Aey Bhai !! Zara Dekh ke Chalo " Traffic Sense in India"

It was a Sunny day in Frankfurt, Germany. I stood up on a bridge waiting for my friend to head towards Frankfurt airport. I was just watching the fast moving German vehicles on the highway. They were being driven in the lanes. A lane is a division of a road marked off with painted lines and intended to separate single lines of traffic according to speed or direction. Every vehicle switched on/off the indicators each time to change the lane to overtake the other. It seemed like playing a computer game. 

                                         Source: www.news.nationalpost.com

          I checked in and boarded Air India's Boeing 787 to New Delhi. It was after 8 years I was returning back to India. As the flight took off, I dived into the ocean of my thoughts about changed India. Being the developing country, a drastic change was reported in India during the last decade, as heard from the media. Now it was my time to sight the change.

          My parents live in Jaipur. My brother hired a taxi from Jaipur and was desperately waiting outside the Terminal 2, New Delhi International Airport. I was overwhelmed to see him there. His eyes were curiously traversing each passenger coming out of the gate. It was very noisy outside. After a long time, I heard a sequence of horns, blown impatiently for no reasons. I hugged my brother and both of us got down the taxi and headed to Jaipur.

           In few minutes, we entered into Delhi-Jaipur NH-8. In spite of feeling sleepy after a long journey, I was eager to witness the development of the landscape. India is a country of villages. If the country is developed, landscape must be advanced in the same proportion. After a while, I was completely annoyed by my driver. He never noticed any of the traffic signs. Though there was hardly a vehicle being driven in a lane. I instructed him to drive in a lane. He argued with me. My brother intervened and asked " bhaiya, yeh India hain (Brother, it's India)".

          Some sequence of events horrified me. The truck drivers, probably drunk as liquors were easily accessible on the national highways, furiously changed the lanes to overtake the other vehicles. During the journey, I saw pedestrians crossing the highway as they were walking in their homes. I witnessed cycles, motorcycles, bullock-carts and funnily designed overloaded vehicles moving in both directions of the traffic. It was unexpected for me to see vehicles moving wrong side, just to surpass a few meters U turn. Some even crossed the divider to accomplish the task. My driver shouted " yeh gaav walo ka roj ka hain sahab, iski wajah se hi accidents hote hain. aur aap bolte ho lane me chalao (These villagers have normal practice, sole reason for accidents and you say to drive in a lane" 

                                Source: www.viewpatna.blogspot.com  

           After 3 hours of journey, my brother insisted to get relaxed and eat something at the road side dhaba. Our conversation was interrupted by the election campaign going on in the university next to the dhaba. Coincidentally, the candidate raised the issues of number of accidents in the town. His confident voice enlightened me that at least young leadership is committed to solve the traffic problems in India but on way back home, his campaigning pamphlets stuck on the radiators (Radiators are made of radium, gets enlightened when the lights falls on it. It's very useful in the night to direct the traffic) brought down the hope falsely generated few minutes before. 

           The journey came to an end, we entered into the city. Entering Jaipur has always been a pure interaction with the cultural heritage preserved here. We were supposed to meet one of my cousin on our way. He came on a motorbike with his father. He cheerfully asked "Hi bhaiya, how is Germany treating you?" I greeted my uncle and asked my cousin " Where is your helmet ? Isn't that compulsory in Jaipur? " He replied "  Arey bhaiya, is time police wale nahin hote ? ( Traffic police doesn't work till now) ". My uncle intervened " We live nearby, not more than 2 km. There is no need to wear helmet for such a closed travel." That signifies the ignorant and unaware mindset of the people. 

 

                                      Source: www.tribuneindia.com

            Finally I reached home. I was upset and sad that my country became worse, than I left it 8 years back, in the context of traffic sense. The civic sense is lost. The people blame the politicians and they blame others. Wearing helmets and fastening seat belts are used to save the penalty. We don't hesitate to go in a wrong side of the traffic just to save few meters. We like to argue with the traffic police personnel to get the penalty charges reduced or even freed. The people are unaware of the traffic signs and assume the white painted lines, to form the lane, as designs on the road, nothing else.     
             According to WHO, India suffers from the highest deaths due to road accidents in the world, more than 1,00,000 every year. The lost civic sense and the lack of political (system's) will power are the sole reasons for this. What else to expect from the system which issues the driving license after driving 8 in reverse direction. In reality, one doesn't have to form 8 in any of the direction.

           The solution is simple. The government has to build or improve the infrastructure. The system needs a strong leadership to spread the awareness about the traffic rules. Its the responsibility of the people to understand the importance and act sensibly. Children could be the best medium to spread the message. Altogether, the next generation will learn how to behave on the road. I wish that.