Mar 31, 2007 01:23 PM
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Frequently, I get to see some people who are traveling in vehicles which could be two-wheelers, three-wheeler autos or goods carrying vehicles, four wheeler family cars or cabs, six wheeler canters, tempos or other goods carrying vehicles, on already crowded roads.
The most peculiar thing to note about such vehicles is that these are all carrying more than the solicited number of people in case of the vehicle being a passenger vehicle and carrying large number of passengers in case of the goods carrying vehicle.
Sometimes, there are people hanging out clasping whatever they can to ensure they do not fall down. The travelers are of all age groups and often the children traveling are the ones that suffer the most.
Especially, when the vehicle is a two wheeler, there is a child in the front of the man who is riding the vehicle and then there is a child sitting with legs on either side of the vehicle, squeezed between the man and the lady who is sitting with both her legs on one side of the vehicle, behind this child, who is by now gasping for breath, and this lady is holding a smaller child in her lap, with her one hand held across the chest of the child in lap and the other hand groping to find something to hold on to, which more often than not is the waist of the man riding the two wheeler.
The scene becomes spine chilling when the child in the lap of the lady slips down, when the man is negotiating the many pot-holes and is not particularly good at handling one of those. The lady then fiercely grasps the hand of the slipping child and swings him back to her lap and then with the other hand resumes groping for the man's waist. The man is by now struggling to get clear view of the pot-holes from over the hair on the head of the child in front of him, some of which is also poking into his nose and now he has to deal with the pot-holes, the hair in the nose that is making him sneeze and the lady’s tickling, every time she gropes for his waist. Suddenly the mobile rings.
This is a call he just cannot ignore. It is from his wife. Now he is talking on the mobile as well.
Now, why would someone spend Rs. 100+ and go to watch Casino Royale at a multiplex, to watch the antics of 007, when we have Bonds plying on our roads, right in front of us, who will put the best of the best stunt men to shame when they begin to display their multi-task abilities.
These people get away from being stopped by the traffic police despite them breaking every possible traffic rule. Why don’t the traffic police curb such blatant out rage of law and order?
During the season of visits to SabariMalaya, there are pilgrims who are covering their vehicles with an array of colorful flowers and have the vehicle’s wind screens smeared with ash, lime or paint, blocking critical driving views. Then they are also carrying oil lamps, incense sticks, etc.
Most of these vehicles are tempo-travelers, Sumos, Qualis, etc., but are over crowded with more people than the vehicle is allowed to carry. In the respect of their faith and dignity for their pilgrimage, they are throwing, fundamental safety measures and responsible security ethics, to the wind.Then there are commuters on local buses, who would have waited for several minutes at the bus-stand for a bus but when the bus arrived it was full and then they care a damn about everything else and just start over-crowding the bus.
The conductor and the driver also care two hoots, probably because they are as helpless as the people cramming the bus. And how many of these drivers/conductors would be having the opportunity to read articles such as this one, that could make a difference to them?
At the airport / railway station / bus – stand, one can see innumerable autos and cabs, whose drivers are lynching on customers, pestering them to get a chunky fare. While doing that they are not bothered about the image of this city, of this country. This act of them waiting endlessly to cheat passengers is depriving them of passengers on the streets, elsewhere, who are waiting for empty autos that they can hire.
At the airport, when one goes to receive / drop their kith and kin, the parking lots are full with only cabs that are waiting their turn for passengers.Why does the concerned authority allow more than the required number of such vehicles to be parked at such locations? Don't the parked vehicles need to pay the hefty parking charges? On hourly basis? Or maybe there is some understanding there also, which allows them to get away with paying the charges.
The people that are the most ignorant / arrogant on the roads are the pedestrians. They cannot differentiate between the colors red and green. They do not realize that they are not having wheels under them to be moving on the road instead of walking on the pavements. They know that if they are knocked down by a vehicle then it is always the fault of the driver of the vehicle and that they can get away scot free. They are hard of hearing and will never respond to the blowing of the horn because they cannot hear.
Their know that nobody fines/penalizes them for their follies. There is no governing of their mistakes whatsoever. I think of all this and then see if I can place myself in any of these or many other similar circumstances. Then I question myself is this is what I want to be for my country? I need to mend my ways.
I start right now to be what I would be if my country were the best of the best nations.
Can you?
Why wait for some day, one day?
Hum Honge Kamyab, Hum Honge Kamyab.right now.right now, Man main hai vishwas, pura hain vishwas, Hum Honge Kamyab, right now.
