The 'pee pressure' in Salasar Darbar

        The bus (Salasar Darbar, I couldn't find its picture) departed from Taranagar, the city where I pursued my Senior Secondary. I had just emptied my bladder, so I wasn't expecting any urine problems until the next city, Sardarshahar. 

        (I forgot to mention. I was going to Pokhran, Jaisalmer, where my sister is posted as a primary teacher in a nearby rural school. Her flatmate had gone home. My bhanja is just 2 yrs old.)

        But I was wrong. Within minutes, I could feel the pressure again building up in my bladder. "I just peed. It's beyond comprehension!" I laughed. My rational mind had already projected, "You can't make it to Sardarshahar, boy. It is at least an hour away. Better to ask the guy to stop the bus for you at the next village or so and release it." Another bunch of neurons jumped in, "Come on, Vinoda, don't fall for such nonsense. You just peed 5 minutes ago. Where is the pressure? No pressure as of now. Enjoy Thar through the window."

        I tried to distract my mind by observing the environment. "Oye, don't you see it's building up? It has built up." "You shut up. He's not gonna die if he doesn't pee until Sardarshahar. Just relax, boy." By this time, I had confessed my 'pressure problem' to the uncle by my side, the extrovert that I am. He hoped the bus might stop at the next village and I could just run, go, and...

        The bus guy heard him and declared, "Not gonna stop until Sardarshahar." The universe was at war with me today. Pressure had really, really ... truly kicked in. THE pressure. I saw the time and distance to Sardarshahar on GPS. Way beyond 30 mins. I googled "holding pee for an hour," and it went something like, ... may develop urinary retention (or something)...bladder muscle problem... and there it went, "...can cause your bladder to BURST." the part that drew my distinct attention. "Now you see, Jyani?" (Much later, I observed that the website actually said, "In RARE cases, it can cause your...")

        I decided to get down as soon as the bus stopped, even for 3 seconds. Otherwise, I would ask (/force) them to stop. But the bus wouldn't stop. 4 villages passed. "So VKJ is losing his bladder today? And probably his life... there aren't good hospitals in the land of Churu."

         The middle-aged friend by my side informed me, "A toll gate". Some hope. The bus slowed down as it approached. Really slowed down. It almost stopped. I found myself heading towards the front gate, "I am going for Peshab. Will be back in seconds," and jumping over the divider, reaching the nearby farm in milliseconds, and aaah! What a relief!

        The bus was waiting for me ahead of the toll plaza. For me? kya baat hai! I ran and joined.

        It just occurred to me, "What if I were a woman at this point of spacetime?" The answer followed. It would have been difficult (nearly impossible) to have such a release in a place without public toilets/washrooms. Forget dhanis & villages, not even in towns and municipalities; even where there are, those aren't functioning. Our beloved (atmanirbhar!) Bharat is just too inhospitable in this regard.

        By the time I was regaining mindfulness, another question had collided, "But wait a minute, when & who normalized men urinating out in the open and not WOMEN?"

_/\_

VKJ)