My tryst with Bangalore has been nothing short of amazing. But the most reflective of them have been those on the now famous or rather infamous Bangalore roads. As I slowly got used to the packed traffic, I began to notice, even enjoy the finer nuances of commuting in Bangalore.
For example one of the leading radio channels ironically calls its morning show as “Joy Ride.” Though I credit the ubiquitous radio for making the journey bearable. One of the most memorable incidents has been a guy riding a scooter with one hand and clutching an umbrella with the other (it was pouring down heavily), while skillfully zig-zagging his way through the jam, to get past the many vehicles waiting patiently.
In the process his umbrella scratched every car that came his way. A more personal experience was when in a hurry to reach my office I refused a lift to a passer-by whom I met again about 3 km farther. The embarrassment: he not only recognized me, but waved at me with a smile and strode away as I, you might have guessed, was caught in the traffic.
Its worth noting that the people getting affected by traffic are not just the commuters but could be anyone. A panwallah used to loose a lot of business because his shop (on the foot-path) was visited more often by motorcycles and scooters (using it as a road) than his customers. He finally came up with the novel idea of placing his cycle as a blockade on that stretch. He dint mind bikers colliding with his cycle, at least he could carry on with his business.
I remember one of the top honchos from Infosys visiting our college for a lecture. What he told us was amusing. Apparently when Infosys started this huge campus in Electronics city, there were no proper roads. So it used to take hours to commute to and fro. Today with the roads being built, it approximately takes the same time, or even more! Traffic police fining the frustrated bikers, bikes bumping into cars, cars scratching other cars, the honking contest that sometimes reaches a crescendo…..Well it’s the same story everyday.
Oddly one man’s agony becomes a joke for the other. And we all have seen or heard of how things can take a nasty turn. But I prefer to deal with it on a lighter note. After all the more things change, the more they remain the same. So take it in your stride :)
(Nirmal is a 24-year-old business analyst based in Bangalore)
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