bang-'traffic'-galore

Until recently, when eva I met up with a gang of friends, they always had one topic in common to speak and on which I could not just manage to render my 'insightful' thoughts![Tongue out] And, the topic is, none other than, the most happening, “Namma Bengaluru traffic”, of course!! Applause... Applause...Applause...

Let me make a confession! I am and have always been bad wit the roads and directions. And hence, I seldom could eva contribute to the discussion. But their inputs would always suffice and be enough to flummox and perplex my small little brain(which is confused by default)!! I would mix up electronic city and ITPL as if they were neighboring parks (which I learnt lately that both are located at two extreme ends of the city). My friend had to draw the Bangalore map for me and had to take the pains to explain where is where for she was used to travelling on the dreaded roads of Bengaluru and was quite used to the traffic chaos and everything else related. During such talks like the ones i mentioned at the start, my witty friends would come up wit some innovative and cranky ideas(Software engineers that they are) of how they could make the best of their travel time!! (That can actually be yet another post!!). He he...

Now, having said this, I must say, I was rather lucky, only until the last month though, not to have experienced the harshness of 'namma bengaluru traffic' for my earlier places of work and college were jus about a few kms from home and the roads were absolutely free from traffic! I had to take no pains to travel. I moved to bangalore for my graduation and have been here since then. But yet, no sagas for me, clearly. I would come home every afternoon to savor the piping hot delicious delicacies that mamma would prepare, have a short nap and then head back to work!! Can u believe it?Best times! But God could not bestow more mercy and comforts on me. I am sure he was jealous too as the rest of the others! I changed my job and hence came to the streets..well.. grr.. I mean, streets of Bengaluru[Wink] I did not have much choice pertaining to the travel. And adding to that, I had to state my where abouts as C/o BMTC for 2 hours in the morning and 2 hours in the evening! After the first day’s experience that was so exhausting and zapping (I wasn’t much used to such extensive travelling), I had given a serious thought on giving up on my job and starting something on my own (LOL!!). My company has its own policies which defines the city limits. Cab facility is provided if only the office is outside the city limits. But I live out of the city(if I had to go according to their rule) and to me, any place is beyond the city limits! U can guess, I was literally fuming that day! I wanted to go on a Dharna! Yet again, had not much choice and I screamed at my mind to shut up!!The best way I thought was to enjoy the travel (no choice again!). The creepy ideas that my friends were giving the other day recapped in my mind but couldn’t actually make much of it for I am not facilitated with a cab to commute. Hmmm… sad that it is, I resort to either my novel that I always carry in my bag or rely on my Motorola L9 for its radio services ( That’s when I decided must buy an iPOD touch… That’s on its way!! Tan tana.. I am actually way too excited about it). Being a sleepy head that I am, these have till date helped me go to sleep(Well,I look around hopefully for a seat to sit in the bus, else I'll have to manage to catch one by some quick reflexive actions being very agile and alert. You literally have to fight your senses out to grab one, you know!) Whoa... My my my… As I say this I recollect the below thing that I heard from someone:

Q: How far is a place from here (If it is 100 meters)?
A: Five minutes by walk, half an hour by car [Wink]

Let’s get to the topic of discussion, ‘Namma Bengaluru Traffic’! A headache. A pain in the * you know where! A problem. Now this problem is because the city has exploded sporadically and at a threatening pace in the last few years. It has grown too quickly and the infrastructure is not upgraded to accommodate this growth. This is compounded by the lack of discipline of the commuters. Almost no one follows the traffic rules!!!(After all, rules are meant to be broken!). Most drivers/riders in Bangalore do not have a sense of traffic. Absolutely no discipline. They do not give a damn about others. They think they are the rulers and hence ‘The King’ of the road. They are also highly impatient and arrogant with a huge ego on their cuffs and collars. Look at all the drivers talking on the mobile, honking the horn, beating the traffic lights, cursing the other motorists, avoiding pot holes, ........... all at the same time.

Why are people like this?(Ha ha.. most certainly, that is how they are. N after all it’s their wish n their will! Isn’t it?). I do not have an answer. But maybe it is because you can get a license in India very easily. In most places you do not have to write the mandatory written test or do the practical test. For a small bribe you can get a license even without being in the country! The problem is you can not get a license even if you pass both the tests without the bribe. People always choose the easier way and as a result never know or bother about the traffic rules.

As I stay a gaper on the road, there are somethings that irks and irritate me a lot that i must mention:

I hate..
The honking horns!! It seriously deafens ur ears.

People who p** and p*** by the road side. They just consider every wall they come across to be their toilets. Public, indeed it is. Yuk! Wonder if they have a gene that exhibits a bit of shame. It’s only dogs and Men (a few though. Remember, I haven’t said, gentlemen!Note for men reading this: If you are a gentleman, you don need to react to this. Jus cool it!) who dare do that. And, waise bhi, it happens only in india!!

People who spit n spew on the roads as if it is their proprietary right! N come on, what about the hygiene. Damn that!

The autos that aren’t regulated or have got an emission test certificate. It pollutes the air so much. But who cares?

The erratic lorry drivers and bike riders. I just wish they have their sensible senses with them when they are on the road.

Some irresponsible traffic police who stand in the middle of the road only to add to the chaos and make money. They are promptly on every nook and corner of the city, as the calender nears end of the month. Absolutely no sense of duty. Irksome!

The petty fights and clashes among the fellow motorists. And god help the language that they use. The vulgarisation and banalisation of language is no longer a question of purity, but rather how it relates to our attitude to society at large. It is painful to see the ritual abomination of the language, particularly the slang and obscene words! No road rage is complete without the dazzling fireworks lit up by bristling repletives. Can we have a language police too, please?

The way the autowallas behave and demand excess money. I literally can’t stand this injustice. I stand upto fight and never pay a rupee more! Doesn’t make sense. Does it? Especially considering their huge ego that speaks.

Can you beat that list??? He he he… [Wink]

But I must tell u that I love something too. Traveling in Vayu Vajra, the comfortable, air-conditioned, Volvo airport shuttle service! Trust me, its real fun and joy for me. The interiors and the large transparent windows give a very royal feel. Never the less, the ergnomics could have been better! I being a RED person, needless to say I love the color of Vayu Vajra. And ours truly transport minister, Mr. R Ashok has been kind enough in making the fares nominal. Oh well, you should have seen the excitement on people’s faces when the ticket fare was just a Rupee for four days to woo those commuting around the city on two-and four-wheelers. This, the authorities hope, may convert a lot of travellers into BMTC commuters. LOL! The rush, the gleaming faces!Ah-huh, it was worth seeing. I remember a commuter who was getting down from Vajra announcing to the fellow commuters who were waiting for the bus in the stop(in that period of four days), “Hathkolli saar! Ellindha ellige hodhru ondhe rupayee. Ee bus ellige hogattho alli thanaka hogi. Aamele bere bus thogolli. Naalene lastu offeru!(Hop on sir! It’s just a rupee, no matter how far you wanna travel. Jus take this bus and go until the nearest stop. Take another bus from there. The offer lasts tomorrow!)”. Not only this, the minister has come up with more interesting offers (Check out the news papers for this!!). Watch out and have fun!

Last but not the least, happy journey![wink]