To the ubiquitous backpacker in Bangalore City
Yes you qualify to be the backpacker I mean to discuss today, if you carry a laptop bag on your back and live in Bangalore City. Having made that clear let me tell you I too belong to this community.
I enter an already crowded bus full of (laptop)backpackers on my way to work. You may wonder what is so amusing about this, I do this everyday. Yes this is part of the everyday routine for most of us. Just a thought, we were not born with this bag on our back right. So just like a driver moving from a nano to a Duster, you need some time to realize that ‘the you that moves’ has an additional baggage(literally) behind you. Though in reality I doubt if we ever do.
I have felt my bag put on a few extra kilos, only to turn back and see a fellow backpacker facing the other side positioned precisely with her bag resting on mine…grrrr!!!! People squeeze in and out of crowded buses with the bag securely on their backs. What this does to people standing around you is that, your bag lovingly caresses them — leaving a lovely mess of hair dangling to the zip on the bag, duppattas all over the bags and in case of grossly underweight mortals like me, give the person nearly half-a-spin! !Wow!! Did you know your laptop bag was capable of doing so much in those few seconds that you get into and off the bus. It should be declared the laptop-bag effect(on the lines of the butterfly-effect)
Well the saga of the backpacker does not end with public transport, the same sight is repeated in lifts. If you are one of the first few to get into the lift, God save you from the punch of the bag. As an when additional people clamber into the lift and the backpackers make way for them by stepping back, right, left — the dreaded bag ends up on faces of little children. At times also on other people’s arms. Even pregnant women are left to fend for themselves, the bump is barely visible in lifts I assume. I used to have my hand forever in front of my bump when inside the lift. It had become so much of a habit that after our LO was born, I continued to have my arm protecting my tummy for a few more months.
My sincere advice to all of you is to please take the bag off your back when inside confined spaces. Buses and lifts are what I have personally experienced, I am sure you may have a few more to add. You can hold it in your hand for those few minutes when you move and settle. The handle on top of the bag is meant for that in case it is not obvious. You could also wear it in front. This helps you gauge the distance and avoid hurting others. And this is very helpful if you have to open your wallet(hidden in one of those layers of your office provided bag), to tender the exact change required for your bus fare. The next time the ticket inspector gives you a surprise visit, wearing your bag in front will help you find your ticket on time and avoid missing your stop. (Only to be dropped two stops from yours, after you show the ticket as was the case with me)
And to be honest there is another major advantage for your own self if you decide to do this. You can avoid pickpocketing. Yes this may seem from another world and highly unlikely inside Volvo’s and lifts, but nothing stops a pickpocketer from being well-dressed and getting into buses and lifts.
Over to you. Do you have an interesting backpack incident to share?
