Roadhouse Blues or An Examination of the Mindless Depravity of Bangalore Traffic

I got a car!! A wine red Alto! Second hand..but with a music system, power steering and an AC. Its awesome cool and great fun to drive! Having said this, driving in Bangalore trains you for handling undisciplined driving (apparently indisciplined isn't a word!)in any part of the world. Bangaloreans simply DO NOT follow the traffic rules. Everyone takes the law into their own hands, everyone believes anything is possible on the road, everyone is in a blazing hurry and everyone doesn't give a %$&* about anyone else: "You come in my way (even though I'm reversing on to a main road with high speed traffic)? Go DIE Macha!"

I have been driving around a fair bit, over Indiranagar, Whitefield, Koramangala, Sadashivnagar and MG Road and have come to the general conclusion that the less you follow the rules yourself, the better the driver you are. However, this is the conclusion that the rest of the Bangalore populace has also come to. Thus, in order to distinguish myself and keep a firm grip on my life, I religious follow all the rules. I give the indicator when I change lanes. I start moving to the left/ right at-least 10 to 15 feet before I have to make a turn. I honk at all turnings and pedestrians. I maintain a 3-4 feet gap between myself and the next car in traffic pile ups. However, no one and mean NO one else does..and moreover, they get angry if you do it. I think my conscientiousness pisses them off because I remind them of what they should be doing. Having said this, it is better to expect the unexpected in Bangalore - in fact, it is better to not expect the expected at all. If there is a two wheeler or auto on your right, it will invariably cut to your left at the last moment. If there is a bus behind you, the driver will try to edge it into gaps like a two wheeler. Most importantly, if you live in Indiranagar, watch out for a Ford Ikon, registration number 2192 or something like that, which drives in a strangely zig zag fashion at a very high speed.

I have to conclude though that I love driving. In traffic or on a free road, it is simply exhilarating. There is as much satisfaction in maneuvering your car through traffic and successfully dodging that auto which meanders aimlessly in the middle of the street as there is in racing down the Indiranagar - Koramangala Ring Road. It leaves you wonderfully fresh as opposed to tired and frustrated. I guess when one has to do it everyday, it gets to them. But right now I'm positively addicted to it!