Travels and Encounters_Episode 1:Travelling with the oldies

This is not the first time I get such unrelated thoughts while traveling. I would often tell my brain, why don't you mind your own business than wandering  about the things that's happening around you. Well , I had to travel by mtc bus while coming back from college after exams. I don't know, my brain works better when I am inside the bus than in an exam hall. Ac buses are even better to put my thoughts on paper. This is perhaps the best way to kill a  two and a half  an hour of your journey amidst the noisy traffic. As usual there are a quite a few young bloods like me, who are least bothered about the happenings around until a fire cracker bust outside( a big welcome for someone to a function ), which took everyone's attention including mine. I am so lucky to have none next to me, to peep into my mobile , to see whom I am texting ,then turning the other side with a disappointment of seeing me write something in M.S word. I don't know if people are nosey about others business just like my brain that wanders around with needless thoughts, or if it is a great concern about my well-being to inspect other’s behaviour. The person just before me is a  man who must be in his late 60’s at least. I could not describe much about him as  I could only see his half bald head with  inch long grey white hairs near his ears. There is an old couple here, but they too are in front seat. The conductor! Yes how could I ever forget him! He is an old man in his  early 60s. When someone young lad( but older than me) here, asked for ticket , he gave a ticket to koyambedu instead of SRP tools stop. Well, I don't know if it was the mistake of the young lad to attend call with one hand, giving money for the ticket in another, struggling to balance him with his heavy laptop bag, do multi tasking while taking the ticket, or if it was the age factor of the conductor that's showing up, not able to hear properly. Whatever may it be ,the lad had to pay for it as the old conductor refused to accept for the change of ticket. The reason I am writing about all old lads in bus is because , they are the only active people who initiate and converse, while others are busy on their mobile. Old lads are interesting to look up  for a story. Some are emotional, some are short tempered ( just like this conductor). Everyday in my journey back on another bus, I am meeting this old lady in her 80s with a big basket that almost occupies a person's space. As soon as she gets in, she puts the basket down , takes ticket, goes to sleep. I could smell an unusual odour as soon as she steps in. I identified it as the smell of fish later. There was a old man in the same bus that day, who had a two minute of serious conversation with the young conductor( another bus). Struggling to stand up and balance, the man got up from his seat to get down amidst the travel. The bus stopped for the first time in history of Madras, in a place which was not a bus stop. “The senior citizens do enjoy privilege” commented a lady behind me. This was a bit unusual to me. I had never thought it that way when I had offered old people my bus seat or help them cross the road. Some old people, unlike the youngsters who are immersed with their mobiles, are brave to voice against issues they come across while their journey. Once while getting inside the bus, I saw a young man refusing to offer a seat to a pregnant women. An old gentleman gathered guts to voice it against the young man occupying ladys seat. The other day another old man grabbed a pick pocketer , and handed him over to police while others were least bothered about it. We cannot judge, these oldies as being nosey, they aware of their social responsibility. They need to be respected if not  I for the age , for their experience. The Next stop is perungudi , I should have to stop now else, there is a great chance of missing my stop.