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-   -   A mob saved me! (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/street-experiences/102228-mob-saved-me.html)

Most posts about mobs have been how indifferent they are, or how they always side with the local guy. I had an experience last month which shows that a mob can help you.

Date: April end, 2011
Location: Hafeezpet bridge, Hyderabad
Car: My Hyderabad-registered i10
Language: Speak some Telugu, and speak Hindi well. But won't pass off as a Hyderabadi.

I had to travel to Hyderabad last month. A medical emergency in the family, and me and my wife were off from Bangalore in a 20 minutes notice. Checked flights, but the earliest flight was at 4.30 PM. And cost 8k one-way. It was 1 PM at Kundalahalli Gate, topped up and we were off. The old dependable (yes, she has crossed 60k kms last month and warrants to be called old!) did her job with minimum fuss. In fact, we cruised at 150+ speeds and reached Nampally at 8.15 PM. I have done many 2 AM starts in the last 6 months, and this journey reminded me how the hot AP summer actually makes for an empty highway. Scorching heat, but lower time than my early morning runs.

But I digress. I decided to work for a day or two as we need to stay back for a bit. I goto office in Madhapur on a Saturday, work for a bit and then have to meet my team for lunch. I decide to get out, meet a few old friends and get back to work. I head to Allwyn junction. Just before I reach Hafeezpet bridge, I see a 5 car stoppage. This is because a white scorpio comes from below the bridge on the left side and decides to drive a bit on the wrong side and cut to the other side. Sigh, I never will get used to the Hyderabadi way of driving! Short-cuts with impunity, speeding and braking, hmm. But I have made peace with all of this. I am the 6th car, waiting for the scorpio to do what he he is doing.

And then I see this Honda city speeding behind me. I keep watching the rear-view, as I do a lot of highway runs. And then I know - he doesn't realise the 6 cars are not moving. I move as close as possible to the car in front of me. But the inevitable happens - he bangs my car. Luckily he had swerved to the left in the split second before hitting me. So I know its a minor hit.

He goes and parks to the left. I go and park behind him. Get out of the car, and on inspection find no damage. I don't make eye-contact as in my 3 years in Hyderabad I realized costlier the vehicle bigger chance of a thug sitting inside. This is true of many places, but is amplified in Hyderabad. (No offence to any Hyderabadi! I love visiting :) )

I start off, and the middle-aged man driving it signals me to stop. He is on the left-most lane, while I am now in the middle lane parallel to him. He says "why didnt you switch on the emergency lights?". I say "I was exactly 5 seconds ahead of you. Why were you doing such a high speed in this road?". Sheesh, people drive without noticing anything more than the front car? But I am smiling. And am ready to move on.

Then suddenly I realise things are going bad. Theirs wasn't the only car. There is another big car in front where this man's offspring (I am guessing!) and other rif-raff are seated. Two huge blokes get off that car and approach me. They had parked at the start of the Hafeezpet bridge. I have my window rolled down. I smile at the main guy and say "what?". He isn't interested in talking! Looks like from a B-grade Telugu movie. Snarls, says "Endhi be...." and says give me your keys in Telugu. He grabs my keys and starts walking to his fathers car. I am like "is this happening?". But I am not too shocked. I get off the car and walk towards them. He swaggers like Nagarjuna (or whoever!) and tells his father "lets not give him his keys. etc etc". Things looking bad for me.

And then the tide turned. In that 10 seconds of walking to their car, a huge mob of 15-20 people run from under the bridge. Thanks to this guys antics, there is only 1 lane now free for vehicles to get onto the bridge. This has created a sudden snarl, angry honking and shouting. Thats why the mob.

They look at me and say "kya hua saab". I tell them the first thing which comes to my mind, "dekho. meraa gaadi ko maaraa aur meraa chaabi le liya!". 15 guys turn to this fellow. The guy freezes. I am watching. Thug gets nervous. His dad very nervous. Thug walks to me and gives me my keys. He is looking down. And lo behold he says "Sorry!" Ha ha ha!

I don't push my luck. Decide to drive off. The leader of the mob comes to me and says "saab agar wo chaabi nahin detaa to abhi usko maarthe". Thank him and leave

Bless the mob. Bless Hafeezpet.

Ain't that a pleasant experience.

But the last statement by the mob leader explains just how fickle a mob's mentality is.

Guess your Hyderabad-registered car had a small role to play in the episode; it was like both of you were on the same level. An out of station car and it could be a diff. ball game.

Nevertheless, glad you got out of it nice and easy.

Wow!! nice that mob was on your side and for once understanding of the situation.

But then, lately, I have observed in hyderabad that people are getting impatient of these morons on the road. Everyone wants to reach their quick and safe and anyone who blocks their way is asking for trouble.
And I wonder, if those morons, had parked their car properly and not blocked the way, then probably you would have had a tough time with them.
I am sometime amazed and perplexed how people can drive on the road unmindful of everyone and everything else and why is that some people just refuse to use their commonsense a little more then what they do on the road.
Good, that it all ended nicely for you and not to forget that their was no damage to the car.
Drive Safe.

Could someone translate that for me please ?
As also what carzest says

Mob: kya hua saab (What happened sir)
Carzest: dekho. meraa gaadi ko maaraa aur meraa chaabi le liya (See banged my car and took car keys too)

Mob leader:saab agar wo chaabi nahin detaa to abhi usko maarthe (If he hadn't returned the keys we would have thrashed him)

@esteem lover: Now put the sentences back in the post and read.

They look at me and say "kya hua saab". I tell them the first thing which comes to my mind, "dekho. meraa gaadi ko maaraa aur meraa chaabi le liya!". 15 guys turn to this fellow. The guy freezes. I am watching. Thug gets nervous. His dad very nervous. Thug walks to me and gives me my keys. He is looking down. And lo behold he says "Sorry!" Ha ha ha!

I don't push my luck. Decide to drive off. The leader of the mob comes to me and says "saab agar wo chaabi nahin detaa to abhi usko maarthe".

"What happened, Sir?"

"See. He hit my car and then took the car key!"

"Had he not given the key now, we would have assaulted him".

The key to surviving traffic and prospective road rage in metro's is to never make eye contact. Minor bumps into your vehicle, just moving on is the mantra. Very well done carZest, as Fordmanchau aptly said, people are getting more and more impatient on the roads.

You behaved perfectly. It must have been SUH-weet to hear the thug say sorry. I have always liked Hyderabad and this raises the city another notch in my esteem. Can't say the same for Bangalore, where a friend and I were subjected to abuse and almost beaten up for asking a guy to move a double-parked car that was blocking a whole lane of traffic just because we wore IT company tags and weren't fluent in Kannada.

You were quite fortunate with your vehicle registration, the mood of the mob and the location of your incident. In other words all stars aligned in the correct position! People are anyway looking for a scapegoat; haath dhone ke liye.

I wonder who they would have supported if your vehicle was a different registration. Or if the incident had happened with your AP car in another state.

noopster, did you have a KA registered car? even if you did, I guess your tags must have been the proverbial red rag to a bull. I am glad you escaped unhurt, during my stay I have seen some nasty incidents both in Hyderabad and Bangalore. I dont think its limited to any city these days, though it may be pronounced in some areas more than others due to disparity or previous experiences

I always try and ensure that I am neither the first chap nor the last one on a traffic light as these have the max chances of being hit by a car coming from back at high speed or by an idiot from other directions trying to make a last ditch effort even though he has a red signal.

Also, i do disagree to certain extent in the sense that sometimes you do need to make eye contact and show the Idiots on road that you have freedom of space too. Of course, eye contact is more often that not, best avoided.

Yes of course. And my home was just a km or two away. I was living in Bangalore at the time. Trust me, it didn't matter to the rowdies who ganged up in no time

Hmmm quite possible. Last I visited Hyd was in 99-00! :D

I am sorry to say that I disagree with this suggestion. Avoiding eye-contact is like accepting that you are wrong when it is not really true.

Please read my full post. Ive been very clear in my thoughts.

"Also, i do disagree to certain extent in the sense that sometimes you do need to make eye contact and show the Idiots on road that you have freedom of space too".

The reason why i say eye contact is "more often than not best avoided" is for the times when we are traveling with our elderly parents, and our new borns, (more importantly our carrying wives). After all, our ego is not so important as our lives are.

Very nice to know that the mob rescued you against a thug who had snatched the key. But i would like to narrate one incident when i just had to stop the car since a mob was surrounding a outstation Kerala registration car near Kaup. The driver a young boy in his Indica had hit a child crossing the road. The child was taken to the hospital and cops were supposed to come. It was nervous time for family in the car, probably the emotional time. Father was willing to pay compensation and wanted to move out as early from the scene. I took some photographs of the crowd and the driver. I told the crowd not to lynch the driver, because the crowd can be nasty in these parts. I told them i have evidence. Let the cops come and do their duty. Somebody asked who are you " i just told them i am in civil defence " they were convinced and sobered down. Sometimes one has to take a call, it may be risky decision, but to protect an offender, who had not deliberately run over the child too is in order i suppose.

True, perhaps I had misinterpreted your post to an extent. My bad.

Well said. We do tend to forget this sometimes.