CMBT & My bus journeys

Living in Neyveli, and having most of your extended family settled in Chennai, meant you’d be frequently travelling between Neyveli and Chennai. Since Neyveli didn’t have a proper railway station and the closest one was 2 hours away, our travel to Chennai has always been in buses. The buses usually took about 4.5-5hours to cover the 200km distance. Because we had one of our relatives in Tambaram, we usually got down there. Those were the days when the Mofussil buses used to go through the city, and I believe the bus stand was in Broadway, Parrys. 

It was in 2002 (though I had stared at the granite containing the date of opening a zillion times, I couldn’t quite recollect this year and had to google it) that the bus terminus was shifted to Koyambedu, and named as CMBT - Chennai Mofussil Bus Terminus. It was humungous to say the least. The local MTC buses were given a good sizeable space in the front, with multiple shelters and behind them was the actual bus terminus with 6 broad platforms housing buses that ran across the length and breadth of the state, including a few to neighbouring states of Kerala, Karnataka and the then Andhra Pradesh. There were primarly two landmarks to identify the CMBT, one it’s own gigantic brownish dome with a digital clock and the second is the multi-storey apartment complex right opposite CMBT that used to be visible from about a kilometre away too. 

I moved to Chennai in 2008, but I believe it wasn’t until 2010-2011 when I started frequenting this bus stand to go visit my parents in Neyveli. I usually reached the bus stand at about 6-6:30PM after my work. There wasn’t an option to book tickets in advance for the bus to Neyveli, so it was always a waiting/guessing game trying to predict the bus’s arrival. I still remember my routine every time I go to this bus stand. As I’d take a bus at 6:30, I’d be reaching Neyveli quite late in the night, at around 11-11:30. So keep my hunger at bay while travelling, I always go to this Aavin booth right near Platform 2, buy one tetra pack of Pista Milkshake, and then walk over to a food kiosk, and buy an overpriced Lays packet. Not sure if anyone remembers, but the shops in the bus stand always charged prices for their products higher than the MRP, and even when you questioned them, they didn’t two hoots about you and would rather you not buy than reduce the price. 

Oh, how can I forget the mad rush during the peak holiday seasons. The day before the festive holidays begin would seem like the bus stand would burst, with so many people, all around, running to catch a bus to their hometowns. You were considered lucky to even get a direct bus to your town, forget about getting a seat. There were times when I’d had to travel the entire 5 hour journey standing, and would sometimes just flop onto the floor out of sheer exhaustion. We’d be lucky to sit on a seat when the bus stopped midway for a 5-10 minute break.

But these bus journeys were one of my best memories of those times. I’d invariably choose either the first seat at the front right next to the door, or the seat right above the wheels, near the ladder. These journeys were special because of the whole lot of people I met. Everyone had a story to share and it felt only right to lend a listening ear to it. You meet people from all walks of life, right from a girl who was preparing for UPSC exams, a math teacher, a working girl, literally all kinds and age groups. I believe there’s an ease and peace in sharing stories with strangers - there’s no fear of judgement, as there’s almost no way you were going to meet them again unless you choose to stay in touch. Most often, we hardly shared names. The conversations were always about places, education, movies, and just life in general. The stories that I shared, helped me figure out a lot about myself - what mattered the most to me, what are the thoughts that shaped me as a person, who/what are the instances that’ve had an impact on me. I strongly feel it is during these times that I slowly moved on from being an introvert to extrovert. I started to enjoy meeting people and talking / listening to them.

These bus journeys were a standard in my life for about 4-5 years until I finished my education and my parents lived in Neyveli. But slowly as they shifted to Chennai, these journeys and the conversations took a break and left me with void that I only felt when I travelled somewhere. But every once in a while when I do travel alone, and encounter people, there’s always a chance to spark up a conversation and share thoughts. 

Now, coming back to CMBT, because it was located almost in the heart of the city, and it became quite hard to manage the population here, the government opened up Kilambakkam Bus Terminus to manage the buses going down south, and the Madhavaram Bus Terminus for the buses going up north mostly to Andhra & Telangana. Whatever else remained was predominantly Vellore, Hosur, Bangalore and a few other places - these seemed to be the only ones that are currently being operated from CMBT. 

It was after almost 4 years that I stepped into the bus stand last week, and I was saddened to see its plight. What was once a bustling place of activity, now looks forlorn. Of the 6 platforms that used to be fully packed with buses and people, only one is currently functional, and that too with very minimal folks. The rest of the terminus looks ominous, deserted and is mostly used as a shelter by the homeless.  I’m sure there’d be plans to renovate and repurpose this place, and wish they act upon those plans soon before the condition of the place deteriorates even further.