1 Hour of My Life!

To avoid the havoc cabs and cab drivers create (read showing up late, screaming obscenities, ripping like they are in a F1 race), I prefer commuting by my own vehicle to work. It starts early in the morning. I come early to office to beat the morning rush. But, I guess most of the working community thought of this brilliant idea of mine much much much before me. So it basically makes no difference if I leave home by 8.15 am or 9.00 am; I get to face the music anyways. The only thing that changes is the kind of people you would come across at different timings of the morning – parents dropping their kids to school, auto rickshaws and buses fighting their way to reach first is a common sight before 8.30 am. And post 8.30 am, you would come across the general office goers on their vehicles as well the very famous (or should I say infamous) cab drivers dropping the call center employees back from their graveyard shift at work (who by the way are oblivious to anything outside the cab as they are sound asleep!!).

All through the way, I am faced with a number of hurdles (death traps!!). It’s like the whole of Bangalore city is out to get me (and I am not exaggerating). Let me explain:

Pot holes – They pose a serious threat to my vehicle’s very existence! And with the Metro project coming up, they are everywhere.

Barricades – These are placed at all the wrong places. I find many placed right in the middle of a one-way street. Do they serve any purpose at all?? And to top it all, they are found fallen on the roads!!

Garbage dumpers – Found anywhere and everywhere, the dumpsters force me to block my nostrils to reduce the stench hitting my system.

Sidewalks or Pavements – “Un-paved” and often offering a trip-and-fall situation rather than a walking situation, these serve as the official “Roads” for cyclists and two wheelers alike.

Road humps – These are never visible, about 3 metres high (threatening to silence my vehicle’s silencer), pop up when I am least expecting them to.

Animals – Dogs, cats, cow, buffaloes. The Bangalore roads are their “home away from home”.

Jaywalkers – As the “Zebra crossing” is practically non-existent these days, I honestly don’t blame them for their crime.

Processions or Demonstrations – Ours is a democratic country. Constitution is not the only thing which is “of the people, by the people and for the people”. Roads are too!! For processions, mind you.

The roads are used as everything – dumping area, footpath, parking zone, hawker’s stop and of course “Road”!! Despite all these death traps (I guess the name-calling is justified now!), I somehow manage to reach office! With no broken bones (OK, I admit, just once!). Quite a HAPPENING 1 hour of my life, I must say!!

By Hajira Farhin