The common man of Goa v/s the Ironman Triathlon

The Ironman Triathlon came to town, and athletes and sports fans were all about the stamina and endurance testing endeavour. The common man, however, was disgruntled and the bus drivers along the route of the track, clueless and frustrated.

This was the fourth edition of Ironman in Goa, and the selling point was, apart from pushing your body to its limits, a pleasant trip to Goa, land of sun, sea and beaches and chaotic disorganisation.

That this sort of activity would enthuse anyone, is possibly beyond the comprehension of most ordinary people who have more concerning issues to look into in life.

I’m sure this was the thought process of the people who woke up on Sunday, October 27, 2024, to find that the entire main bus route from the main city area of Panjim to had been divided with metal barricades.

The first question that popped into my mind was whether I was going to have to hoof it all the way to Don Bosco’s Fatima Shrine to attend Sunday Mass.

Then out of nowhere, around the Miramar area, careening dangerously past Sonata Apartments, came a shiny Y2 bus. Ignoring anyone who might want to get on, the AC bus pushed forward, rather gingerly, towards Dona Paula.

It is my opinion that with the triathlon happening on the 27th, issuing instructions on the 26th was cutting it a bit too close for comfort.

The policemen sprawled along the pathway seemed to be dazed, lost in their thoughts and quite possibly cursing their job and the sweltering heat. I waded through volunteers distributing boxes as I approached the Miramar Circle.

Thinking it best to avoid the main road, I dove into the interior road heading towards the city.

As luck would have it, there appeared Y1 Kadamba bus. I ran for it thinking all my troubles were resolved. However, unbeknownst to me, the driver did not seem to be aware of the government’s directives released on October 26 regarding the diversions for the duration of the triathlon.

It is my opinion that with the triathlon happening on the 27th, issuing instructions on the 26th was cutting it a bit too close for comfort. There was certainly not enough time for dissemination of the information that could be read as confusing to some because of how many details there were to keep in mind.

All said and done, it did not seem like the Kadamba employees were prepped for any for the diversions, or maybe even driving the new buses.

All said and done, it did not seem like the Kadamba employees were prepped for any for the diversions, or maybe even driving the new buses.

As he attempted to pop back on the main road along , it struck his no-too-bright mind that he could not move on to the correct lane (because of the barricades), neither could he move in the direction of the vehicles going to Miramar.

The bus remained in a limbo of not being able to move forward in any direction because the masterful driver could not turn the bus. Finally, a traffic policeman urged him to reverse the bus by moving back a little bit.

However, once he was back on the internal road, the bus driver wanted all the passengers off the bus because, according to him, the bus was far to large to fit on the Road.

A couple of passengers lost it while trying to explain to him that there would be no problem with the bus moving ahead, but he was adamant in having his own way. I have no idea whether he ever made it to the bus stand. Maybe he’s still stranded somewhere with the bus.

Those of us that transferred to yet another mini Kadamba bus, faced the same conundrum as this driver came to the end of the inner road opening into the main road near Kala Academy.

Those of us that transferred to yet another mini Kadamba bus, faced the same conundrum as this driver came to the end of the inner road opening into the main road near .

After nearly 10 minutes of deliberation, he swung on the road, avoiding traffic coming in his direction and finally made it to the market area.

The assumption was that this confusion would resolve in time. But on my way back to Miramar, early afternoon, I found exasperated commuters in the market who wanted to go to Bambolim hopping on to buses going to the KTC bus stand. None of the buses proceeding to Dona Paula were going to Bambolim.

The Ironman 70.3 Goa triathlon was held on a Sunday because of reduced public presence. However, there were still a number of people out because of work or for leisure purposes.

And while some enjoyed the triathlon and applauded athletic prowess, most of the common folk cursed the inconvenience it had caused them.