It's interesting to see how people make use of the time they spend on public transport in Indian cities like Delhi and Mumbai. In crowded buses and trains people manage to take a short nap and some even reach the snoring stage. Or they spread out a newspaper over multiple knees and arms to read about the latest sport results or political crisis. Then there are the experienced travellers who have been playing cards with the same group over the last decade or so. They even have their specific seats so well-worn that you can make out the shape of their backsides. There is no doubt about it. Travelling by public transport is being in the thick of the seasons of life -- a sweaty life in summer where people, blissfully unaware of the rivers of sweat running down their brows and inside their clothes. At the first smell of a perfumed man or woman boarding the stuffy bus or train, most people feel they are reborn. During the rains you can't avoid getting wet or muddied. The windows, almost always, are not a perfect fit and if you're not drenched by a sudden, heavy rain shower then you are bound to catch a jet spray of muddy water caused by a fellow motorist driving fast through a puddle. Rains are a perfect time for people to switch their old umbrellas for new ones. Since there are so many that look alike, it's impossible to tell whose is whose. Winter is the time when it feels good -- or at least warm -- to be part of a crowd. It is amazing how much the collective breaths of a 100 or so people can raise the freezing temperature inside. Looking at the masses dressed in their bright red pullovers or green coats, it's fun to imagine what faces lie beneath their dark woolen hats. The cold winter passes, making way for spring. It is impossible not to see every little flower by the wayside blooming proudly. And the warm sun manages to transmit some of their pleasantness to the inside of a bus or train. Now, wouldn't it be perfect if we had a public transport worth the name in all our cities? On Indian public transport, you can always expect to see people   _  .
sleeping and reading newspapers arguing and playing games enjoying the view and playing cards carrying umbrellas and whispering politely