Long back, when I was studying in Class 2, Pa was posted as DC in a small place called Jhabua. It could hardly be called a town & was inhabited by the poison arrowed Bhil tribe. We often went visiting friends & preferred to walk since the houses were not too far off from each other. One evening, Mom, my nanny & I were returning after a particular visit at dusk.
I was skipping ahead followed by them at a slower pace. In India, for a vehicle, the right side is the wrong side & the left side is the right side. On foot, its vice versa since U can see & avoid any vehicle coming from up front. So, we were on the right side.
Suddenly, I heard Mom yelling & turned to see that 2 young fellows on a cycle had hit her & they had fallen on the ground. What happened next is irrelevant to the review so I’ll skip the details; but the fact remains, those fellows were on the wrong side of the road & not watching where they are going.
Fast forward to Class 4, Gwalior- I had a wonderful dog, Rocky who loved me like anything & would wake me every morning, get my uniform, shoes & bag, walk me to the school bus & await my return daily. One day, on my return, as I was about to enter the house, I heard a terrifying yelp. It was Rocky! We never leashed him & he knew all the street manners so we were never worried. I ran to the gate & saw him at the road side with half his intestine out of his mouth. A truck ran over him. Again I’ll spare U the details.
Pa is the most cautious & slow driver I have ever known. We were back in Gwalior & I was in Class 8. Every year, an international fair is held there & goes on for almost a month. Pa, Mama & I were returning from the fare with Pa driving. We had reached our house & Pa had slowed down to turn into the gate. All of a sudden, a policeman on a bike raced blindly & hit the headlight, skidded & fell. A tempo coming from ahead drove over his legs, panicked & backed over him again & again & again- 4 times. He survived but his legs didn’t.
Class 11, Delhi- My friend, Annie often picked me up from school on her cousin’s bike. I’d change into jeans in the school & we would go for a ride. That unfortunate day, we were heading towards Daula Kuan when she told me to indicate towards the left since the indicators were not working. I waved towards the left but she started turning towards the right.
A scooter carrying a family of 3 hit us from behind & we fell. They had been at such a speed that they skidded quite a long distance before falling but fortunately didn’t get hurt. I checked myself & found just a few scratches; my head being safe since Annie hated wearing a helmet & I was wearing it instead. I got up & ran to Annie who had blacked out. She had deep cuts in her head & hands. Our mistake here, a case of communication gap.
Delhi again- I was walking along the road towards Connaught Place with a few friends. We were out on a shopping spree when a DTC bus stopped a little ahead of us. It was packed & we could see a young girl (almost our age) struggling to get out. Without a warning, the bus started again, she got a shove from behind & she was jerked off the bus. Next instant, she was on the road, head split open & her brain visible. It was terribly gross & ever since that day, I have a phobia for buses. I will walk but never get into a bus, especially not a DTC bus.
College days, Bhopal- Pa had gone out of station to fetch the Zen he had booked a few months ago. In our community, there is a superstition which says that members of the same family should never leave the same house in opposite directions on the same day. Knowingly, my brother refused to heed it saying that whatever happened would happen to him. He left on his Shogun for a nearby village to meet a friend. He must have hardly gone about 150 kms when a drunken truck driver hit his bike while he jumped off. His bike was beyond repair & so was his leg which twisted at a painful angle. Till today, he walks with a limp cos inspite of 2 operations, his right leg is shorter than his left leg.
At work, Gwalior- Posted in the market area, I had to ride my Kinetic along the crampy small roads which adjusted trucks, cars, tempos, autos, rickshaws, cycles, tongas (pulled by horses) as well as people on foot. I do not know how I survived those years but riding was a terrible ordeal. It may seem funny to the readers but it wasn’t funny to have a horse sniffing my hair, almost chomping them off or whispering his love for me in my ears. Sometimes, the saliva would fall on my clean clothes (yikessss!) but there was nothing I could do about it. It was scary!
On my way, Sukhi Sevania- This is a rural area near Bhopal where I was posted & I would travel to & fro daily on my Kinetic. I pride myself that I am a careful & safe driver though at times I tend to go fast (only when the road is clear). That day, I was going pretty slow & the traffic was heavy in the old city area (as most old city areas are). Out of nowhere, a small kid of about 5-6 yrs came running in front of me. I applied the brakes, but bad luck to me, there was sand left by some construction people & I fell hard. It hurt.
Though personally, I have never faced any bad accident (touch wood), the traffic still is unforgivably awful. Daily there are road accidents by the dozen & growing even. These days, I usually travel to office (again in a village) by the highway & the number of animals- dogs, cows, buffaloes- run over & left to die is simply countless. It’s a pathetic situation, one which each person can improve but then no one wants to make an effort to start. Even if anyone does start, good manners are not as easy to follow as bad ways are. Life seems so cheap now-a-days especially when it is other people’s lives.
Pa always advices me that ’When U are involved in an accident, it will usually not be Ur fault. U may be a safe driver but others are not. So, U have to remain alert not only for Urself, but also on behalf of others. So, keep Ur eyes, ears, mind & senses open.’ I follow this advice religiously, though not enough for him.
Traffic policemen often seem useless, sitting or standing there in the centre of the road waving their arms around. Most may even seem not to be doing their duty. I always thought so too until I evidenced an incident which made me change my mind. A few weeks ago, I was going to a store to make some purchases for Mama in the car. About a km from our house is a T-lane which I pass by daily without much problem. That evening, the traffic seemed too heavy & everyone was honking & trying to make out what was wrong. There were more than 10 cars ahead of us (ignoring the other smaller vehicles) & also a huge truck. It seemed as if it was the truck which was blocking the entire road. We must have stood there for at least 20 minutes before we got close enough for me to gauge the real situation. It was hilarious....
You need to go to comments section to find out what.... ;0)