Honk honk!

My best friend hails from a country other than ours and has been brought up in a land where everybody follows traffic rules - to the 'T'. Hence it hardly surprises me when he's absolutely baffled with the traffic "condition"(for want of a better word) in India.

Ask the average Indian city bloke about traffic rules and we'll come up with using signals while driving and perhaps sheepishly admit that one shouldn't overtake from the left. And that's what the educated bunch have to say!!

"What about lanes", I'm asked? "Yeah well, what about them?", is my reply. "Fast lane, slow lane....you know...." Well, my friend doesn't seem to understand that how can people relate to the concept of fast and slow lanes when there isn't any lane followed to begin with! I mean, on what should be a two lane drive, we have three and in between every gap is squeezed a bike or an auto rickshaw! As for fast and slow, well, typically the slowest auto is on the "fast lane" while the car in a hurry makes his way from the left! Talking of which, the whole Indian principle of driving, my friend, is about "making your own way".

As for zebra crossings, he wonders why he's the only bloke who stops at them when someone's crossing? Well, why indeed? I seriously wonder why the government bothers on painting them all over when not a single driver regards them. People at zebra crossings are as safe as anybody else jay walking.

My friend is even more puzzled. Nothing to be puzzled about. In a country where a driving license can be obtained by paying Rs. 200 to the guy who comes for the test and without even setting foot in the test vehicle (trust me, I was offered this when I'd been for my test), how can you expect anybody to know anything about traffic rules? When I'd been for my driver's license, I never had to learn anything apart from a few road signs and prove that I could drive and reverse the car well.

Even the driving schools teach you only how to drive the car. Not a thing more. Typical approach to teaching - just teach as much as is required to pass the test! But, I won't digress to the topic of teaching - that deserves a separate post!

Well, so now my friend has learnt to drive the Indian way - curse, swear and make your own way. He's stopped grumbling and we all live happily ever after.....!