[lohithrao]

Frankly its in a sorry state where none are botherd about others... i think driving/riding would be a lot easy when the road users act responsibaly... but unfortunately most act other wise!

Last sunday it was raining heavily, had to drop my bro to the bus stop... so had to take my car since it was raining....came across so many stupid people so much of chaos created just because they were very irresponsible! Indica tryig to sqezz into a parking area where a auto wont fit...was blocking the road trying to fit in...on CMH raod near to MK retail people were stopping whereever they want....and thanks to bad visibility due to rain it was too hard.

And most of this idiotic behaviour was from people who atleast looked educated!!!

Can we expect things to improve?? am not too sure!

[shankar.balan]

pal
i appreciate your frustrations - however, dont let them overcome every aspect of your life. People will keep doing things to irritate you. The trick is not to get irritated!
It happens to my car every day even when it is parked in my office - some chap comes and fiddles with the external mirrors (probably admiring himself) and sends them completely out of alignment.
The main thing is when on the road, try and remain a gentleman - give right of way to pedestrians (invariably they get trapped in the middle) - though it is maybe their fault for having tried to cross where they were not supposed to! It costs very little to give. And see for yourself how much your blood pressure reduces!
The cost of making a difference is nothing - it is just practising these few decent things. It doesnt matter if you dont see everyone changing around you - you can still practice these things for your own satisfaction and be sure that you would certainly have made a small difference to someone elses (equally frustrated) life and maybe influenced him/ her because you have led by example!

Originally Posted by aaggoswami

@shankar.balan:
I am ready to start and infact i had started right back on June 29, 2002 when I got my first vehicle, bajaj Spirit.
But the sheer cost of making a difference is something we cant afford.
The indian middle class does want to exercise their right, but in India, they have to pay a price which they cant afford.
I am one of them, fortunately or unfortunately, its upto you.


OT: When I park my bike at college, I make it a point that I must park with the headlight facing the road and not fence. This is so because I can easily and safely take out bike and ride. But again people here would mess up with my RVM ( most of the two wheelers dont have RVMs ) if parked in this manner. I ended up parking like common man becasue I cant afford to every time adjust the RVM ( which possibly offer very least vision and are difficult to adjust for getting the optimum vision. ).

So I now cant afford to go agianst the flow. I am now not myself when I am on the road, so I have reduced travelling and driving car. I used to ride 1000km in city, now its 200km. Stopped driving car.

[shankar.balan]

thanks Sam

Its really upto us - and I am sure that a highly intelligent, educated bunch of people like there are on this Forum, CAN and WILL, over time, make the difference.

As far as I am concerned anyway, I will most certainly continue doing these small things in my micro environment - I shall certainly be the happier for having tried to do my bit.

cheers

[quote=Sam Kapasi;852180]I COMPLETELY agree with shankar.balan.

Be the change you want to see.

I don't want to sit around and wait for India to change. Who will it change for? Me?

[vijit.gangwar]

While driving I follow two simple rules...
A little bit of patience will not kill you &
Give way to the jerk.

[andy_dog_lover]

Kudos to Shankar Balan and Sam Kapasi!! You guys echo my thought process! For me, when I slow down at a zebra crossing and pedestrians look at me unbelievably (becoz most of the cars don't give a damn to the pedestrians) and cross the road after giving me a smile, it makes my day!! So I firmly believe that change starts with oneself and charity begins at home.

[srijit]

Originally Posted by vijit.gangwar

While driving I follow two simple rules...
A little bit of patience will not kill you &
Give way to the jerk.

Those are rules that I follow too Atleast I try to.

@Sam and @sankar.balan, I see your viewpoint. But when you see educated and intelligent people act like louts on the road, I cant help but wonder...

Will bringing in better roads, better govermnent, better paid police personnel improve road rage?

America has severe cases, mostly because of moving at 10mph on freeways.
On the other hand have seen and experienced the kindness of Singapore drivers, a country which has strict rules and regulations for automobiles.

[viper_711]

My two-paisa worth on this topic:

ENFORCE the law. In the process, a lot of fines will be collected. Put this in a central pool and distribute amongst all the traffic cops!
As a society we have all the laws required to make traffic streamlined and disciplined - the political will to enforce this is required.

There may be some cases of being wrongly fined but then you can always go to traffic court instead of on the spot settlement in such cases.

Additionally, a major education campaign should target kids. After all, FMCG companies stand testimony to the fact that kids can influence their parents greatly.

[aaggoswami]

Originally Posted by Sam Kapasi

I COMPLETELY agree with shankar.balan.

And hope that that there are other people like me who are busy changing themselves and the life around their micro universe.

I don't want to sit around and wait for India to change. Who will it change for? Me?


Fine my friend. This is your opinion and we must respect it.

And let us hypothetically assume everyone here accepts your opinion that India is hopeless and things will not improve and will only get worse.

Then what?

Originally Posted by shankar.balan

pal
i appreciate your frustrations - however, dont let them overcome every aspect of your life. People will keep doing things to irritate you. The trick is not to get irritated!
It happens to my car every day even when it is parked in my office - some chap comes and fiddles with the external mirrors (probably admiring himself) and sends them completely out of alignment.
The main thing is when on the road, try and remain a gentleman - give right of way to pedestrians (invariably they get trapped in the middle) - though it is maybe their fault for having tried to cross where they were not supposed to! It costs very little to give. And see for yourself how much your blood pressure reduces!
The cost of making a difference is nothing - it is just practising these few decent things. It doesnt matter if you dont see everyone changing around you - you can still practice these things for your own satisfaction and be sure that you would certainly have made a small difference to someone elses (equally frustrated) life and maybe influenced him/ her because you have led by example!

I lose!
I wonder why I end up losing in topics like these.

Improvement starts from the person itself. Agreed. And we can make a change happen. Agreed.
I was always a disciplined driver/rider but did that with anger and frustration. Now I will kick out the anger and frustration part. This also reduces or might reduce the close shaves with serious accidents I face daily.

OT: My dad has similar views. No wonder his blood pressure is in control and mine is always high after a stint on road. He can extract great efficiency also.

[shankar.balan]

dont worry about it. you certainly are not the loser by any means.
just dont let external circumstances which you cant control get to you
and if as many of us on the forum as possible, actually start following best practices on the roads and elsewhere, i think we will win in the end. It might be a long process, but atleast its a start!
Drive Decent, Drive Safe.

Originally Posted by aaggoswami

I lose!
I wonder why I end up losing in topics like these.

Improvement starts from the person itself. Agreed. And we can make a change happen. Agreed.
I was always a disciplined driver/rider but did that with anger and frustration. Now I will kick out the anger and frustration part. This also reduces or might reduce the close shaves with serious accidents I face daily.

OT: My dad has similar views. No wonder his blood pressure is in control and mine is always high after a stint on road. He can extract great efficiency also.

[Abhijat]

@speedmaster: Very true I saw Jeremy Clarkson episode on discovery showing how licenses were granted by just making people drive 15-20 meters at times not even that. I remember an Aussie mocking at Indian driving about this very episode and I remember defending India telling him it was a lie , I would still do that any day.

@vikram_d : I also think the number of cops is too low we need to have efficient cops that can generate some fear and they themselves should be educated . it is a long way away.

@shankar.balan: my dear friend whatever you said there is because you yourself are a good person and I think most of us are inherently good at heart. I have a goal in my life to donate 10% of my annual earnings and have done that successfully so far. Looking at the disparity around you its imperative we act and not just feel.

@ aaggoswami: I respect your opinions and feelings, right now I am in 100 % agreement with you.

@Sam Kapasi:
1. Let me also tell you I have friends who are literally soaked in money all earned by corruption and unfair means IAS officers sons and politicians and their greed is ever increasing it used to be few hundred crores its now thousand crores for the top politicians. If I start talking about societal degradation it will never end. I never feel I should pay my taxes but I still pay them.

2. That’s like saying you be the good fish in an ocean full of dirty ones I am sure you know where the saying goes from there on. Having said that, whenever I drive, I drive with care for other people and get none in return.

3. I really like what you have written there, its motivational and I think you are right we make the choices rest happens (Thank you).

4. I understand the rickshawalas and bicycle riders and would never lose my patience over them. Imagine when the red light is about to go green and you too can read the timer the guy behind honks repeatedly as if he is the schumi and you are the back marker the moment it turns green he is the dot in my rear mirror, you are at toll point and collecting money the guy behind honks and these are educated people. Like I said its something I can live with.
5. Agreed
6. Taken note of, I think that’s the least I can do.

I do give way to pedestrians and they are surprised at times because they are not expecting that. Driving here has not always been bad. I also remember how on asking the person before changing lanes he smiled and let me through.

@ aaggoswami: by the time I finished reading Sam’s reply I guess I too mellowed down his words do have a very calming effect and some of those points are very helpful.



@Sam Kapasi: You could publish a motivational book. Hope is what we live on.
Moral of the story: Be good and you wont have anything to carry no grudges, no irritations but a peaceful mind that will have good thoughts. I mean there is no other way out of this then.

[zenx]

Whoa! Is it the post IPL depression ? Thats a lot of misery and angst and resignation rolled into one.

I drove to the new airport recently - decent roads, good speeds and that ensured even the cabbies were kind of sticking to a lane, and most people used indicators before switching. Also on highways, there's lesser "centred" driving than earlier, and at least a few more people yield to oncoming bikers too.

I've been victim in a couple of road-scrapes with both the vehicle and myself sharing the outcome. But hey, things do improve. The road mix, the pressure of the population are factors, and we'll eventually evolve our own rules to work around those, but its certainly not all dark.

As Sam said that Gandhi said, be the change. (sometimes I do, sometimes I give in, but thats at least a few steps forward.)

Sam Kapasi - yes - you should post a few blog entries about how-to-look-at-life-and-other-stuff-right

[Fillmore]

Good points initiated by Abhijat and also by others...

Now its time for an comment.

An honest writeup , Should be A honest writeup.

Never use An before a letter that is not a vowel.
(I do not intend to hijack the thread....)

[anupmathur]

Originally Posted by Fillmore

An honest writeup , Should be A honest writeup.

Never use An before a letter that is not a vowel.

Fillmore, since the word 'honest' is pronounced with a vowel sound, the use of 'an' is correct.

The form an for the indefinite article is used before a spoken vowel sound, regardless of how the written word is spelt.

[esteem_lover]

Originally Posted by Fillmore

An honest writeup , Should be A honest writeup.

Never use An before a letter that is not a vowel.
(I do not intend to hijack the thread....)

You couldn't have been more incorrect, fillmore.

[aaggoswami]

@Abhijat:
After reading Sam_Kapsi and shankar.balan's post with a very cool and calm mind, they are seriously correct and the points are definitely helpful.