canvas blind that covered the lower part of her window. So. she stood up on the seat and peered over the blind. The bus wasnow going along the bank of a canal. The road was very narrow. On one side there was the canl and, beyond it, palm trees, grassland, distant mountains, and the blue, blue sk,.On the other side was a deep ditch and then acres and acres of fields--green, green, green, as far as the eye could see. Oh, it was all so wonderful! Her first journey-what careful, painstaking, elaborate plans she had had to make for it! She had thriftily saved whatever straycoins came her way, resisting every temptation to buy peppermints, toys, balloons, and the like, and finally she had saved a total ofsixty paise. How difficult fair, when she had resolutely stifled it had been, particularly that day at the village even though she had the money. astrongdesire to ride the merry-go -round, problem was how to get out of the house without her mother's Her next daily nap her knowledge.So she had slipped our when her mother went for at one atter lunch. rolled on now, cutting across a bare landscape, rushing through a tiny The bus on the point of wayside shop. Sometimes, the bus seemed village or past an odd another vehicle that was coming towards them or a pedestrian crossing gobbling up road. Somehow it passed on smoothly, leaving all obstacles safely behind. the reached them Trees came running towards them but then stopped as the bus lor other  the side of the rrat etore rusring 2wze e dírection. road, in front of the bus The bus icwes a rw and the driver surnded his norn ot gt 2 again. But the more he honked, the mere irge the animal becarme and the faster it galoped alwars right in front of the bus Valli laughed and lasghed untii there were tears in her eyes. ht last the rw moNet off the road Frorn there, the bus travelled through abusy well-laid-ut shopping street ad, turning, ertered a wider thoroughfare merchandise Such big crowds Struck dumo wn wonce e from her pocket and handed the coin r che conducor Dont youWarto have a lvokat the signs, ngw tha voure nee "Alby nyself: Oh, Id bernuch too afrad (mused br the giris war of speaking, the Imagine yourself in - - r s2 "el. then, let me bring vou acold drink. Valfl's position. Would you have occepted 1 n t -2ve enough monev. the conductor's treot? aT and wont cost vou anvthing. sces: irm: please. no. to begin T e u shrugged and thev waited until it was time for the bus wonderful sights. Valli greeted Wbene -s started again. there were the same first time. e s e r h esame excitement shed felt the cow lying by the roadside, where it hadbeen struck Su- 2s2w2 voung deT sCetast-moring vehicle. the bus on our trip to town she asked 2t2s2me cow har ran in front of was overcome with sadness. What had been The nodded and she suddenlv lost its charm while ago had now ale:2creature just a little stare in its lifeless spread-eagled. a fixed a:scke: s nghtening 2s it lav there. on. The memorv of thedead cow haunted Haunte'means The bus ved longer wanted to enthusiasm She no dampening her seat, until She sar thus, glued to her iocK out c: he window. stood up, turned ilage at 3:40 p.m. She the us re:ned her Ihope to see you again. he cor. ior and sad. Well, sir, and join us whenever youfeel like. answered her, smiling. Come he And don:orger to bring vour fare. lang: and jumped down from the bus. She When she entered her house. she found her mother awake andtalkung to one of Valli's aunts. "Andwhere have you been" her aunt asked when Valli cane in. She spoke ven casually, not expecting areply. SoValli just smiled. and her mother and aunt went on with their conversation "Yes,youre right" her mother said. "So many things in our mdst and in the w outside. How canwe possibly know about everything? And cven when we do about something, we often cant understand it completely, canwe?" Vallismiled to herseltf. She didnt want them to understand her smile. Bur then, there wasnt much chalce of that, was there? Vallik. RS Krishnasamy (1920-2006) was a writer, journalist and translator from Tamil Nadu. Valikannan was one of his pseudonyms. He worked for magazines like Navasakthi and Hanuman. He was awarded the Sahitya Akademi award for Tamil in 1978 for his work on Tamil poetry.