Nap in a KSRTC bus

 

If you read any article on how to nap one would always come across ideal situations.

One, noise should be low; create ‘white ‘noise, they suggest; or play some soothing music;

Two, reduce visual stimulation; dim the lights or better put on eye lids;

Three, cover yourself lightly as it aids sleep but not heavily as increase in warmth wakes you up.

Four, don’t keep shuffling but keep still; relax your muscles one group at a time etc.

I have no quarrel with any of these as we have experienced them sometime or the other.

Now imagine inside a KSRTC (State run Buses in Karnataka) bus in summer. There is no AC ; you are squeezed between people ; noise is constant and children crying adding to the variety ; windows are open and there is plenty of light; not to mention smell - of fellow human beings and diesel and a variety of others like fruits, masala ‘paan’, snacks and sweets ; and then to cap it all the bus is moving/ groaning/ struggling on an Indian road with frequent halts, generally sudden; one of your hands on the handle bar in front of you to steady yourself and the other clutching a bag, kit or whatever.

Then a miracle happens; bus starts moving and I fall asleep; it would not be an exaggeration to say that some of the best naps I have had were in these conditions; many times  I have even wondered why the journey was so short when I woke up