Monday, April 5, 2010

CROSSING ROADS

One of my biggest fears is the fear of crossing roads. The mere thought of crossing the road gives me a bad feeling in my stomach and for a dromophobic like me, Bangalore traffic is the worst to encounter. I live in the Campus of Christ University Bangalore. The campus is vast, green and peaceful. Till you are within the limits of the campus you will feel as though you are in a quiet town but the moment you step out of the main gate the dairy circle traffic is zooming past with deafening noises of honking horns and speeding bikes with and without their silencers. Monster like buses which stop anywhere they want and park so close to the pavement (the little that there is of it) that the pedestrians can be run over any time if they are not careful or if god is not with them. Amidst all this, since there is no U turn for a kilometre every time I need to go the opposite direction I need to cross the road, when I want to go to my favourite-The Forum Mall ,I need to cross the road, when I have to get food packed from a nearby restaurant, I need to cross the road. In order for me to cross the road I need it literally empty. As that is nearly impossible, I wait for 10-15 minutes when I find a few seconds when there’s no traffic for 10-15 meters or so and I attempt a sprint only to reach the divider and then wait there another fifteen minutes to cross finally to the other side with a pounding heart and high BP .To top up the misery some “lafangas “somehow come and stand on both sides while I’m on the divider. I guess they find me as a weak target observing my struggle to cross the roads.


Some of my friends have been very helpful -holding my hand and making me cross the road just as they would help a blind man. Somehow it makes me feels that God is on purpose trying to mock me by locating every nice place on the other side of the road. Not being able to cross the road infuriates me even more when all others attempting to do so, do it so quickly and I see all of them on the other side with a blink of an eyelid when I still remain frozen on one side waiting for the forever busy Bangalore traffic to make way for me. I feel like walking with a stop sign so that I can hold it in front of the drivers who are totally inconsiderate about pedestrians like me. Just because they are on wheels doesn’t make them own the roads. Another thing that complicates the road crossing exercise for me is the slow moving vehicles. I’ll find a slow moving vehicle and attempt to cross the road when suddenly the driver will have a burst of energy and as soon as I step on the road the vehicle will speed up forcing me to step back and save my life. Then there are those wretched auto wala’s and truck drivers who have no sense of parking and park right in front of my face when I am trying to watch the road to find an escape. Since they block my view I lose a golden opportunity and then wait another 15 minutes for a turn. Oh crossing roads is dreadful for me.I hope some people will be able to understand my plight. I just wish there was a subway or over bridge (fear of heights is another fear) but it would still make my life better but for as now I’m trying to enjoy this life-threatening adventure everyday

5 comments:

  1. very well, welcome to the world of blog,,,,, keep it up....

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  2. Hey Swathi....good initiative...congratulations for ur placements and all the best for ur future!!

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  3. nice way of expressing urself................u are very honest swati..........very rare people possess this quality.....

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  4. Come to Mumbai, get trained in 2 days, your fear will be gone forever :D

    Very well-written. Like your style of mild embedded humour.

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