The Real time (Video) Game

I have never been a fan of video games since my childhood. When some of my friends had video games and they would play with elan, I would just look at them and walk away.

I used to wear a Casio electronic watch then. It also had a small version of video game in it which I seldom played. Coming to think of it those Casio watches were perhaps today’s smartphones! So even today I don’t play games on my phone. Why? May be I am never good at it. It needs some nerve to hold. It needs patience.  I would feel stressed out and give up, while popularly those were supposed to be stress busters! The timing has to be so perfect to master a particular jump or hit a target or whatever. That level of precision or timing might not have been conducive for my restless and fidgety nature, so I never felt like venturing.

Enough said, and then life changes. I still don’t like video games, but I play a real-time version of it every day.  And trying to master it every single day.

Can you guess what I am referring to? If you have not guessed it as yet – it is the driving in Indian roads! For the time being I am going to stick to my observations to Mumbai, the city that I live in! I am told most other cities in India are far worse if not different, when it comes to driving comfort.

Nonetheless…

When I first came into this city of dreams( indeed it is, and I am in love with this city) many years ago, this city was well known for the most disciplined more so with respect to traffic. People were selfless and abided by the rules and regulations strictly, perhaps they were wired in such a way that they did not have time to think of anything else but to follow the rules. Life was cool, mechanical and yet good.

What has changed? Life is still good, life is still mechanical.

In an earlier organisation where I was working more than a decade and a half ago, I was one of the lucky employees to get a car. The company car came with a few riders which would reflect even in my performance appraisal. I was not just expected to deliver the business results, but there were a plethora of other soft Key Result Areas which were as important. One such used to be the concept of “defensive driving”! I was groomed in such an environment of excellent practices and had a chance to practice in the most disciplined city of India.

What has changed? Life is still good, life is still mechanical. But should I say, it has become a lot more adventurous. Driving now is a crazy circus.

Let me narrate as a passive rider-observer.

• What happens when you land in a junction without a signal? Everyone jumps in resulting in an uncalled for jam that lasts for 20 minutes for no reason. # Me first! Me first and lo! All last! Or, At last!

• Ok, you are in the junction, again unmanned and without a signal, and you are just about to cross junction. You hold your nerve to jump before the guy from your right blocks you who had been inching. Alas, a cyclist just passes by. You missed it by a fraction of a second. The cyclist moves. You suddenly get a feeling that the cyclist opened a flood gate! A stream of vehicles gush out. You are stuck again. And wait for your chance to pounce on without allowing another cyclist or the pedestrian to pass by. In my mother tongue(Tamil) – there’s a slang referring to this bizarre concept. Literally! #Cyclegap #Tamilslang

• Oh, the pedestrians have the right to cross anywhere and everywhere. They just have to show their hand and the whole world has to come to a halt. The only catch is every 10 meters on a busy road, someone has to cross! #Every minute pit-stop

                                            

• Children now are learning from their “right”eous parents to wave their hand to stop any vehicle anywhere, as their rights. The keep their hands high, above their head. #Pass on the rights

• Ah, the autorickshaws –don’t get me started on this topic please. They can stop in the middle of the road. Can take a U turn anywhere. Board passengers anywhere. Signals or one ways do not matter to them. They somehow remind me of a million cockroaches in a place nibbling away on their way! #Coackroaches are known to survive even volcano!

• Bikers – you find all types of bikers. This population has increased significantly lately. From Antics to Antiques on the road. There are loud engine Heroes with girlfriends as pillions and want to show off their heroic driving skills to impress the belle. While I am scared, I wish them well. # The Beau & the Belle

• The other day, while I was waiting in the long queue on a heavily traffic road (as usual), a biker came next to me a started yelling. I was on the left most lane. Already there were seven lanes of cars formed on a four lane road. My friends who come from abroad would be amazed at our driving in Mumbai as we are used to drive with a 3 inch gap between adjacent vehicles, in front or on the sides. Ok, let me not digress – I was wondering why that biker was yelling at me for no fault of mine. I realised that I was at the left most end not leaving any gap. Oh there’s this unwritten rule that I am supposed to leave a 2 feet gap between the pavement and my car, so that biker trail can squeeze through. #Bikers’ rights for the left

                                     

• Mumbai welcomes and accommodates anybody anywhere. There’s a place for anyone. Seldom a no. That includes these mute(moo) friends too… #Morning breakfast #Evening troll #Holy cow!

                                       

                                           

•  And the most intriguing question – why do people honk? #Thunderous

To me driving is as wonderful and adventurous as the videogame. However, unlike the gadget I am now trying to improve in this real time game.  It makes me patient, it makes me perfect my timing. I become magnanimous in allowing an old person to pass by even if it is not a pedestrian crossing area, but not allow the tea sipping hand waver.

Will I be able to follow those defensive driving fundamentals & techniques that I was once proud of?

It is blissful to drive without the use of the horns.

And it is monsoon time in Mumbai, and it is fun to drive during the monsoons.

Despite the million potholes and all the civic issues, we Bombayites(nee Mumbaikars) are very rarely delayed for meetings. The Mumbai professionalism is still intact.

Life is still cool, life is still mechanical. Life is still good. #Mumbaimerijaan!