Adversity brings out the best in someone

How often has this phrase been used? V.V.S. Laxman steers India to a Test victory yet again, NSG commandoes take out terrorists from an initially highly disadvantageous position, Mumbai city stands together to help all its fellow citizens who've just been affected by a cloudburst or by a deadly terrorist attack...and many more such instances.

But, I've to talk about an entirely different context. Borrowing slightly from Srijith's (my brother) blog http://srijithadvtg.blogspot.com/2009/12/hello-auto.html , I'll be talking about driving on Pune's roads.

As I'm bracing myself to take the plunge in driving in Pune, I'm getting myself mentally prepared for how the experience will be.

A normal Puneite is a nice, gentle, at times laid-back and peace-loving person - be it at home, at work, in shopping malls, railway stations (even if standing in long waiting queues). So then, where does the Puneite dissipate all the energy generated by eating all the vada-pavs, misal pavs, bhakri-usals et al......Where else? On the ROADS!!

On a straight road with no traffic, all vehicle drivers (2,3 or 4 wheeler drivers) will do a sleepy 10 or at the max 20 km per hr. But the moment traffic appears, this very driver drools at the prospect like a lion which has just tasted blood. The denser the traffic, the heavier the drooling. He accelerates past vegetable hawkers, cows, buffaloes, sheep, oncoming traffic, buses and all possible obstructions twisting and turning at impossible angles and manoeuvring at unimaginable speeds. It is here that the age-old adage mentioned in the title comes into play.

All vehicle drivers in Pune seem to live life on the roads by this adage. This is coupled with a confident assumption that 'Not only do I love my life you love yours too!'. So, they pose instances in front of oncoming traffic, vehicles they are overtaking which force them to bring their legal paths to grinding halts or make similar unamiginable manoeuvres themselves!

Each journey on the streets of Pune is a different story. Each vehicle on the street can be a potential threat. Anything on the road can bring a different twist to your journey.But the moment they step out of the vehicle, the peace-loving gentle Puneite steps out as though having had a rebirth.

There are so many things to factor in while mentally preparing to hit the roads in Pune...Let's hope for the best!