North and South

I have a colleague who always rants about how people from the south are more passionate and considerate.

"If you see someone driving rashly, 8 out of 10 times it would be a car with a Delhi or UP number plate or may be the guy is from Delhi and driving a Karnataka registered car" He says.

Quite a statement!

My only hangout in Bangalore is the Forum mall. The PVR and the Landmark are the only two places I visit during the weekends. To get there you have to take the road towards the seventh block in Koramangala. This road seems to have a perennial source of traffic.During the first days of arrival in Bangalore, I tried to abide by the rules,taking the zebra crossings to cross the street.

I would hold up my hand and take a step only to find honking cars stepping on the gas.I would retreat and try again. Frustrated with the futility of my attitude to abide by the rules I gave up. Instead I started looking for a gap in the oncoming stream of cars and bikes and when I got the slightest ray of hope of making my trip , I would dart across the road only to find being honked at from the other side of the road.

So much so for North and South wasn't it the same case in Delhi and Bangalore ?

But I did not hear the curse that I would usually get if I was caught in the same situation in Delhi. Probably there is a difference.

This morning when I was taking the same road to the Bank to get some statements, I saw two blind men standing by the bus stop a few yards away,apparently trying to cross the road. My heart went out to them. I , having an enabled visionary capability, could find the task of crossing this road such a life threatening experience, what would they face ?

A good Samaritan probably felt the same and volunteered to help the two hapless men across the street.

He held one of the two men by his right hand and with his left he signalled the oncoming traffic to be a little considerate of their hurry to make towards the slipping end of their world, while the other man held on the first one like a daisy chain.

Sweet surprise !! The cars and bikes obliged. They slowed down to a stop and gave way only one of them honked ! Was he from the North ? I don't have any idea. "All Indians look the same." That's what some of my Chinese friends told me while I was in Dubai.

I at that moment had a Deja vu. Albeit with a twist.

I was in Delhi two years ago trying to do the same thing. I was at a signal where the road from Paharganj intersected the circular road in Cannought Circle trying to cross the street towards the Metro station. The signal across the street for the pedestrians was going from red to green and green to red but none of the rush of buses,cars bikes and cycles would stop to give a glance at the Red light in front of them. After some three cycles of the phenomenon I felt someone tugging at my shirt!

"Bhaiyya mujhe rasta par kara do..."

A Blind man and an old one for that ! I felt like saying .. "Baba apko kya paar kara doon ...mere khud ke lale pade hain!" but I refrained. Perhaps I am not so inconsiderate. I said... "Jaroor, traffic bahot hai par koshish karte hain"...

Holding his left arm I used my right to signal that I wished to cross the street to the gentlemen hurtling their mode of transport towards me. The signal in fornt of me was green so I saw no harm in taking the plunge onto the zebra crossing,which I think was painted a century ago.

A Blue line bus, the leader of the pack of racers, screeched to halt and so did a few more vehicles after him.

"Ma....., marna hai kya?"

Something in my head snapped. First I never took abusive language and that too when I was not at the wrong side of deeds. Second I was trying to help a blind man.

"Dikhta nahin hai kya .? " I pointed towards the green light across his side,seething inside.

He took one glance at the thing I was pointing to.

"Abe teri to...." He made a movement as if to get down from the bus and dim the living day lights out of me. That moment I had a strange feeling in me! I cannot describe it.

As I was afraid of my status on earth, I simply hurried across pulling along the blind man with me. I did not look back. I let the blind man's hand go and was rude enough not to have reassured my old companion of the small adventure on the streets of Delhi that he was safely across the jungle.

Probably there is a difference or perhaps there can be an error of judgement, not quantifiable with random acts!