‘V.I.P’

How often have we cursed our roads, buses, footpaths, traffic and what not? Everyday travel is proving to be more and more tiresome. We curse when our two wheelers hit a pot hole or road block or when we loose balance on those ridiculously uneven footpaths! We hold our breath when we pass by a drain and look towards the window for air in a crowded bus. In the end of the day however it is still manageable. In the madness we can still see our way through it all, but what of those who can’t?

Haven’t we all wondered how the visually impaired travel, that too in chaotic Bangalore (or should I say Bengaluru)? I met up with two gentlemen - Ravi Paul who is a final year B.A student and Praveen N who just finished his 2nd pre university and is looking for admission into a degree college - for the purpose of understanding the unique problems faced by the visually impaired or “V.I.Ps” (Visually impaired people) as Ravi puts it, with regard to everyday travel.

FOOTHPATHS

'I hate our footpaths' was the first thing Ravi said when I asked him his experience of our roads and Praveen seconded with a firm, ‘yes’. They are very uneven and very unpredictable. It is especially ‘scary’ ' one travels with a cane (it’s a walking stick used to feel the road ahead). ‘Even ' other people are taking us its sometimes scary if we don’t know the person very well. Which is most often than not’ said Praveen. ‘However there is one footpath that I like, it is my ideal walking surface’ said Ravi with a smile, ‘the footpath I am talking about is majestic. I dream of a Bangalore with footpaths like that'. ‘Brigade road footpath is also nice. I have been there once.’ added Praveen. I asked them what they taught about the new cemented footpaths and they said it was a marked improvement over the stone ones but was still uneven. The unpaved are the worse kind. When it rains all hell breaks loose. Unpaved footpaths harbor pools of muddy water that are very messy. ‘I hate it when I step into one of those puddles as water seeps into the shoes soaking my socks and feet in that slush. I find the feeling very uncomfortable’ said Ravi looking quiet unhappy (maybe remembering past experiences). ‘I just hate when there are large rocks or boxes (referring to transistor boxes) in the way. I sometimes snub a toe and it is very frustrating!’ said Praveen. Sometimes when Ravi is alone he prefers walking on the side of the footpath as the road is smoother but some concerned pedestrians always request him to use the footpath as it is safer. ‘I get where they are coming from’ said Ravi with an empathic tone, ‘but its just too difficult walking on the footpath so to make them happy I walk on the footpath for some distance and then use the road again.’

I asked them how helpful the people were and they told me most of the times people help them in crossing the road and sometimes they will leave them till their destination.

Buses

Our BMTC buses are the most affordable transportation system in the city. Like most people, most ‘V.I.Ps’ rely on the daily buses to get about from place to place. ‘We are entitled to a free pass and we can go anywhere in the state with it. However’ said Ravi, ‘the fun ends there!’ ‘Please don’t get us wrong’, said Praveen, ‘we are all glad about our free passes and thank the government for it. There are some problems faced by us in this regard and they are pretty simple and solvable problems.’ ‘I wish buses start stopping in one place or rather the place they are supposed to stop in!’ said Ravi and Praveen added, ‘it would also be nice if the conductors announced the stops.’ It is sometimes difficult for the ‘V.I.Ps’ to get down where they want to because they are not sure of where to get down. They will have to rely in the passengers as the conductors are not always found. A lot of times the people may not know what they are asking and misguide them. Hence they might get down in the wrong stop and in the worse case scenario - get lost. Thankfully they have never got lost. Once or twice they have got down in the wrong stop though but fortunately they have always managed to find their way back into a right bus. I asked them about the attitude of the conductor and they rate it with an ‘OK!’ Some conductors are more benevolent than others. If they are lucky the conductor will leave them to their seat (every bus has a seat reserved for handicapped, usually near the emergency exit) and also ask them where they would like to get down and alert them when their stop approaches. These conductors are quite rare and most conductors ask them where they need to go and may or may not alert them. I asked them about the attitudes of the passengers and they told me it all depends on the crowdedness of the bus. If the bus is not very crowded they will give them their reserved seat. If the bus is crowded no body will get up and give them place. Sometimes the people are very helpful. They will alert them if their stop comes. However they can be a pain in the you know where! Ravi was telling me of a weirdo, (who was possibly drunk as he ‘smelt’ of something awful) who kept telling him how sympathetic he was of Ravi's condition and even offered his daughters hand in marriage as consolation!

‘We have spoken so much about the buses’, said Ravi with some sudden realization, ‘but what about the bus stops?’. Earlier we spoke of the haphazard manner in which the buses stop. It proves quiet a challenge for the ‘V.I.Ps’ as they don’t know where to stand. Eventually when the bus stops they must run quiet far from the actual stop and its very difficult for them to do that. Firstly because it is almost next to impossible for them to run as they are unaware of what is ahead of them and secondly if there are many people going towards the bus it becomes very difficult for them to get in. When they finally do manage to get near the door of the bus it is still a challenge to get into the bus. There is an every man for himself type of attitude. Everybody is so aggressive in getting into the bus. There have multiple occasions when these gentlemen have been pushed from the bus and not allowed to get in. ‘Most of the times the people in the bus stops are not helpful’ said Ravi. When they scream out asking the crowds about the number of the approaching bus most people are mute. Very rarely and after much effort will a person step forward to help them. The area matters a lot too and in some areas the people seem more helpful than others places. I’m proud to know that Indranagar was one of the more helpful ones.

Auto-rickshaw

Buses are not the best for reaching your destination in the quickest possible time. If one is to go from place A to place B in the least amount of time taxis and auto-rickshaws are the next best alternative. In Bangalore taxis are quiet expensive so rickshaws are the better bargain. It is a more comfortable way to travel when compared to a bus. The auto drivers are, ‘6 out of 10 times honest but we have been cheated many times and we are completely helpless in this regard. I wish they had a brail auto meter or a talking auto meter.’ said Ravi.

‘Most problems are solvable. It is only a matter of patients and co-operation and when our fellow humans realize it all of us will be able to live better lives’ – Ravi