As I came out of my office on that nice calm Friday evening, preparing myself for the journey back home even the thought of which has become gruesome due to the past experiences of traffic jams, pollution and what not, a bike rider came from behind, honking his billion decibels of horn continuously as if his ability to breathe and all the good things in his entire life depended upon it. May the almighty, if S/He is still concerned with what happens to and of the People of the Earth, bless the rider’s soul if that indeed is the case. But if he was honking just for the fun of it - “Ah…. let me try pressing this small button as I ride this two-wheeler, which if driven at the right speed would make me look like a macho man and turn me into a chick magnet. Oooohhh, it produces sound! Orgasm. Orgasm. I definitely need to do this again and again.” - I do have a serious issue with this.
We - and by we, I mean the automobile traffic of India - live by the philosophy of ‘Horn OK please’ - “Haan ji, Horn? Horn to ok hai ji. Please bajao. Radio Mirchi ke jaise bajatey raho.”
The button has been fitted into your automobile for a divine purpose. It certainly is not a toy and you are not a kid.
Horn is NOT OK, please.
You are not supposed to press that ever alluring button if
- you are waiting on a red light with 3 other cars in front of you
- you are stuck in a traffic jam and hence have taken a detour to the pedestrian lane (if it exists there) or to a footpath
- you think it is a substitute for brakes
- you think your vehicle would become invisible to all for all the time you are blowing the horn and hence impart upon you the magical ability to drive through people/ other (possibly invisible) vehicles
- not blowing it won’t kill you
- it is not required.
Here I would also like to compare the traffic sense in India with that in the western countries, particularly Europe. People there have an amazing traffic sense. In the whole duration that I have lived there, the only time I remember a vehicle honking was in Scotland once where I was sitting, with some of my friends, on a footpath adjacent to an almost empty road, with our feet firmly planted ON the road. I agree that most of those countries are in a better position than us in terms of the quality of roads due to their ability to invest more resources in this sector. But developing a good traffic sense is something that is completely independent of how good your roads are. Having a good traffic sense means you respect the ears of fellow travelers and do not unnecessarily subject them to the torturous useless sound of your horn.
Is our society not based upon a mutual respect for all religions, languages, castes, colour etc. etc. Then why not have the decency to respect your fellow commuters?
Sitting inside a car, or sitting on a bike and waiting for the red light to turn into green is something that requires patience. But blowing that useless horn is not going to tweak the workings of the traffic lights and make it turn green faster.
Talking about traffic sense, the real respect one has for fellow citizens shows when on a small road, a car driver stops a car to let another human cross the road as happens frequently in western cities - big or small - and when the pedestrian who crossed the road raises his palm and conveys his thanks through a nice warm bright smile
Waiting eagerly for the good India to happen where the pleasure of driving on a road is limited only by your own limits of experiencing pleasure.
Leaving you with this great song: Imagine by John Lennon