BANG! - A - LORE !
I live in Bangalore! Perhaps that declaration should suffice. Without mincing any words, however, as usual, I have to get into a detailed account of what has prompted this onslaught of words on all those least suspecting the same.
I thought that I had seen all that the city has to offer...but wonders never cease, do they? Each morning I see the Garden City in a new light! Every pothole, every new crevice on the road is a new discovery. Whosoever said the path to success is full of hurdles, must have envisioned the city as it is today. But hey, aren't we supposed to see the silver lining in everything we come across? Yeah, so we are all being trained to be cross country race drivers! Narain Karthikeyan may have the distinction of being the fastest Indian in the world, but we Bangaloreans will definitely be acclaimed for our motor skills! We should be grateful to the government for giving the ordinary denizens of Bangalore this unique opportunity!
Each morning I wager with myself. Will I reach office on time? Perhaps, perhaps not. Then there is the thrill of racing against time. Against the nameless, faceless enemy that pushes us all beyond the realms of reason. Its an absolutely fascinating experience. Honestly, who would want to miss out on all the excitement of horns blarings, drivers swearing, pedestrians doing feats that would put Olympic Athletes to shame and most of all, the tenacity of the govenment not to succumb to public pressure. Truly, it happens only in India!
I am now adept at identifying traffic jams and can classify them into clear-cut niches. There is the omnipresent "His car hit mine" jam, the highly frustrating, "I do not follow lane discipline" jam, the "traffic police has disappeared from the junction" jam and so forth, to name a few. Each new day, I see a new form of "jam" and I am thankful that that I am able to add a few more to my repertoire.
Then there are the trenches! Can any write-up be complete without a mention of the same? I take the liberty of calling them "trenches" because I perceive that as a more romantic embellishment of the word "ditches". Every road must have a trench. I firmly believe this is a better constraint than having a speed breaker and adds to the allure of driving. It tests your skills, perseverence, patience and most of all lets you know if your vehicle can endure the duress! In a few years, we can build that underground train that everybody is whispering about! Think of that! We will save ourselves years of digging and plodding through layers of debris! Cost cutting and planning at its best folks!
Then there is the employment issue. If people at the helm were to build a road that was uniquely efficient and which able is to stand the test of time, what will happen to the scores of labourers who earn their daily wages, every time there is any construction activity undertaken? Where would our contractors go to earn that little extra revenue if not by siphoning public funds? And how would our governments afford their international sojourns (for bilateral trade and diplomacy of course!) if not through contracts such as these?
Let us not forget that we have come a long way since the stone age. Just as fashion trends revert to the classic styles of the past, so should civilisation. After all, we have to experience the thrills that our ancestors had. This not only leads to bonding with the forefathers, it will also give Bangalore the distinction of being the only society that lives in a time warp. Think of it, we have no need for a time machine...a few more years and we will sufficiently cross the stone age as well.
I wonder what this hue and cry is all about? Crumbling infrastructure? Chaos in the streets? Inadequate disaster management resources? What is all that about? I think we expect too much. If only we did not covet so many things at one time. Who says there is government apathy? Most certainly I do not! If the government was indifferent, would it have gone public trying to identify which political party was to blame for the so-called misfortunes of the city? Would there have been so many telivised programmes highlighting the so-called "mess" we are in?
The government is taking action...its just that the action is intangible. When one can belive in the almighty, why can't we believe that our politicians are doing good work? So we will hear of it in five or ten years? So what? What's the hurry? We all have to live here anyway. Besides, its not like we can get anywhere fast even if we wanted to...remember the "trenches"?
Well this is more than what I am willing to say about the issue...if ever it was an issue. We need to move on people! Get on with your lives! The city is beautiful...and like most other things, the beauty is the eyes of the beholder. So, don't play the blame game...visit the ophthalmologist! Perhaps he can clear the haze that has clouded everybody's perception....perhaps! God Bless!
I thought that I had seen all that the city has to offer...but wonders never cease, do they? Each morning I see the Garden City in a new light! Every pothole, every new crevice on the road is a new discovery. Whosoever said the path to success is full of hurdles, must have envisioned the city as it is today. But hey, aren't we supposed to see the silver lining in everything we come across? Yeah, so we are all being trained to be cross country race drivers! Narain Karthikeyan may have the distinction of being the fastest Indian in the world, but we Bangaloreans will definitely be acclaimed for our motor skills! We should be grateful to the government for giving the ordinary denizens of Bangalore this unique opportunity!
Each morning I wager with myself. Will I reach office on time? Perhaps, perhaps not. Then there is the thrill of racing against time. Against the nameless, faceless enemy that pushes us all beyond the realms of reason. Its an absolutely fascinating experience. Honestly, who would want to miss out on all the excitement of horns blarings, drivers swearing, pedestrians doing feats that would put Olympic Athletes to shame and most of all, the tenacity of the govenment not to succumb to public pressure. Truly, it happens only in India!
I am now adept at identifying traffic jams and can classify them into clear-cut niches. There is the omnipresent "His car hit mine" jam, the highly frustrating, "I do not follow lane discipline" jam, the "traffic police has disappeared from the junction" jam and so forth, to name a few. Each new day, I see a new form of "jam" and I am thankful that that I am able to add a few more to my repertoire.
Then there are the trenches! Can any write-up be complete without a mention of the same? I take the liberty of calling them "trenches" because I perceive that as a more romantic embellishment of the word "ditches". Every road must have a trench. I firmly believe this is a better constraint than having a speed breaker and adds to the allure of driving. It tests your skills, perseverence, patience and most of all lets you know if your vehicle can endure the duress! In a few years, we can build that underground train that everybody is whispering about! Think of that! We will save ourselves years of digging and plodding through layers of debris! Cost cutting and planning at its best folks!
Then there is the employment issue. If people at the helm were to build a road that was uniquely efficient and which able is to stand the test of time, what will happen to the scores of labourers who earn their daily wages, every time there is any construction activity undertaken? Where would our contractors go to earn that little extra revenue if not by siphoning public funds? And how would our governments afford their international sojourns (for bilateral trade and diplomacy of course!) if not through contracts such as these?
Let us not forget that we have come a long way since the stone age. Just as fashion trends revert to the classic styles of the past, so should civilisation. After all, we have to experience the thrills that our ancestors had. This not only leads to bonding with the forefathers, it will also give Bangalore the distinction of being the only society that lives in a time warp. Think of it, we have no need for a time machine...a few more years and we will sufficiently cross the stone age as well.
I wonder what this hue and cry is all about? Crumbling infrastructure? Chaos in the streets? Inadequate disaster management resources? What is all that about? I think we expect too much. If only we did not covet so many things at one time. Who says there is government apathy? Most certainly I do not! If the government was indifferent, would it have gone public trying to identify which political party was to blame for the so-called misfortunes of the city? Would there have been so many telivised programmes highlighting the so-called "mess" we are in?
The government is taking action...its just that the action is intangible. When one can belive in the almighty, why can't we believe that our politicians are doing good work? So we will hear of it in five or ten years? So what? What's the hurry? We all have to live here anyway. Besides, its not like we can get anywhere fast even if we wanted to...remember the "trenches"?
Well this is more than what I am willing to say about the issue...if ever it was an issue. We need to move on people! Get on with your lives! The city is beautiful...and like most other things, the beauty is the eyes of the beholder. So, don't play the blame game...visit the ophthalmologist! Perhaps he can clear the haze that has clouded everybody's perception....perhaps! God Bless!
posted by Vinatha Pai at 5:20 am
1 comments
