OH PLEASE, NOT ON THE ROADS!!!!

BY CHAITANYESH RUDRACHARYA

We Indians have created a niche for ourselves and even impressed others with our multi-faceted talents. No doubt, but how is it when it comes to our civic sense? Oh, pathetic! And that must be a candid mea culpa! 

It was Koramangala. To be precise, in front of the landmark Forum! I was on my way to meet a close friend.  The thoroughfare was chock-a-block with traffic! Vehicles-from behemoth buses to cantankerous cars to those indisciplined autos- were spitting smoke, good enough for any rider to suffocate to death! 

Weaving thru this horrible traffic, honking my horn sporadically, I went on riding my Dazzler. I was happy that I could find some way to progress thru the road, for the thoughts of meeting my friend had occupied my mind. It was after a long time that I was meeting her and I had a myriad of issues to discuss with her. As I was accelerating and braking concomitantly, the smoke only increased, creating a hazy atmosphere on the road! 

I soldiered on, and so did other riders and drivers! In front of me was a BMTC bus. This bus was waiting for another bus in front of it to give way to it. And to its left side, there was some space, enough for me to occupy.

I switched off the engine, for I knew it would take some more time for the traffic to clear. And here is where the entire drama unfolded! 

A passenger who was sitting by the window-side on the bus, with his earphones completely rooted in his ears, just put his head out of the window! I was watching him and I was puzzled as to why he was doing it!

And as I kept watching him, he hawked (cleared his throat) and spat directly on the road! That round mass of bolus or saliva crashed itself onto the road, splattering itself all across!

PHOTO COURTESY: http://exhibits.hsl.virginia.edu/alav/campaigns/

I was just inches behind the impact of the saliva on the road. And our man, completely lost in conversation or listening to music on his cellphone, withdrew his head and closed the window! 

That very moment, I knocked on the window pane, drawing that fellow’s attention to what he had done! And trust me, he did not have even an iota of remorse for what he had done! Had I been even a centimetre closer, I would have been bathed with his saliva, and also the embarrassment and agony of going through the predicament! 

By this time, the bus moved ahead and that spitter had moved away, untraceably far from his conscience! For he did not feel what he had was wrong nor did he feel what he had was a rarity! But I had to swallow and stomach his uncivilized act and that brute continued his journey!  

Frankly, let’s admit it! We Indians are not known for our civic sense, and you can add road sense and even hygiene to that list! Men and even dogs urinating on the roads, or cows spraying cow-dung on the road with a painter’s precision, uncleared garbage, the smell of drains; all these are a common sight! Many a time, we don’t even care about these things. Close to Sulabh Shauchalayas or even parks, we can see men urinating and dogs defecating. And at a stone’s throw distance, you can see delicious bajjis, bondas and even pani puri being sold! People would have made a beeline to devour them, not even waiting to glance at the unhygienic conditions around!

PHOTO COURTESY: THE HINDU

For us, I reiterate, these quotidian happenings are not worth pondering. But when we Indians emigrate to other countries, we gift the denizens of those countries these very habits that we indoctrinate in ourselves! Some years ago, in Australia, I vividly remember, a number of Indian immigrants were foulmouthed and even attacked with blunt weapons. There was massive outrage in India, for it was natural. 

But what actually led Australians to take that extreme step? This question had gone into the bowels of my heart! 

While I was ruminating on this particular question, I happened to watch a TV debate on the same. One of the former High Commissioners to Australia, a participant on the debate spilled the beans. Without any hesitation, he told the anchor that Indians behaved most ill-mannered in that country. Just like in their homeland, some NRIs would play loud music on the trains, spit on the same and even roads, thus infuriating the aborigines.

India has been the land of spirituality for ages. And cleanliness, proverbially and practically, is next to godliness! Hygiene, physical and mental, is a sine qua non for any progress in a country! 

We have managed to send satellites to Mars and even Moon, but alas! We have not gone to that toilet on the roads! So near yet so far!  

And this is irony personified!