Jul 25, 2003 06:38 PM
1217 Views
(Updated Jul 25, 2003 07:18 PM)
Oh to be in India! And to be driving on Indian Roads!!
I once read somewhere about driving in India. It said that many an Atheist have come to India and after having driven on the roads here, they have returned as believers of God. So can you see what miracles our Indian traffic can bring about? I wonder how long they were on the Indian roads!!
Cities are always crowded. First let us look at the traffic in the villages of India. Many of the remote villages do not have air or even train services, the only access being by road. And Indian traffic in these villages has its own unique attributes. It is amusing to experience the traffic out there. There will be pedestrians, animals, two wheelers and four wheelers all going at more or less the same speed. In this chaos, very few accidents take place as everybody has learnt the art of self-survival. The traffic is slow because of the endless number of potholes. The smaller the vehicle, the more defensive is the driving as it is assumed that the smaller vehicle or rather the driver and his passengers will be hurt more than the bigger vehicle. The drivers of the more expensive vehicles are also extra defensive as the local rule is that the expensive vehicle has to pay the driver of the less expensive vehicle in case of an accident irrespective of whose fault it is. These are the unbelievable rules in some of the villages. So beware when you decide to go on adventure trips to any of the villages. Find out the rules first.
Now let me get back to Goa, the place I am from. The traffic has increased to such an extent now that its pretty difficult driving around town. Road have no lanes. You have to keep to the left of the road but as the traffic swells in one direction you end up on the right of the road without realizing it. Around seven years back when I got married in Bombay I thought it was a mad place after I saw the traffic congestion everywhere. But now seven years later when I see the traffic in Goa, it is the same mad place and Bombay is worse than it was those many years back. But I would prefer the traffic in Goa anytime. Whilst in Bombay, my brother-in-law was keen to show me around, and that too on his motorbike. So we were all set early morning. My sister-in-law warned me that I better were trousers so that I could be seated comfortably and to hold on either to the bike or my bro-in-law at all times. She warned me right. The traffic was a mad rush. The motor bikes and auto rickshaws were honking continuously, harrying their way through pedestrians, riding on the wrong side of the road and dodging their way through the oncoming traffic. I can’t say I enjoyed the ride, but I sure made a vow never ever to ride on a motorbike in Bombay! When the BEST buses are in sight, it’s like they are going to swallow you up. It is a standing joke in our house, that if you can drive around in Indian crowded cities, then you should be able to drive around anywhere in the world. In Goa, I have my own two-wheeler, which I am comfortable driving around town, but in Bombay no way!!! May be because I know the roads well in Goa. I can’t say.
Please don’t let me say anything about the trains in Bombay. I am always pushed in and out of trains and more often than not at the wrong stations and have ended up stranded at the stations. I still can’t find my way around Bombay, as I don’t live there much of the time.
I have had the opportunity of visiting Delhi. The roads in New Delhi are also very busy. There are millions of vehicles, which include buses, trucks, motor scooters and bicycles plying on these roads. Very often you will also see an elephant or a buffalo cart on these busy roads. And what a congestion it is at times.
India has seen a rapid growth in vehicles along with the increase in population and urban mobilization, which has resulted in high traffic volumes. This in turn has resulted in the occurrence of more number of road accidents. The traffic polices are very often striving to achieve safety on the roads. But that can be achieved only with the cooperation and goodwill on the part of public at large. So we all can help to keep each other safe on the roads.
