A few days ago one of my foreign friends was in India – to be precise, was in my home town. When we were going for a drive in my car. We reached a place where there were hardly any people except a few cows either sleeping on the road or fighting with each other. So I asked my friend whether she would like to enjoy the experience of driving in India. Her reply flaberghasted me. She said that to become a driver in India, she felt that he or she should have at least four eyes. He should also be a psychologist because he should know to read the mind of the person driving in front or behind him. One may not know when he may suddenly stop his vehicle or think of overtaking him. No signals are given. Various lights in the car are there only for decoration as very few people use it. That is why A.C Car owner writes in bold letters, no hand signals! He should also look to his left side manyatimes the vehicles overtake from the left side. The rikshaws have their own law. The rikshaw drivers think that as license holders to drive, they can drive as they pleased and if anyone had the ‘guts’ to question them, the fellow autorikshaw drivers would swarm on him like caterpillars swarm on a field. She said that parking was always a great problem abroad whereas here it never was a problem at all because one could park the vehicle almost in the middle of the road, if he has clout with the police. The parking of cars is done so close to each other that there is hardly any spece for the driver of the car to open the door of his car to enter it. People walk on the road so casually and it is the driver who is told “driver beware? You are on the road and you are there because the people have allowed you to bring your car on the raad.†So when an accident takes place because the victim was either sleeping on the road or walking carelessly expecting the car to find it’s way, the driver of the car is made to face criminal charge of negligence and sometimes he is even beaten for the “crime†of getting the car on the road! There are no footpaths since footpaths are part of the roads. If there are footpaths in crowded areas, they are used by hawkers and If they are in the interior, then they are used as toilets by the people. So she declined very graciously as she said that she would like to go back to her country in one “piece!!!†She did add that driving was her hobby and hence she had criss-crossed Europe with me on road whenever I visited Europe. I understood her and her feelings and I did not insist.
I wondered why one should get this kind of impression of our drivers. I think the fault lies in our training given at the time of taking driving lessons. I remember what my driving teacher had said while teaching me. He said †Don’t look this side or that side. You simply drive. Others will find their way.†This appears to be the root cause of the chaos on the roads of india. I am quite certain that driving is still a pleasure with all those adventures.
What do you say. Is driving a pleasure or nightmare? Whatever be your comments, they are most welcome.