I was home…..that’s the feeling I got the moment I landed in Bangalooru airport when I was returning home after a gruelling 1st semester at UWA. I loved the feeling of getting back into my ghetto and comfort zone. I came in contact with the crumbling infra structure of my beloved city when the conveyor belt to transport baggage gave way on my arrival and it was like the final moments of a football world cup final where everybody on my flight were doing their best get to their baggage first. Welcome home chinnu! The first day was spent in total hibernation trying to wipe the jet lag out of my body. The adventure begins now….
India is an absolutely unique country. The uniqueness lies in its languages, cultures and most importantly the food. There is another unique concept that we fellow Indian brothers share unknowingly. That’s the harsh reality that I was struck when I ventured into a taking my car out and take a drive. The sight I saw on the road then shocked me. No! It’s not about the road conditions if your mind wandered in that direction. It is the lawlessness of the drivers who use them that shocked me rather rudely.
I experienced a total deliberate ignorance of the drivers around me to follow the traffic rules. There was a driver driving one of the premium brands of automotive history blatantly standing on the right lane when his insane mind is definitely originating nervous impulses to turn left on the traffic lights. Then I had a student on the ever popular motorbike cramming dangerously between two monster looking buses. To add to the agony was that he had no protective gear on him and had an IPod stuck in is ear. I think he had the Guns n Roses song, “knocking on heaven’s door playing on it”. Yeah mate you will get there rather quickly!
Then I proceeded to the next intersection. Two guys on their two wheelers ahead of me are in my opinion the busiest people alive on this globe. They had to have their meeting on their way home driving their respective vehicles. I then saw a truck approach them in the intersection, but the both of them were ignorant to that harsh fact and proceeded to continue to move and lie on the highway to hell. These guys were willing to risk their lives in order to save 3 seconds of their precious conversation in a rather precarious way.
Then a few minutes past by and I had a dose of the BPO industry's contribution to my city, CABS! These companies have filled our city's roads with cabs of varying shapes and sizes. I had this driver behind me who was in a great hurry ferrying its executives that he was honking away to glory behind me knowing very well I had no place to neither go myself nor have any to spare for him to go. This is what I would call road rage!
We have a sense of pride and accomplishment in the fact that we break rules and cause inconvenience to others around us. I can never understand why we have least concern to other people who like us also have a life and the right to lead it fully and comfortably. I have heard people who gallantly announce the ways and tricks they used to waylay the law which we all as law abiding citizens of the world’s largest democracy that we should follow sacredly. What surprises me most is that the educated elite do not seem to care an aorta bit. Another surprising reality is that the government and law enforcement department vehicles are the biggest law breakers. It was the car of a high court judge of the court that bravely skipped the red light in front of me!
In my opinion it is not about illiteracy that is a stumble block to my country’s development, but is the urban public apathy in its unilateral decision not to follow the rules laid out.
All said and done it is home sweet home. Let us hope we change our ways to help us and others lead a better and organised life in the future. I am keeping my fingers crossed.
hey auto….jayanagar bartira? The adventure continues………………………………..thud! Oh pothole…….
