Roads full of fools!

Driving on Indian roads could be one of your most terrible experiences. Being a driver is a curse in India. It hardly matters whether you are in a Mercedes or Maruti 800. When the roads are jam- packed and filled with chicken-headed people, it really doesn't count on which Ac car you are traveling. Here I am not talking only about the Delhi roads or for that matter other metro cities', roads in UP, Bihar, Haryana etc. apart from few states in north-east states too are horrible.

There is a subject called Civics which is taught as a part of Social Science in schools. I am damn sure these lot have never ever flipped the pages or attended any class of this particular subject for they consider roads as their drawing rooms. They will try to overtake your vehicle from whichever sides they want to especially the bikers as if they are professionally racers (which unfortunately they aren't). In a bid to show off their bikes, yes, the ones with superbikes will surely speed up in a zig-zag manner. They think that with this stupendous act (actually, a stupid one), they can easily impress girls. Well, let me take this opportunity to announce on behalf of all the girls' community that we fully detest these savaged riders from the core of our hearts. Yes, we do!

Honking is another habit which we Indians are proud of. And 'Don't Honk' is the popular tag one must have noticed on most of the vehicles especially on trucks and buses. Nevertheless, the ones whose vehicles flaunt this tag are the ones which indulged into high-decibel honking. I don't understand why these people press their vehicles' horns so brutally when they know that the red light is still on. Perhaps, they don't know the symbolic meaning of red light or is it some other reason, I can only wonder.

I am so used to listening this honking that I asked the taxi driver in Shillong (in my recent visit there) that if there is a ban on honking. He laughed out heartily and told me that patience is the key. Yes, actually, he was right. Unlike people in this part of the country (Yes, Shillong is a part of India that lies in northeast region. And it is the capital of Meghalaya), people backed in Delhi are so impatient and restless, they are always in a hurry to reach their destination as if they are Obamas, Wen Jiabaos or some other VIPs. While in Shillong, people even though stranded in a massive traffic jam, they would never honk or indulged in verbal fights. They are so disciplined that sometimes I am forced to ponder that if this lot are really Indian.

I learned driving when I was in VII standard. My then instructor would always tell me that drivers should not lose their temper though I am highly short-tempered a person. He would tell me that patience is the word you should always remember. However, when you are in a place like Delhi where people lack civic sense, I hardly can be patient. I get irritated when I see someone driving rashly or breaking traffic rules. But those golden words of my instructor would always struck in my mind then I would switched on the Ac at its maximum level and put on some soft music and I would drive on. Thinking that I have to go miles before I sleep, I would tell myself that roads are full of fools and I should not turn into one of them.

Anything for a cause

Youth love to support any cause and they never fail to flaunt what they support. Be it global warming, slum issues, deforestation, child labour, female infanticide, gay rights and the like; yes, you name it, they have it. Nowadays, you ask any youth specially the school and the college goers, they will surely tell you that they support a cause and will also try to show it off.

Scorching Sun or heavy rains or chilly December days, today's enthusiastic youth do not care of such hindrances and make it a point to hit the roads, streets, audis, schools, colleges among others supporting their causes. I am sure many of you must have noticed it. As I too witnessed this scene only a day before yesterday, it was an awareness campaign on climate change where I was one of the speakers (yes, yes, I am a member of an NGO called NECEER) , youth throng there in a huge number despite the day being Sunday. Only few of them were very concerned about the cause, others just came to get the certificate, badge, newsletters, posters etc. so that they can show off to their friends and acquaintances that they are associated with a cause and are really concerned about it.

Well, I know a junior of mine who proudly told me (I am sure he must have told this to everyone he knows) that he is associated with 25 NGOs and he is supporting around 150 causes! How he manages to support so many causes despite being an engineering student, only God knows. One can easily spot him for he always wears badges, carries flyer, pamphlets etc. of the causes he supports wherever he goes. I can only hope that he knows what are the problems behind climate change, global warming, female infanticide and the like.

Besides, there are so-called PETA activists, most of them models, who pose almost nude for the PETA campaign just for the sake of publicity. No, no, not only for the campaign but for their own publicity, these lot do such things and flaunting what they endorse is one of them. By the way, I don't see any logic behind showing your own skin for saving some endangered animal's skin. Are there no other ethical ways to save animals from unethical treatment apart from posing nude? I can only wonder.

Flaunting a cause is order of the day. Not only this male junior of mine is showing off what he supports but also thousands of youngsters are leaving no stone unturned to do the same. Anyway, as far as they are supporting the cause, it hardly matters whether this lot is flaunting or doing anything to publicise themselves (which is directly proportional to publicising the cause). But one thing is for sure that today's youth love to support any causes. And they can do anything for it.

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