Safe Passage To Bombay And The Kindness Of Strangers
Travel in India is not for the feint hearted or rigid of mind. One must be willing to endure delays, unpredictable public transportation schedules, and disruptions due to political unrest. Though this is my 6th annual trip to India I am still challenged by the lack of English speakers in this former British colony and illiteracy of many of the auto rickshaw and taxi drivers.
Foreigners are advised to hire drivers and take transport designated for tourists to insure ones safety and delivery to local and regional destinations. I also advise travelers to make a show of writing down taxi numbers and coach license plate numbers and whenever possible informing hotel staff of your itinerary.
Due to language difficulties and what I suspect was a hustle by the auto rickshaw driver who picked me up from the hotel in Pune and tried to deposit me with one of his confederates. I was not able to locate the pick up point for the Jet Airways coach for the return trip to Bombay.
I had been directed by the hotel staff to get the coach in “Pune Station” which turned out to be not an actual station but a very busy roadway where passengers purchased tickets from vendors sitting in grimy little huts, with all manner of shouting, bettle nut chewing and spitting.
I didn’t want to cause myself to become more of a spectacle than I already was standing on the side of the road with my laptop case, Samsonite luggage, and wool coat all necessities for my trek to Paris. I decided to initiate my own personal outward-bound experience by purchasing a ticket for the regional coach taken by the locals to Bombay.
Unlike the sparsely filled Jet Airways non-stop coach with security doors for the passenger compartment, refreshments and bottled water, the local coach was packed to the brim with only one seat remaining and no frills. As my good fortune would have it my seatmate Mr. Shetty turned out to be my personal guide and protector. During the course of our conversation I learned that Mr. Shetty a very kind fellow is a film actor; his wife and daughter pop singers. He was in route to a city outside of Mumbai to a film location.
Mr. Shetty kept reassuring me that I would make the 5-hr journey without incident and arrive safely in Bombay. He gave me timings and instructions for disembarking, and for good measure he gave me his mobile number, talisman cards depicting Lord Ganesh for protection and a promotional photograph of his wife. 
He told me his wife is very popular and I could show her photograph to any policeman in Mumbai and they would assist me by phoning the number on the paper!
He seemed almost embarrassed when I extended my heartfelt thanks to him as he prepared to exit the coach.
Other passengers on the coach kept a protective eye on me too, but there really wasn’t any need because I was amongst fellow travelers everyday folks just trying to get from one point to the other. No drama.
Jai Ganesh!
Jai Maa!