On a recent chilly evening, Gaurav Kumar eased his small truck onto a congested road in the Indian capital and accidentally scraped another vehicle in the honking mass of cars, scooters, and motorbikes.
Enraged, the other car’s driver blocked Kumar’s truck and attacked him. He pulled the 24-year-old deliveryman out and shoved him so hard that his head hit the sidewalk. An hour later, Kumar died in a nearby hospital. “It was a small scratch. For this he lost his life,’’ Kumar’s widow, Prem Latha, said by telephone from the nearby town of Aligarh, where she lives with her infant daughter.
In another recent incident, a motorist at a crowded toll booth pulled out a gun and threatened the toll collector if he served another driver who had cut in line, local papers reported.
Sociologist Abhilasha Kumari also senses a change in attitude as the country’s new economic wealth makes society more materialistic.“It’s as if Delhi’s centuries-old culture of graciousness has been wiped off and has been replaced by a frenetic and pushy ‘me first’ ruthlessness,’’ .
Kumari added. “They believe if you have the money, you flaunt it, with your big shiny new car, and you assert yourself forcefully on the road.’’
End of article from the Boston Globe
This is not unique for Delhi , I think this is the new reality of driving in major cities and towns in India. When did we change into such arrogant people? Why did the driver want to shoot the toll collector instead of the car driver who cut in front? I think the consequences of shooting a poor toll collector is not much.
All we need is some humility; but that is asking too much. As Dylan sang- Money doesn't talk, it swears.
Prabhakar Devavaram
Nice Article Prabhu.
ReplyDeleteHappy belated Pongal wishes to everyone.
Looking at these pictures the traffic congestion is not any better in Manchester. Perhaps the difference is the lack of two wheelers in large numbers. Road rage is another great problem everywhere.
We have had a lot of problem with snow this year, perhaps the worst in a number of years.
Keep well & regards
Manu & Jeyam
Prabakar, looks like you are serious about keeping up your New yer resolution by blogging so frequently. Now the rest of the class has to jump in & open the communication lines!
ReplyDeleteI noticed the traffic congestion on my recent visit to india too! I have been visiting Chennai almost twice a year & this past Dec. traffic was the worst!Even a small town like Nagerkoil was no exception to the traffic jam. And the rudeness & attitude of the people there made me think this is not the same place that I had known a few years earlier.Another thing that shocked me was the crowd in the jewelery stores despite the sky high prices of gold!
About the reunion talks in Aug., any thing finalised yet? Probably the bloggers from Chennai know the answer to this?
Kalyani
I am not sure about the meet this year. So far I am not aware all the details. When I get more info,will post it
ReplyDeleteThe previous posting is from prabakar
ReplyDeleteJamm!
ReplyDeleteThe price of modernisation! Think what do humans do every day? Is that that ultimately important? Wish someone should comment about sunthara travels! the actor was politically very very active recently! I always think a proper restructuring of our (human) working methodology is very much essential inorder to avoid any future catastrophe. we must limit or ration our and the material movements if we want our offsprings to know what are fuels..!
expenditures of natural energy resources must be calculated and cut down.
Kannan