Bangalore blues

Do you know why Bangalore is not yet a metropolitan city? It’s because of us. Yes, don’t give me those looks! When was the last time we decided to sincerely wait at the signal when its red despite the fact that everyone around us is speeding away, giving us dirty stares; throw trash where it belonged, for example a dustbin instead of the streets; follow rules?

One only begins to acknowledge these things when faced with them firsthand. I travel everyday from jayanagar to vasantnagar on my bike at seven in the morning, a time when offices are not open, colleges haven’t begun and traffic is at a minimum. But apparently I’m mistaken. The fastest way to get to vasantnagar is through city market. Imagine this scenario. A two kilometer long traffic jam at 7.20 in the morning. Buses coming from every direction possible. People spitting out of those very buses without looking. Twelve policemen standing in clusters of three looking helpless. Flower vendors sitting in every place possible, not ready to budge. Roads all dug up due to the on going work of the metro. And the cherry on the cake- an ambulance blaring its siren, looking for some place to squeeze into. People are just standing and watching this mess. No one wants to do anything about it. They see the bus coming but don’t stop to give way. They stand bang in the middle of the road to attend a phone call. Where does one go from here? If someone were to ask me for a solution for it, I’m not so sure if I would be able to give one!!

This is not something one can achieve overnight. Rome wasn’t built in a day. If the people are not ready to understand these simple problems and try to find a solution for them, then they have absolutely no right to stand in one corner and criticize the government. Irrespective of the number of flyovers and speed bumps one puts, the traffic scene of Bangalore is not going to change unless the residents themselves do something. Just putting up signs telling people that they will be fined for spitting and urinating isn’t going to solve a problem of this caliber. We have to “put it into practice”, as my grandfather once told me. So the next time you see something like this going on, don’t be the one standing in that corner criticizing everyone, be that person who genuinely wants to bring some change. You’ll be surprised to see the number of people who would agree with you on it.