A blog of my feelings…ranging from commenting about other's blogs to commenting about stuff which happens in life and from posting mails which I like, to ranting on stuff.

I have been having an amazing experience while coming to the office in my cab. As can be generalized, all my previous cab drivers were scumbags. Trying to squeeze their cab into a place which would be tough for even a two-wheeler… (okay, am exaggerating.. but you know what I mean) . This particular driver, who was assigned our route is completely opposite to the other cabbies.

He is more CONSIDERATE! Yeah, that is the word.. considerate. He considers people, dogs, cats, squirrels, other vehicles and also the people inside his cab, their schedules, their timings etc. It is a pity that he is assigned only the night shift and only a pick-up to office during the day shift, but this kind of driving is really to be praised.

Just a few points that I observed and I feel I have to mention here:

No honking et all: Not even necessary honking.. forget unnecessary honking. The realization that no matter how much you honk, if the traffic in front of you is not moving, you cannot move. And also, the realization that no matter you honk or not, you will move in your own pace and cannot fly on the streets of Bangalore.

Go and let go: Go when you have space on the roads.. go fast.. but not rash, let others go if they want to go fast and you realize that you are obstructing their path

Consider every other being while driving: Today morning, There was this person lifting some 12 Nandini milk crates and trying to cross the road. There were 3 BMTC buses coming, none of them cared to stop and let this person cross the road. There was a Govt. of Karnataka car which had a minister sitting inside (I recognized the minister, but I dont want to mention his name) and the driver narrowly avoided bumping into this man. There were people driving their kids to school, there were school vans filled to the brim with school kids and none of them stopped, or even paused to let this guy go. Our cab driver, Manjunath, did not bother about the traffic behind him, he stopped, asked this guy to cross the road and then, we came to the office. This is just an example. The same attitude was displayed towards a very old man driving a scooty near Forum Mall, and a small kid crossing the street at Adugodi.

These small minute acts are very much needed in life. I am fortunate to have the experience of interacting with some such people in life. This cab driver is the third driver who is so considerate, the other two being in Mysore.

I am actually wondering something…. Almost daily, I come across some “educated” and “well settled” folks fighting with each other over some accident and all of them being in their own rush hours without having the time to enjoy their surroundings, but not realizing that whatever they do, they would reach their destination at the time that they usually reach. Even if the roads are free or they are choc-a-bloc with traffic. If they are destined to go to some place at some time, that is what they do. If that is the case, why hurry?

These folks would be in mid-management or senior management positions having sedans and SUVs and would be competing with cab drivers and BMTC bus drivers over the ownership of the road and over who is going to reach the destination faster. What they miss out is that no matter what they do, it is the same time and it is not only their own lives but also the lives of the passers by and their families that would be in danger. Instead of rushing at the last moment, what major loss would happen if they leave the house about 15 minutes earlier? I am sure that every 5 minutes makes a lot of difference, esp. in namma Bengaluru Traffic. If they leave their houses 15 minutes earlier, they have ample time to enjoy their surroundings as well as reach office in a tension free way.

Life is a similar journey.. all are traveling. If you hurry towards the goal, you would miss on all the beautiful things in life. So, better relax and let things happen at their own pace. At the end of it, everyone reaches the same destination…. Ain’t it?

Have a goal, work towards it and make it a reality, but at the same time, do not lose out on life’s small pleasures and offerings.

A young woman several months pregnant boarded a bus.

She noticed a young man smiling at her. She began feeling humiliated on account of her condition.

She changed her seat and he seemed more amused. She moved again and then on her third move he burst out laughing………………She had him arrested.

When the case came before the court, the young man was asked why he acted in such a manner. His reply was: When the lady boarded the bus I couldn’t help noticing she was pregnant. She first sat under an advertisement, which read:

‘Coming Soon: The Gold Dust Twins’.

I was even more amused when she changed her seat and went to sit under a shaving advertisement, which read: ‘William’s Stick Did The Trick’.

Then I could not control myself any longer when on the third move she sat under an advertisement, which read: ‘Dunlop Rubber would have prevented this accident.’

The case was dismissed………!!!

I have been recollecting this joke everyday, after the following incident.

Last thursday, it was raining incessantly in Namma Bengaluru, and with rain, all Bangaloreans know that there are the following to follow:

1. Traffic Jams
2. Good roads will spring up pot holes
3. Low lying areas getting submerged
4. Streets / Underpasses would have water stagnation
5. Cars/Two wheelers getting stuck in the slush
6. Adventurists – caring a damn for lives of their own / their family / passers by

What made me write this blogpost was an incident that occurred last thursday, when I was hurrying back home to beat the “long weekend” traffic chaos at Majestic. As usual, it was raining at that time.

Why is the rain an usual thing? Coz in Bengaluru, it always rains to indicate that we better lift our parked asses and start home bound – i.e., exactly between 530 PM and 7PM. Do you blame Mr. Murphy or do you thank him, it is your choice!

Coming back, the rain was as usually doing its chores and in order to help it with its duties, our BBMP too had dug out a lot of roads, and had left them half-closed. Our BBMP gives contracts only to those people who are so efficient to keep asphalting the roads once every 6 months, not coz the contract is a renewing thing, but coz the quality of the asphalted roads are such that even with a minor downpour of the rains, potholes – thousands of them, spring up. The BWSSB just wants to add to the woes of the poor commuter and has laid out the drainage pipes / manholes in such a condition that the poor commuter, not only gets drenched from up above (coz of the rains) but also from the sides (courtesy – passing vehicles) and from below too (courtesy – overflowing drains, springing fountains at times!!!)

I was in my office cab, thankfully, and near Majestic, I get to see this. I would try to explain this sight to my level best. Please try and imagine the same.

All those people who might have travelled towards Rajajinagar and the Old Railway Station (Okalipuram) know the existance of a bridge next to the Railway station building, before the entrance to the old railway station. It was here that I came across this.

• It was evening 645 PM
• Heavily Raining
• Huge traffic Jam from the Majestic Entrance of the Railway Station to Rajajinagar Underpass (probably a distance of 1Km, but we took 45 minutes to cross this distance)
• 2 Railway Over bridges
• Many KSRTC and BMTC Buses vying for space
• Buses are being joined in the fight for territory by cabs, cars and autos
• 1 Honda Activa, traversing in the middle of the road – of the protagonist (What interested me was that though normally two wheelers stay away from getting drenched in the rain, this guy, actually uncle, was competing with the BMTC Buses and Autos and other vehicles on the street, honking incessantly)
• Our protagonist – Activa Uncle, is a marwari.
• He is accompanied on his activa by his not so slim wife
• Between the Activa Uncle and his not so slim wife, is a girl – probably of 11 – 12 years, presumably their daughter, squashed and barely able to breathe
• In front of the Activa Uncle, is a boy – presumably the brother of the squashed girl, about 5-6 years old, standing in the titanic pose coz he is enjoying the rain.
• In the arms of the not so slim aunty, is an infant, not more than 3 years old, who is being protected by his mom in her saree pallu.
• 2 Foot Deep slush on the right corner of the road
• Continuous honking by the Activa guy, understandable coz he wants to take his family back home without much delay.

The questions that plagued my mind and are still going on are:

1. Is the marwari so stingy/poor that he could not afford an auto rickshaw?
2. Is he coming from an area that is not accessible using public transport?
3. Is he travelling to an area that does not have public transport?
4. Was his work imminent so that he gets himself and his family drenched in the rain?
5. Though clearly knowing that he is putting the lives of his and his family members in danger, what was he thinking trying to compete with the buses and cabs and in the middle of the road?
6. Was he so stupid that he could not stop under a building / tree for the rains to subside?
7. Was he so stupid that he could not send his family by public transport , Stupid coz he just crossed Majestic, to some place near his house and he could probably have risked his own life and not the life of his family too.

I too enjoy getting home drenched in the rain and I actually prefer it coz I travel alone and coz I am going home, where I can switch into warm clothes and get pampered by my mom. Do you enjoy getting drenched in the rain? If So, why??