Excruciating Waiting Times. Thanks Redbus, Varsha Travels

Is it worth the wait? That philosophical question seems a mischief when waiting times get increasingly painful. Right now, more than talking about waiting and managing waiting times, I want to share a small review of my experience with this substandard company Varsha Travels, operating routes from Bangalore to Vijayawada.

Facts: 

• Booking agent: Redbus
• Operator: Varsha Travels
• Ticket # / PNR #: TEBQ62968829 / VTPKG28595922-Blr-Vij-13
• Destination: Tickets purchased from Bangalore to Nellore @ Rs. 1299/-
• Pricing: A State transport ticket would not cost beyond Rs. 650/- and other private services maximum priced at – Rs.1000/-. So technically this was a service priced at a premium of an average of 50% higher charge.

• Punctuality: Dreadful. 105 minutes late (1 hr 45 minutes). Departure 2 hours late. No, no intimation in between while you just keep waiting and the operator is busy on his own trips!
• Services Undelivered: No bottle of water, which is a norm (even after an excruciating delay in service)
• Highlight of the Service: The bus won’t drop to you to your destination - Nellore, but will drop you on the highway to the destination – Nellore by pass instead.

Well, after that excruciating wait in KR Puram for this wonderful premium service, there’s just no spirit left but to just take whatever is served and deal with it. I am sure such experiences are certainly felt by many though unspoken. And this is not being given its due attention – well, because all the victims of these experiences might be too busy to share their disappointment, or are used to being treated so as to not realize this injustice. But, I didn’t want to be among those who stand by and keep watching.

Substandard services offered like these actually tantamount to social injustice. And since this is regarding a service for which you pay certain premium and buy, when not delivered in point of sale ‘package’ is a crime. A punishable crime (even if you’re paying a nominal amount and not a premium)!

Believe me, had it been a person with Diabetes / Blood pressure (which is very common in India), waiting for nearly 2 hours on the main road-side without any care will really collapse. Even then I am very less of hope that these service providers will be moved at all.

This is an experience I had by booking on Redbus (a portal which help you make reservations on registered private road transport service providers) after more than a year. The last time I had a similar experience with another private service provider on route from Cchennai to Bangalore, I had decided to not take any private transport services which charge you a premium and end up giving a shoddy service. On the other hand, the state transport services (APSRTC, KSRTC) are exceeding service expectation and way much better. Guess the difference is in just delivering to the expectations set initially at the point of sale. Guess that ain’t that hard really.

Time and again, Indian private road transport systems (in South India) have proven to be insensitive and disappointing by design. Profitable nonetheless, because the user-base is willing to afford even higher prices and drive the demand higher, service-orientation has rested in peace.

Waiting is frustrating, agonizing, annoying, takes toll on your time, mental and physical health and yes - exceptionally expensive as well. ‘Twas the misfortune of one day for me. Continues to be the case for many with many subscribing to other private service operators—when does it end? Now that’s a proverbial question you might want to mull over and try to answer.

Before closing, I did google up this travel operator and I got about 25 similar complaints (links below) about how pathetic this service is. So my recommendation – Varsha Travels – In all sanity, please AVOID IT!

Some complaints lists below:

1. http://www.consumercomplaints.in/complaints/varsha-travels-bangalore-c214441.html
2. http://www.mouthshut.com/product-reviews/Varsha-Travels-Bangalore-reviews-925104231  

P.S: Redbus, can’t believe you’ve got such pathetic service provider on your list, this is not the only one though; wonder what your feedback really is useful for! If some responsible official reads this—please remove them from your list for your own reputation sake, if not for some social justice!

Why do we shout it anger?

Disclaimer: "This is not written by me. This came as a email forward and sharing cos I liked it." Should any content be objectionable, offensive or copyrighted - please write to me on manohr@gmail.com and it will be removed"

A saint who was visiting river Ganges to take a dip and found a group of family members on the banks, shouting in anger at each other. He turned to his disciples smiled, 'n asked.

"Why do people in anger shout at each other?"
Disciples thought for a while, one of them said, "because we lose our calm, we shout."
"But, why should you shout when the other person is just next to you? You can as well tell him what you have to say in a soft manner" asked the saint.
Disciples gave some other answers but none satisfied the other disciples. Finally the saint explained..

"When two people are angry at each other, their hearts distance a lot. To cover that distance they must shout to be able to hear each other. The angrier they are, the stronger they will have to shout to hear each other to cover that great distance."

"What happens when two people fall in love? They don't shout at each other but talk softly, Because their hearts are very close. The distance between them is either nonexistent or very small..."


The saint continued, 'When they love each other even more, what happens? They do not speak, only whisper 'n they get even closer to each other in their love. Finally they even need not whisper, they only look at each other 'n that's all. That is how close two people are when they love each other."
He looked at his disciples 'n said: "So when you argue do not let your hearts get distant, Do not say words that distance each other more, Or else there will come a day when the distance is so great that you will not find the path to return."

Love finds a way back to each other...

Where promiscuity, commitment phobia, boredom with monogamy, open relations and adventures in partnership & sexual relations rule the roost and sporadically take new forms in our evolving societies across the world- there are other contradicting and special moments of impact which this movie portrays. Hope for the audience viewing this - this moment of impact doesn't leave too sketchy an impression on its viewers – rather wish it does make a defining impact that’s contagious.

So much for wishful thinking..! The movie claims to have its inspiration from a true story. Starting on an intimate moment between a husband and wife colliding with a mishap- the movie goes on a flashback of how they fell in love, their marriage and the vows they’ve professed. Both injured in the accident, the wife loses memory of past few years. That taking a toll on the husband emotionally, the rest of the movie is a tale about how the husband went on to live every word avowed in their marriage.

Before going ahead, here are the vows :)

• Paige (woman): I vow to help you love life, to always hold you with tenderness and to have the patience that love demands, to speak when words are needed and to share the silence when they are not and to live within the warmth of your heart and always call it home.
• Leo (Man): I vow to fiercely love you in all your forms, now and forever. I promise to never forget that this is a once in lifetime love. I vow to love you, and no matter what challenges might carry us apart, we will always find a way back to each other.

Stuck to his impact making expression “How can you look at the girl you love and tell yourself it’s time to walk away?”, relentlessly - he tries to win his wife back through ways of love. And he does regain her, though she never regains her lost memory.

Not debating the fact of how much representation in the movie is in sync with real incidents- I just appreciate the spirit of love so well presented and enacted here by the reel-life couple. More admiration and cheers to the real-life couple!

For all those who resist the boredom, phobia, openness and above stated forms of adventures in relationships and are contemplating switching sides due to hardships in love.. Here’s the message from the movie: ‘Love will find a way back to each other. Keep giving.. and fiercely love your partner in all your forms – better or worse.’

P.S: The best love label I've watched after P.S. I love you.