life less miserable

The ownership of Harrods has changed in London. The government has changed in the United Kingdom. One thing that hasn’t changed in this country is courtesy and consideration. The moment we come out of Heathrow and get on to the Tube (underground metro rail service) there is an announcement that the central lines are under repair and people willing to go to London city will have to change to buses and then to another tube to reach their desired destinations.

While listening to this announcement I shuddered with apprehension... Oh no, not this hassle of tagging the luggage along and struggling to find a bus, I have just arrived in this country. Coming from India, I started imagining the worst. Before we could reach the next stop to look for a bus connection, I started picturing a crowd of people pushing each other to get on to the first bus, and rest of the people resorting to an endless wait with their stuff, for the other buses to come.

Dreading the journey ahead, we got off at the next stop. What I saw outside was beyond my imagination. A row of rail staff with their glowing jackets was standing at every corner to help the commuters. The back of their jackets boldly read ``Rail Replacement Help Service’’. What I see next is a row of buses carrying similar signs – ``Rail Replacement Bus Service’’. In other words – there was no hassle, no pushing, no waiting and no chaos.

Everything was so well organised. The government had planned to do the repair work on Saturday and Sunday – obviously as a consideration for thousands of people who use Tube to go for their work. Proper arrangements were made for those too, who had to travel on holidays.

The consideration made me think why can’t we (Indian government) think with so much consideration for its citizens? Why can’t we have a system in place –which helps the government function smoothly and at the same time let the citizens live a life less troublesome? Am I asking too much??