Complain, complain

Today for a change, I was early for work. As always, there was no-one there. A little later the cleaning lady joined me on the steps and spoke to me in Kannada. I kept smiling like an idiot and saying "gothilla", and she kept playing dumb charades. After a while we both got bored. I went back to my i-pod, and she stared into space. About 40 minutes later the office was opened and here I am.
I don't really care much, but man, they are kind of piling on the rubbish, no?
Anyway, of late, I've been having more auto problems than ever before. So yesterday, after standing forever at this place, waiting for an auto to agree to take me, I felt this overwhelming rage towards the system (yeah yawn, I know). I wanted to write to the CM, the PM - the great god atop this bureaucratic mess! See - this is what -

• I spend 70 rupees everyday to get to work (which I don't even enjoy, but thassnotthepoint). I have to take an auto to get here, because there is no direct bus - and if I were to take the longer route, it would take me around 2 hours to get to work (yes that's right - I've done it). And believe me, it's not out of laziness that I don't leave my house at 8 (seriously, would you like to go to a workplace that makes you wait for 40 mins before opening its gates?).
• Now since I spend 70 rupees in going, I try and compensate by taking the bus back home. But what do you know? I have to wait for over half an hour sometimes (sometimes more) for the bus to show up. If I'm lucky, I get to sit.
• Next, I have to take a second bus or an auto to go back home. If I take a bus, I'll have to walk another kilometer upto home - which is okay, but I never know which bus to take because the destinations are all written in Kannada. Besides, they are horrendously crowded and one bus journey down, I just don't feel upto it. So I think, fine man, I earn - I can take an auto back - 30 Rs. But wait - these auto guys want to charge you 20 Rs more, or just click their tongues irritably and zip away. Did you know, an auto driver, cannot refuse to take you ANYWHERE - even if it is minimum fare? But who's stopping them? There's an auto stand nearby, but don't you dare go near those. They don't bargain. Flat 50 bucks, take it or leave it. They have a huge political flag waving over this pole near the stand. So it doesn't matter if a traffic police guy's standing there - you just don't mess with these guys.

So yeah, these are my woes. The roads are bad, the signages are not tourist friendly, and people will refuse to speak in Hindi or English and judge you for being an outsider. And language is a problem when an auto guy pretends not to understand you and take you down a longer, shadier route and let the meter run havoc. Oh and more often than not, the meters are rigged.

And I can almost hear the people say - if you hate it so much, why don't you just go back to where you came from? Calcutta. Hmm. Yeah, I remember having a fairly long list of grievances for my city as well. Dude, cities can be just plain rude. And human beings never stop complaining. Don't mind me if I roll one, and sit and vegetate for a bit. At least I won't be complaining.