Fast unto death
I write this in response to a new item that seems to be in all papers. A series of tragic accidents have plagued highways leading into and out of Mumbai. Entire families have been wiped out and a family which was carrying its son’s body (who incidentally died in another accident) also met with a tragic end.
Our idea of speed is like in the movies when Amitabh and his kin man oeuvre the biggest of vehicles through the narrowest of lanes while dodging 20 bullets and with one arm protecting the heroine. Our in city driving, while not fast at all, is all about cutting lanes and gunning for that 4 sq inch of space that is available. This means overtaking the overtaker and while on the highway knocking at the Undertakers. I’ve experienced the Goa Highway, where these accidents occurred first hand. Conveying that experience will be limited by my ability with words but it still sends shivers down my spine. It’s a three lane highway which means that traffic in both directions is fighting for a lane and a half. The monsters of roads- the ST bus drivers, Sumo and quails touristers all come into their own and let go in all directions.
I was unfortunate enough to be seated on the front seat of a Qualis whose driver had an appointment to keep, hopefully not with the man up there. There was hardly a stretch of 50mtrs when we traveled straight. All Other times we were liked ginger footed nymphets trying to balance pots of water on their heads. I found myself recalling all the Gods that I had ever learnt about including the ones that governed driving abilities, with no names in particular. The seat belt strapped across my thumping chest seemed more restraining that reassuring. I wanted to break free and even as we careened around a trailer to just brush past a head on bus, the bile within me rose manic proportions only to be suppressed by a feeble will. The next pit stop at a dhaba, had me praying in gratitude and puking in multitudes. The driver of course sipped chai nonchalantly.
As u might realize I survived that drive but on a more serious note while we design expressways and Golden quadrilaterals are we prepared for the worst. The moot point is whether we as a society are ‘grown’ up enough to deal with speed. Highway war stories from my ‘macho’ friends are usually abt how they did Pune in less than two hours and burnt rubber. The ones with SUVs love the fact that they crushed the smaller cars around bends and so on.
Speed at another level governs how we are living our lives. Too fast for our own good we end up crashing into others frequently, both in our personal and professional lives. Everyone’s in a hurry to go somewhere.
Our idea of speed is like in the movies when Amitabh and his kin man oeuvre the biggest of vehicles through the narrowest of lanes while dodging 20 bullets and with one arm protecting the heroine. Our in city driving, while not fast at all, is all about cutting lanes and gunning for that 4 sq inch of space that is available. This means overtaking the overtaker and while on the highway knocking at the Undertakers. I’ve experienced the Goa Highway, where these accidents occurred first hand. Conveying that experience will be limited by my ability with words but it still sends shivers down my spine. It’s a three lane highway which means that traffic in both directions is fighting for a lane and a half. The monsters of roads- the ST bus drivers, Sumo and quails touristers all come into their own and let go in all directions.
I was unfortunate enough to be seated on the front seat of a Qualis whose driver had an appointment to keep, hopefully not with the man up there. There was hardly a stretch of 50mtrs when we traveled straight. All Other times we were liked ginger footed nymphets trying to balance pots of water on their heads. I found myself recalling all the Gods that I had ever learnt about including the ones that governed driving abilities, with no names in particular. The seat belt strapped across my thumping chest seemed more restraining that reassuring. I wanted to break free and even as we careened around a trailer to just brush past a head on bus, the bile within me rose manic proportions only to be suppressed by a feeble will. The next pit stop at a dhaba, had me praying in gratitude and puking in multitudes. The driver of course sipped chai nonchalantly.
As u might realize I survived that drive but on a more serious note while we design expressways and Golden quadrilaterals are we prepared for the worst. The moot point is whether we as a society are ‘grown’ up enough to deal with speed. Highway war stories from my ‘macho’ friends are usually abt how they did Pune in less than two hours and burnt rubber. The ones with SUVs love the fact that they crushed the smaller cars around bends and so on.
Speed at another level governs how we are living our lives. Too fast for our own good we end up crashing into others frequently, both in our personal and professional lives. Everyone’s in a hurry to go somewhere.
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