I am applying the final touches to my paper applications. I have booked my appointment with DHL courier an tomorrow the guy is going to come and take away my applications.
The anxiety is overwhelming sometimes. I have spent around Rs. 50000 till now on all of these and if the things don’t workout, I am doomed.
Check out this photo….I took it near Mumbai’s Santacruz East railway station from the upper deck of a double-decker bus on the 5th of June 2007 at 9:00 pm.
Now, look at this one.
Image courtesy: http://www.ezimages.net/upload/5MIN/mumbai%20traffic.jpg
This is the situation of traffic in Mumbai. The two photos show the total lack of any traffic rules and regulations. Even the so-called educated upper class has no respect for the rules. Look at how the cars in the second photo are ‘parked’. These supposedly rich people don’t know even the basic rule of waiting in a line or queue. The Motorcyclist’s are the worst of the lot. They seem to be testing the physical theory of least packing space on the roads. Putting the front Tyre of the Hero Honda between the Maruti Esteem and the Honda City seems to be the most logical step in the experiment to them. The buses and the auto rickshaws are also one of the biggest traffic offenders. In the first photo one cannot even begin to imagine how the auto’s on the left are going to get out the tangle. Talking about bus lanes….there are 4 buses in the photo and mathematically it is totally impossible to draw a straight line through all of them or even three of them. Talk about transforming Mumbai into the next Shanghai…haan!!
The main reason behind all this mess is the total lack of implementation and awareness of rules. Forget about the poor auto rickshaw driver and the motorcyclist, I don’t think even all the the traffic constables are aware of them. Getting a license in India basically needs nothing (except money, of course). When I went for my license, they just asked me whether I know driving or not and that’s it, no testing, no summary of rules, nothing. One of my friends, who has a Light Motor Vehicle license, can’t even drive. Till traffic rules are rigorously implemented and the road infrastructure is completely overhauled, which it seems is never going to happen, I don’t think the entire situation is going to change.
O Lord Vishwakarma,(I believe, road traffic is your department) please please please…shower some of your blessings on us. Please, make this traffic situation better…
Speeding through the highways of Assam. Oh God, I miss driving…
Yesterday, I received a gift from HDFC Bank. A set of 5 DVDs.
You know, why I received it? For withdrawing money from the ATM. Thatz crazy…right.
Sometimes in the month of October, I withdraw some cash from their ATM and my name was included in a lottery and amazingly, I became the winner.
Though the movies are not that great, still, receiving my first free gift was an amazing moment for me. I have tried my luck in numerous scratch card contests and under many cola bottle caps, but they all showed ‘tough luck, buddy’ or ‘better luck next time’.
This time, out of the blue, it happened and I am really happy.
