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By the horns
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The city seems full of people in a tearing hurry as they shatter the peace with loud horns discovers Anoop Bharadwaj
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Pensioners’ Paradise. The sobriquet that was granted exclusively to Bangalore and now remembered by a few, who’ve witnessed the metamorphosis of the once-peaceful cantonment into a metaphor for mayhem, has nearly sunk into oblivion. Quite
rightly so, given the chaos that happens on the roads of the city daily. And let alone the proliferation of two wheelers and taxis, what adds to the irritation is the reckless honking by the drivers. Is everyone in such a hurry that he or she doesn’t care how the others are driving?
I for one wouldn’t outright accept the theory that all are in a tearing hurry to reach their destination. It may be just that the people think it’s their right to sound that horn. Like it’s absolutely necessary to use the horn every time they make the trip, however short it is, and however clear the roads are! Not for a moment would they even think about the extent of inconvenience it causes to the fellow commuters on the road. Cab drivers especially use horns that are shrill enough to shatter eardrums. Though it is understandable that more often than not, they would be ferrying employees of call centres and other BPOs, and that maintaining time is absolutely essential, the extent to which they use the horns speaks of indifference on the part of the drivers.
What is also annoying is that most of the drivers honk even when the traffic is moving smoothly, and maintaining lane discipline!! It is definitely not considerate on their part to force the vehicle in the front to make way for them, when the latter isn’t blocking the traffic at all. There’ve been numerous instances where I’ve seen some riders blasting the horn away in absolutely calm residential areas.
One couldn’t help but get a feel that the chap behind the wheel is announcing his arrival in a big way.It is sad that there’s no law against reckless use of horns in vehicles. That may not even happen, because it is all subjective, isn’t it? Again one can’t help but make a comparison with the West, where the traffic takes offence to indiscriminate horning on the roads. After all, it takes much more than IT boom to make a superpower of a nation!
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