Make way, I'm late!

I kick start my scooty, because the battery is down and the self-starter won't work. One kick, two kicks and third time's the charm.  

*Roaring sound of the motor..that dies down with a puff* 

“Damn!”, I curse. After a few futile efforts, a random guy passing on the road walks up and starts it. I smile with gratefulness. And now, I have to begin the most tiresome part of my day. Riding in the traffic of Bangalore; including Silk board!  

So much dust and pollution all over, man. This is what is going to kill me some day, if not the traffic. The only good thing is that, until I get out of my area, there is no traffic! 

*An auto going in the front, suddenly takes a sharp right, to avoid a pothole* 

I apply sudden break. These auto guys, I tell you! They think they own the roads! No sense of driving at all! Taking sharp turns, turning suddenly, without even looking behind! Charging unbelievable fares! If you try to argue, they get their whole gang of autowalas in support. It's better not to get into it at all. I continue riding, avoiding that auto guy completely.  

Now, I enter the main road. Everyone's honking. Like that is going to help! As if the traffic is going to disappear magically and they can zoom past, to their destination. People don't have patience at all. 

It's a slow moving traffic. The Ola driver next to me, is continuously hitting on the horn! I glare at him. So do few people around. The signal's red again! How can anybody get stuck at the same signal three times?! That's how well Bangalore's planned. No coordination among the traffic police guys. Sometimes there is, but that's mostly in central Bangalore. The area around the outer ring road, where MNC's are present, is where it should be organized properly. 

The scorching sun burns my hands and feet. I should have worn gloves! How did I forget? But the jacket I'm wearing, makes me sweat! Looks like, there's no tradeoff, is there?  

While I'm lost in thoughts, someone puts a hand on my shoulder. I look back. Oh, there come the hijras. If only the government made provisions for their community to work like other people, they wouldn't be doing this. I give them the coin that I keep in my jacket's pocket.  

I look at my watch and I have fifteen minutes to reach office. Haha, that's not going to happen. Let me correct you, if the 'haha' made you think that I'm having a ball of a time, here. No, I'm irritated. I'm so annoyed that I could pick a frying pan and smash it on someone's head.  Chill, I'm kidding. I'm not that violent. But travelling like this everyday, has made me lose my patience.  

The signal is finally green! Crossing the signal before it turns red is a big challenge! At this point of time, I would do anything to accomplish that! I ride in between the slow-moving BMTC buses, squeeze in between a car and an auto, not caring about the slight brush against the car, only to come to a complete halt in front of a volvo bus! All the vehicles to my left and right are moving. Like in a war, all the soldiers(people in traffic) are trying to run towards the enemy(the signal) and there's this one soldier(the volvo bus) who has second thoughts and stops, to rethink his decision. I curse, and wait for 5 seconds and realize that the driver wasn't going to move. I point my vehicle to the right and start moving. When the signal was in my view, I see that it's yellow..and within a second it turns red.  

Mission not accomplished. :( 

I come to a halt, right next to the same volvo bus. I notice a lady in white uniform, helping another old-blind lady, cross the road. She holds her hand and walks slowly with her, until she reached the other side. Then she finds out where she wanted to go, and makes her get into the bus. And then, walks back into the volvo bus and starts issuing tickets to the travellers. Apparently, the lady conductor had asked the driver to stop when the signal was green because, she saw the old woman standing helplessly.  

 

That touched my heart. So much. Who has the patience to stop the vehicle and do this, on a weekday morning? Everyone's so busy with their lives, always running behind something, always late for something, always worried about what's happening in their life. Who would even notice an old blind lady on the road, while travelling on a bike or a bus or any other vehicle? I had been complaining about everything, on the way. Did I even notice the people and the beauty around me? There's so much more to this city, than traffic! Compassion and kindness comes to all of us, naturally. But to use it and show it without being completely immersed in one's self, is what makes your life worth living. 

 

I ride to office, thinking about the beautiful abstract gifts bestowed upon us, by the super-natural-being who created us. It's upto us to make use of it. And so, I resolved to be more empathizing and helpful.