Upbeat on the bus despite downpour

NEW DELHI: Three-year-old Aun woke up very early on Friday.‘‘You will meet your abbu (father) today evening,’’ was all his mother, Zahoor Sabah, told him. They were among the 38 passengers on the Sada-e-Sarhad bus that will travel 540 kms and reach Lahore by 6 pm on Friday. The passengers include 25 mediapersons and 13 others.
Sabah, with a newborn in her arms and Aun by her side, was excited.‘‘We are very happy to be on our way back home after eight months. But I also feel sad about leaving my parents’ home in Jaipur,’’ she said. She came to India last year to give birth to her child in her maternal home.
While hope and happiness was in the air, the heavy downpour was a slight dampener. Despite DTC’s modest arrangements, there was no power at the terminal. As a result, there was chaos when the passengers checked in.
Candles and torches dimly illuminated the dark waiting lounges where security personnel frisked passengers and searched their luggage.
But driver Sher Singh’s zeal was undeterred. ‘‘The emotions attached with this bus service overcomes all these odds,’’ he said. Singh also drove the bus in 1999-2000. He said he wanted to drive the bus till he retired from the DTC.
The hype and excitement notwithstanding, some things never change: Union surface transport minister B C Khanduri arrived late. While Delhi government minister Haroon Yusuf cut the ribbon, Khanduri flagged off the bus.
Said a DTC oldtimer: ‘‘Extreme weather has always marked this service. The last trip was marked by thick fog. Today, it’s raining cats and dogs.’’