Friday 30 November 2012

Peace, anyone?

-->

Its 9:38pm and I am walking back home from work on the busy Geetanjali road. Cars, scooters, motorbikes, autos, trucks, tempos zoom past and I am constantly being shoved into walking on the extreme side of the road; almost from the sloping entrance ramp of one house to that of the next. Pedestrians in India are a non-entity in the minds of anyone driving a vehicle; motor or otherwise.
Just like everyday, I’m walking on the road preoccupied with the events of the day in my mind, when suddenly I hear this continuous disturbance in the distance. And it becomes louder by the second. I’m jolted out of my reverie only to hear the very highly annoying horn of yet another car trying to whiz past. Only it is not being able to, because I’m walking on a reasonably pedestrian share of the road.  I end up being forced to take cover between a narrow space between two parked cars, while the honking car passes by, hissing angrily at my delaying presence. Pssst! Make way already!!!
In my own defense, I glare at the driver expecting a matching expression back. There is none. Puzzled, I gaze-follow his silhouette in the dark of the car and instead see a small child sitting in his driving father’s lap, having fun with the various buttons in front of him. The one that makes a sound takes his fancy, and he honks away in glee, unmindful of any egos being ruffled by his seemingly nettlesome conduct. 

Peas anyone?

No comments:

Post a Comment