Brothers of Buses | Season 01, Episode 01

Dear readers, welcome to the first episode of Brothers of Buses. The series – Brothers of Buses – is dedicated to the staff members of buses that ply on the roads of Assam and beyond and live through thousands of journeys and millions of stories. This is Their story!

To be frank, the concept of “Botaahe Botaahe”, which refers to sailing along where the wind blows, a carefree spirit of travel/journeying through life has come from these buses.

Dear readers, gather near and lend your soul—

To tales of roads where engines roll.

Of buses bold and brothers true,

Of miles and moments, skies and dew.

This is the story of wheels that spin,

Of lives entangled deep within.

Of Assam's roads that know each scar,

And drivers who were born to star.

#S01E01 | YATRA’s Krishna Daa

The person on the hot seat is Krishna Daa. Who else can feature in the first episode after all? None other than the brother who was more than my own. He used to drive the YATRA 5500 and was one of the best persons I know in this world. Not because he loved me like his own brother or maybe even more, but because he was. We had spent many sleepless nights together, him driving and me being his handyman.

He once told me a story:

A girl got down at Kamargaon at night and no one from her home had reached to take her, so he stopped the bus for about an hour so that someone reaches and takes her home. And one fine night, I experienced this myself. She was travelling with me, or I should say she was travelling with us, 'The Yatra 5500 family'. She reached her dropping point and father had not arrived yet. Krishna Daa stopped the bus for her, for about 30 minutes, so that she would reach home safe after somebody picks her up. He didn't even start the journey again when he saw a scooty coming; it was only after she got up on the scooty and it took an U turn, Krishna Daa put our Yatra on first gear.

From advice like "Mrinmoy, mod nakhaba dei. Bohut mon gole ani okole khaba lagile, bahirot nakhaba. Tezpur t val k thakiba" to Krishna Daa's in Bihu, all hit different strings of our bond together.

From journeys where I did not have to take any tension of either the bus fare or food (including paan) to days when I took U turns, while returning from Tezpur, when I saw my Yatra 5500 moving towards me and stopping them and them stopping to talk to me without thinking if the passengers would be annoyed, our Love just grows.

Them introducing me proudly to all their colleagues of other buses when I got my new job at Tezpur university to me urging my parents to travel with them late night, we have come a long way............... Busor Baatere! Yatrar kothare!

But little did I know this would be our last photograph together and I would no longer have any gig as his Handyman in Yatra!

Krishna Daa! He left for his heavenly abode on November 02, 2022, and a vacant space has been created that can never be filled.

The first time we met, he fed me Kosu pitika and the last time we met, he fed me Kosu Maas tenga, which he cooked at the ISBT, Guwahati and trust me, those were among the most heart fulfilling meals of my life.

I will always remember what he had said "Mrinmoy, OIL t sakori tu pale muk juta ejur gift diba". He demanded this from his little brother; a wish that could never be fulfilled.

I got so many lessons from you in driving, especially bus, and I shall forever be grateful.

And a dream grows within me; to have a bus plying on the roads of Assam, proudly displaying your name.

Aji busor baatere, Yatrar kothaare aru apunar moromere, Krishna Daa, najanu kole loi jai muk Botaahe.....Botaahe

Hodai axirbaad kori thakibo...aru moi janu j apuni koribo

You'll be watching me

You were my Anbarasan Sir from and of Buses

Adieu Legend on the route!

Journeys and buses won't be the same anymore! But we continue, me on the roads and you watching me from heaven.