Musings at the Traffic Junction..
It never leaves me surprised when I see vehicles speeding on seeing the red traffic signal. All vehicles come to a sudden jerking halt at the traffic signal. Why can't drivers slow down and glide in gracefully?
I wonder if it is the typical Indian mentality of 'who are you to stop me' attitude! This is because if the policeman is not present, the two-wheeler, cyclist, auto would surge ahead oblivious of the red signal. So we have to be controlled by authority!!
Is it that the 'I' have to be first in the traffic line; the first to race ahead? But why is this competitiveness not present in keeping the city clean / in reducing the use of fireworks on Diwali/ not littering ?
Why is there no competition among at least the rich in being philanthropic like Buffet or Gates?
Americans are called very 'self-centred' by us. Interestingly this justification arises because an individual American is very protective or conscious of his 'space'. But what we do not realize is that every American's thinking progresses from I ,me ,mine -We, our society, state, us- Our COUNTRY.
In contrast is the Indian thinking- I -me- myself!! What society, what country? First let me feed myself, my family, hoard for the next 10 generations; anyways whose road is it, your grandfather's? First me, last also me!!
Of course answers to the above would be easily given by the 'India Shining' experts that we have been under colonial rule for too long.. poverty makes us think so. Population makes us so competitive for every thing!
And the most classic answer is We Are Developing Steadily.. Obviously we have to..After all we have had more than 6 decades of independence. At this I turn to see the squalor around. The city council was not bothered about cleaning up the garbage because a new government had come into power. They know that they would lose their seats of power in the recent local elections! Hence Chennai became one HUGE garbage yard!
Beautiful IT Ofice buildings juggle for space on the OMR stretch. Manicured lawns, glass exteriors, swanky car parks et al... Right outside their gates we can find weeds, wild shrubs, filth and garbage. Can they not plan as part of their so called CSR to beautify their immediate surroundings? How can it be possible? Because we do have CEOs like Ramalinga Raju,etc who are more interested in owning jet planes, villas in Hawaii etc.
Ah the traffic signal has turned green. Hey Now the vehicles crawl.. There is chaos.. ha ha.. It is scenes like this that keep me sane!!!
I wonder if it is the typical Indian mentality of 'who are you to stop me' attitude! This is because if the policeman is not present, the two-wheeler, cyclist, auto would surge ahead oblivious of the red signal. So we have to be controlled by authority!!
Is it that the 'I' have to be first in the traffic line; the first to race ahead? But why is this competitiveness not present in keeping the city clean / in reducing the use of fireworks on Diwali/ not littering ?
Why is there no competition among at least the rich in being philanthropic like Buffet or Gates?
Americans are called very 'self-centred' by us. Interestingly this justification arises because an individual American is very protective or conscious of his 'space'. But what we do not realize is that every American's thinking progresses from I ,me ,mine -We, our society, state, us- Our COUNTRY.
In contrast is the Indian thinking- I -me- myself!! What society, what country? First let me feed myself, my family, hoard for the next 10 generations; anyways whose road is it, your grandfather's? First me, last also me!!
Of course answers to the above would be easily given by the 'India Shining' experts that we have been under colonial rule for too long.. poverty makes us think so. Population makes us so competitive for every thing!
And the most classic answer is We Are Developing Steadily.. Obviously we have to..After all we have had more than 6 decades of independence. At this I turn to see the squalor around. The city council was not bothered about cleaning up the garbage because a new government had come into power. They know that they would lose their seats of power in the recent local elections! Hence Chennai became one HUGE garbage yard!
Beautiful IT Ofice buildings juggle for space on the OMR stretch. Manicured lawns, glass exteriors, swanky car parks et al... Right outside their gates we can find weeds, wild shrubs, filth and garbage. Can they not plan as part of their so called CSR to beautify their immediate surroundings? How can it be possible? Because we do have CEOs like Ramalinga Raju,etc who are more interested in owning jet planes, villas in Hawaii etc.
Ah the traffic signal has turned green. Hey Now the vehicles crawl.. There is chaos.. ha ha.. It is scenes like this that keep me sane!!!
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