Driving a bus in reverse gear for almost 8 km. That too with a wild tusker charging towards the bus. Ambujakshan, the driver of a private bus ‘Cheenikkas’ on the Chalakudy-Malakkappara route, became an instant hero on social media after some passengers posted a video of his adventurous drive.
“I thought only about the safety of passengers in my bus,” he recalls. Though he has been driving on the route for almost three decades, this was the first such experience for him.
The elephant, named Kabali by forest officials, frequents the route, but has been creating trouble for passengers for the past few weeks. It attacked a forest officials’ jeep a few days ago and a power station at Ambalappara. It is suspected that the elephant is in musth.
“The elephant appeared in front of the bus around 9 a.m. There were around 30 passengers in the bus. They panicked when they saw the charging elephant. As it was a narrow road with lots of curves, I was left with no option but to put the vehicle on reverse. The road was familiar to me. I have been running trips on the route for 28 years,” said Ambujakshan.
Kabali ran towards the bus for almost 8 km from Ambalappara to Anakkayam. The passengers heaved a sigh of relief when it turned to the forest at Anakkayam. There were only a few vehicles on the route.
As the video went viral, many people are calling Ambujakshan to congratulate him. Hailing from Vettilappara, his family is in Erode.
