A man once went to an astrologer, who after seeing his chart said "You will be begging after two years". "What will happen after 2 years ?" asked the man, now somewhat curious and concerned. The astrologer replied - "Don't worry. You will get used to it". Similarly during my initial days in Odisha, the incessant honking and zigzag traffic sounded irritating to me. Now in little more than couple of weeks I have got used to it.
Bhubaneswar used to be extended village. It still is. As far as civic sense and sense of entitlement go, we have some catch up to do. A city originally designed for 50,000 people is currently 12.5 million strong, growing annually at the rate of nearly 3%. Once a sleepy township of salaried class people, Bhubaneswar has many sleazy stories to tell these days which comes as part of the package with the ever growing population.
But it is nothing compared to the "Auto" cracy I witnessed in Bhubaneswar. The 3 -wheeler vehicles want to outsmart and outrun each other in the rat race of catching the next BHADAA, in Odia it means rental passengers. A taste of autocracy I got the other day when the driver had to slam his break as an Auto Rickshaw came right in front of our car from nowhere. A hundred feet ahead both the auto Rickshaw stopped next to our vehicle at a red light. As the vehicles stopped, some bikers and the autos came from behind, snaking their way, sneaking through, filling the narrow gaps in between. This recalcitrant auto rickshaw which my car almost hit moments earlier stood next to me.
I rolled over the window and chastised this moron, "KANA MARIBA KU PRABALA ICHHAA (You got a tremendous death wish) ? The guy had no remorse. He bent to spew red spit on the ground and grinned back to me to my chagrin, exposing his black betel stained teeth like the snarl of a rabid dog. As he sped away, he spewed some venom at me. It was drowned by the high decibel traffic, but from his lip movement I knew he wasn't saying praiseworthy things about me. As a thank you note, I promptly reciprocated kindly with my lip movement of praiseworthy stuff for him, which would have made anyone from Puri highly proud. As he sped away, from his look I could gather my message was well conveyed, inaudible but effective.
Just the other day as I was walking on the street across our house, a car was backing up to take a U-turn. A la a doggie protruding its head out of car window, the driver drooped his outside the window and did a "pooch" to spit out his red beter saliva on the street, continuing backing up while brushing his hair looking at the rear view mirror. He didn't care to stop even if I was walking right behind his car. If I didn't stop on time, he would have no hesitancy to run over me. I hollered at him - "KANA MOTE MAARIBA KU ICHHA (Do you intend to kill me) ? The driver gave me a half baked smile and nonchalantly drove away. From someone having a death wish by coming right in front of me to another guy eager to run over me, the errant drivers have come a long way, putting me in tenterhooks.
Years ago, I was walking at exactly the same spot across the street from our house where the car almost ran over me. Suddenly I saw a car's side view mirror hitting a little girl as it tried to overtake her, clipping her right shoulder tangentially from behind. The poor girl fell flat on the street. The reckless driver looked back and sped away. But before he fled, I managed to captured his number tag and photographed it in my mind.
The bystanders including me rushed to the girl. She was shell shocked and shobbing. Thankfully her injury was minor baring few bruises on her knees and elbow. Her parents who lived at a stone's throw distance soon arrived at the scene. As the girl, still crying hugged her parents for comfort, her father asked the bystanders if any one by chance knew the driver of the car or noted its number tag on plate. I came forward and told him to note the number starting with "OD-Whatever" before I forget. Her father was fuming in anger and was furious - "MU SE HARAMI KU CHHADIBINI (I won't let that son of a bitch get away). I am going to press charges to police". Thanking me profusely, he took my local address and phone number. I assured him to reach out to me for any further help.
After coming back home, I narrated this incident to all present, thinking I would be appreciated for my efforts. But I was wrong. My mother and PIUSI (father's sister) started chastising me - "You are a GADHA (donkey), a GANDA MURKHA (deep rooted moron). Being a visitor here only for just a few days, why do you get entangled into this mess ? Police case HEI JIBA. TU HAIRAAN HABU (there could be a police case and you can be in trouble). Folks here are very wary of police and prefer to stay away from them.
The only person who didn't say anything after listening to my ordeal was my father. His silent face bore the quite testimony of the approval of my action. One indeed needs to be very careful while walking on the roads frequented by vehicles, keeping an eye on the traffic around. Prevention is always better than cure. Pedestrians generally have right of the way, but here in Bhubaneswar they don't. Cat has nine lives, we just got one. More later...
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