My early morning walks

This is about my commute to work during the 2 years when I worked as a production engineer at Widia, Bangalore. I worked earlier in the regular business hours and later moved to production department where I worked in weekly shifts of either 6AM-2PM(first shift) or 2PM-10PM(second shift). First shift commute was always a challenge because I lived 20 miles away and the nearest pickup point for my company bus was about 3 miles away.
I used to walk few days or my dad dropped me on his scooter. The last option or backup was traveling by my motor cycle. The bus would arrive at my pickup point around 4:55-5:00 and there was no waiting for any employee. If I missed the bus, the only option was to hitchhike a ride in another company's bus up to the point where I can get public transport or our own company bus in the different route.

On the days I walked to the stop, I would be up by 3:45 AM and leave home around 4:15 to start walking. The roads were empty, sparingly lit. The only company I had during those hours - milk supply guys distributing the milk in the local area and stray dogs! . Some of you might not know, stray dogs are rampant in Bangalore. Step in to any area, you will find scores of dogs on the roadside. Some how in the early hours, these dogs don't like people walking on the roads and bark or sometimes attack people. So while walking 3 miles, I had to be watchful in the 4-5 points where there was major concentration of dogs. May be the dogs are also scared of strangers at that hour. It all used to start with one alert dog blowing the whistle. Rest of the team would gradually join in the barking spirit and the enterprising ones would dare to get up and approach me. Even though we had 2 dogs at home, I am some how scared of stray dogs even to this day. So I would offer all the prayers, lift my 2 hands up and get ready for any onslaught. I knew I should not run to invite more trouble, I simply slowed down or stopped for a brief while and then proceed. But those tense moments would later result in self reflection and I used to think is this job that worth at all? I was not the one who quits for such things, I would dismiss these thoughts and go on with the life.
The other risk of walking at that hour was getting mugged or robbed. At that time Koramangala was a quiet and upcoming suburb and had a fewer population, so walking at early hours was considered risky. So while walking I had to keep an eye on any approaching vehicle(s). Fortunately nothing untoward incident happened except once when a car followed me briefly for about 10 mins.
I was lucky to have a coworker live near by. When our shifts matched, the bus would come very close to my place about less than a mile. That's because he belonged to a different department that worked round the clock and he had bargained long enough to get this transport deal.

Thanks to all those tough days, today I have no problem or no complaints in getting up early. One thing remains that stray dog issue in Bangalore is still not completley resolved. Bangalore dogs still rule the early hours and late nights. Some interim solutions were in force, however a majority of the suggestions are turned down in the name of animal cruelty.