The dudes of Dehradun

are the coolest. Earrings and mohawks, gothic accessories and easy swaggers- they have them all. Occasionally, some of them can be tiresome. On Saturday, when I was walking down Rajpur Road, a chap in red on a redder motorcycle- with the silencer removed- whizzed up and down thrice. He was still doing it when I turned off into another lane. I was irritated at the assault on my ears, and at having to step into the gutter to let him pass, but sad that he didn’t seem to have anything else to do. But I don’t like any of the brash motorcycling guys in D’dun.
The chaps I like are the bus teams. It might surprise those of you who are used to a bus managed by a crew of one, that in D’dun it takes 4 people to run a bus. There is a driver, a chap who collects the fares, a chap who stands at the door and calls in passengers, and one other whose only task as far as I can judge is to lend his snazzy mobile phone for use as a music system. Most of these guys are stylish and cool in a ‘I like to jingle when I walk’ kind of way.
What is nice is that they are uniformly gallant. They will make sure the women have a seat, or atleast, a comfortable place to stand. They address the women as ‘didi’ or ‘madam’ depending on whether they are inclined to flirt a little or not. And what is truly endearing is their shyness. The most goth-inclined of them will blush to his toes if you say ‘thank you so much’ and smile, and die of embarrassment if you catch his gaze sliding rapidly and furtively over your ankles. This is such a refreshing contrast to the ‘I’m entitled to ogle you because you dare to be out of the kitchen’ attitude in the plains!