Taking over! Was it right?

This happened yesterday! We took an auto from Malleswaram via pipeline road and were stuck in traffic at the junction as we tried to go up to our home in Kumara Park. Pipeline road is through an area which began as jopadpatti (Hutments!) years ago!

This story, though, is about the present! We chose this narrow street as the auto driver said that the main roads were jammed due to the new malls which had recently opened. The Big Bazar and the Lifestyle malls located in Malleswarm, fairly close to each other and on perpendicular roads!

This is also not about the cupidity of the powerful! It is about a poor policeman. As I was fretting but not fuming, I saw him at one corner of the junction! He looked angry and unhappy and was cursing the drivers of scooters, autos and the whole lot of us in the choicest of Kannada, some of the words I had not heard in ages!

This policeman was of the old mold, pot bellied and not very young. (I have seen some very smart policewomen managing traffic at junctions near schools!). While I hoped that he would step in to melee and start directing the many idiots who had created the situation, he just walked away and stood at a point way beyond the traffic and started speaking into his walkie-talkie. My guess was that he was offering his resignation on the spot! He looked totally beaten!

The situation looked hopeless and we were seriously thinking of walking home. Miraculously, a gentleman appeared from somewhere, got into the epicentre of the mess and put some sense into the idiots. It was inspiring to see him as he cajoled, coaxed them very firmly. Some moved back, some went sideways yielding their hard won advantage and finally the traffic started to move. He continued with his great work all along the narrow street, walking up and down telling people to keep to their line and not get in the way of the oncoming traffic. I would love to nominate him at least for a Padmashri.

While I came home very happy, I sobered down soon as I thought about the situation. While it was a great example of taking charge, instead of just sitting there in the traffic getting frustrated, it is not a very healthy situation when there is a breakdown of order and a citizen takes over instead of the authorities. Will they wake up? I have no clue!

Will the driving public develop more sense, I am not so sure! It seems 'I am not wrong it is the rest' seems to be the general attitude of the public! Sad but true! Any experts out there who can throw light on this type of lunacy of people who drive?

I hope there are studies being made about the psyche of an Indian driver and work on it to educate them to be more human and reasonable!

(Sriram has promptly sent me this link: http://driving-india.blogspot.com/

that is a very positive sign!)