The streets of Bengaluru on Tuesday witnessed a mournful procession. However, the procession bid adieu not to people but to buses that were burnt in arson.  

In a bid to raise public awareness on the adverse effects of vandalism, the Karnataka State Transport Corporation (KSRTC) on Tuesday, held a service, under the tagline 'It's My Bus', for buses that were gutted in the garment workers protest, in April.

“While over 150 buses were damaged in the protests, 8 buses were burnt beyond repair. Instead of discarding these buses, we wanted to make use of them to speak out about arson,” says Rajender Kumar Kataria, KSRTC’s Managing Director, to The News Minute. 

The eight buses which were given an artistic makeover, were displayed at the Kempegowda Bus Terminus, where local MLAs, councillors, employees and the general public gathered to take part in the demonstration. The procession was inaugurated by Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy.

“Apart from ferrying an enormous crowd, every bus caters to the livelihoods of around 6 to 7 families,” Kataria says. “The same constitution which tells us to fight for our rights, also states the importance of our duty. It is our duty to save public property from destruction,” Kataria continues.

The procession saw posters ranging from that of the bus shedding tears, to slogans questioning ‘why did you burn me’. “For every bus that was burnt down, a story too charred away along with it,” he says. The canvases on each bus, spoke about its history. Right from the number of tickets it had collected to the number of conductors it has seen, the buses were remembered.

A poster created by KSRTC, part of the 'It's My Bus' campaign

Following a street play on arson, people were then asked to take an oath to remind themselves of their civil duties. The buses will be taken through the city, later in the evening today, after which they will be displayed in several other locations, during the course of this month. 

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