Onus lies on us

Rameshinder Singh Sandhu

I was given the task to pick up my two cousin sisters and one of their friends from the Amritsar airport. They had landed all the way from New York with a short halt at the Delhi airport. This being their maiden visit, excitement was apparent. The moment our car was on the highway, they couldn’t put a stop to their laughter.

No sooner had we started the journey than we were stuck in traffic. The guests were welcomed with blowing horns and almost everyone trying to overtake other vehicles, making the traffic snarl messier. Several two-wheelers were seen wading their way through the chaos, though they, too, got stuck.

However, against my expectations, my American guests were amused at it all. They pulled out their cameras and phones to take pictures and make videos. “This is more than what we had heard about traffic in India,” one of my cousins said jokingly. Responding to it, their friend said: “The pictures and videos we are capturing will be a treat for my colleagues and friends back home.” A moment later, she had a serious thought, “What if an ambulance had to pass through this road?”

Nearly half an hour later, we arrived at an intersection that was guarded by traffic lights. Despite the red signal, traffic was flowing from all directions. Here, I was culprit, too, as I also gave two hoots to the red signal like everyone around and they rolled out an an expected question — “Was the signal not red?” I knew what they meant so I was as honest as I could be: “I know, I broke the rule, but usually there are no traffic policemen at this traffic intersection . So, no one takes the signals seriously.”

Just when the home was a stone’s throw away, we were stuck again due to a few wrongly parked vehicles. Were those who parked their vehicles in such a manner bothered about the chaos? Of course, not! “When there is no check on parking, this is what happens here,” this time I explained the situation before they asked me about it.

That night, the muddled traffic scenes with their hilarity came back to me. I am sure, like my guests, the traffic system in the country must be a subject of amusement for everyone visiting here. However, the irony of it all is that we are the ones responsible for chaos on roads. We keep the system tangled and hurl the blame on the authorities.

What we forget that until we, as drivers, are not willing to be responsible and disciplined, the traffic police alone can’t get the mess on the track. Ironically, we end up only proving that common sense is not so common irrespective of one’s education. Remember, it is never too late to change something for a good cause.