The roads of Nagaland are underway and the public waits expectantly and eagerly for the final stages of completion. Amidst this, are the daily experiences that drivers and pedestrians face while commuting. Kahor Raleng shares her bitter-sweet experiences while driving on the roads of Dimapur, which makes us not just mindful but also reminds us to look at the lighter side of life.
Life on the Roads of Dimapur
As I travel to work every day and take the Purana Bazar to 5th Mile route, frustrations abound my path. It is a given fact that I have to encounter rash drivers, selfish passengers and thoughtless pedestrians, or just frustrated drivers like me. The road construction has gone on for a longer duration than we had hoped for. No doubt, we want better roads but we never bargained for all the troubles that we had to grapple with. In the process, I have come to realize that we Dimapurians are indeed lacking in civic sense. Let me dwell on the type of people that I have come across in my trajectory.
The first group that I would like to explore is the rash drivers. I believe all drivers in Dimapur have bumped into this category of drivers at one point or the other. First and foremost, they behave as though they own the road. They are least concerned about giving distress to the other drivers and their trade mark is, they never follow the traffic rules. They are very recognizable because they will always drive above the speed limit. Come to think of it, almost half the population of drivers in Dimapur seem to belong to this category. But that doesn’t mean that the passengers are all wonderful.
The second group that has caught my attention are the selfish passengers. I am sure all of us have chanced upon this type of passenger. They normally get down from the auto in the exact spot that they want to though there may be vehicles or traffic jam behind them. And this same passengers will take a life time to take out their money to pay to the auto driver and in the process make everybody wait for the transaction to be over. I guess I am justified to say that they are just plain selfish. I am sure they won’t lose anything if they walk for a few extra metres. In fact it is good exercise to walk. This category also includes those who have to hail an auto or bus. It is so difficult for them to walk a few meters and wait for the auto or bus at a more convenient place in the road. I have seen this especially with those people who have to catch the school/college bus.
The third category of people is the thoughtless pedestrians. When they cross the road they literally become the showstoppers. They expect all the drivers to come to a standstill so that they can cross the road at a leisurely pace. Some are even occupied with their cell phones and doesn’t hear the blast of the horn. Believe me, I say this with experience. I was driving through a narrow stretch of road one fine morning and as I took a turn I saw a handsome young guy walking right in front, in the middle of the road. I honked the horn several times but he did not pay any heed and so I had to drive at a snail’s pace. Finally when I overtook him I glanced at him, which was a mistake. To my utter horror, I saw that he was listening to the headphone. Imagine! Listening to the headphone and walking in the middle of the road. I don’t know whether to label them as brave or foolish. It is very confusing indeed.
Finally, there is a group of drivers who by nature are very frustrated. This group is very interesting and I believe majority of us belong to this group. Just the other day, I had a very embarrassing situation. My car just conked out in the middle of the road and the drivers behind me started honking their horns regardless of how I was trying my best to start the car. I was so ashamed I wanted to crawl understand the car seat. I could literally taste the anger spewing out of the drivers behind me and I believe they were cursing me with colourful languages in the confines of their cars. Fortunately a friendly guy came over and pushed my car. Well, I don’t have any hard feelings towards them as I have also behaved in the same manner, though it is embarrassing to admit it. Why do I find them interesting? This group of drivers tries very hard to pretend that they are decent people. Like the guy just behind my car that fateful day who asked, “ki hoishey” and passed me by. At least he asked. These drivers try to hang on to their sanity but it is so difficult when you are surrounded by insanity.
I know it is next to impossible to put on a big smile and drive through the Dimapur road with all the constructions going on. But it does call for a little bit of humanity on our part. We need to remember that we are all in the same boat. It is a stark reality that we are on the verge of completely losing our civic sense and all of us are accountable for it. A little bit of kindness will not hurt neither will a tiny bit of patience.
I salute the thoughtful and kind drivers and individuals. Like the driver who let me pass and waited patiently as I navigated a narrow stretch, the driver who gave me a thumbs up because I let him pass, the individual who helped me when my car slipped or the one who helped me when I had a flat tire on the highway. But they are too few in number. Nevertheless, when I come across one of them it definitely puts a smile on my face and makes me believe in humanity all over again.
Degree of Thought is a weekly community column initiated by Tetso College in partnership with The Morung Express. Degree of Thought will delve into the social, cultural, political and educational issues around us. The views expressed here do not reflect the opinion of the institution. Tetso College is a NAAC Accredited UGC recognised Commerce and Arts College. The editors are Dr Hewasa Lorin, Dr. Aniruddha Babar, Dr. Pfokrelo Kapesa, Webei Tsühah, Meren and Kvulo Lorin.
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