maddy

Tuesday, October 31, 2006

Traffic!

"radio mirchi -honk sak-HONK HOoooooooonk- kath hot magaaa.. " i could not block out the traffic noise inspite of the loud volume of my player..i had bought a new mobile with radio just to pass the time i spend in trying to get home from work.and thats a lot of time if u r in bangalore..and longer if your mode of commute is the autorickshaw..

The radio station played the all new remixed version of "Yeh merraa dil....." from don...that combined with the different sounds of horns+tyres screeching+ engines vrooming+autodriver talking on his handsfree gave a remix of the remix.. which was not really soothing to my already tired ears... it was 8 in the night...one hour since i left office...aaaargghhhhh.. frustration was creeping slowly into me...but then this is everyday routine.. 7-9 was crib-n-curse-the-traffic time! and today was extra special....traffic jam everywhere!!!and a bonus too- an extremely irritable auto driver..

The signal turned green...suddenly there was life everywhere.. two wheelers just zoomed past us...it was like a giant maze of vehicles.. and my driver was not one short of ideas...he climbed on to the pavement!!!!!dont be too shocked..a very common sight in these parts of the world..we just had to cross bfore the signal hits red again...that was the ultimate goal.
"Goobe!!!!" shouted a guy on the sidewalk pasting himself to the adjacent wall to prevent the auto from hitting him.. and the pavement ,definetely not the best laid one..with alternate crests and troughs..dug up pits,sand,rocks,stones,pebbles,...it would prove to be any geologists treasure... not to mention the dogs casually relaxing despite the continuous honking of the vehicles on the pavement..but let me not get started on the dogs!!

we somehow crossed the signal bfore it hit red again..thanks to the driver..and sorry to the pedestrians..again a jam....i tried making some small talk with the driver in the little kannada i know..

Me : "daily bejaar ayithu...belai bittu bera oor hogbeku.."
[i follow a rule while talking in kannada.. i use tamil words and simply substitute all the V with B...like belai from velai... ]
driver replied "tamizha maa nee??naan madras"
Me very sheepishy:huh....??ok....
i shudve guessed when he asked for one and half at 6:30 in the evening..

finally as we drove through the jam..we realised that this was just a small branch of a major jam somewhere else..we took so many diversions that i started doubting if we were orbitting the earth.... finally the auto driver gave up and suggested i get off and walk home.... which was atleast 3 kms from here...no other way out...walked all the way home..

i was complaining of a sedentry job only in the morning...