The Hindu : New Delhi News : Inside Delhi

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Jan 04, 2005

New Delhi

New Delhi

Inside Delhi

On `backseat' action

The Capital's auto-rickshaw drivers are clearly a fast lot. And not just when it comes to speeding across the city roads, but also when it comes to taking note of "backseat'' action.

Often with an opinion on everything, initiating conversations with passengers is an art that most seem to have mastered. If a routine squabble over the fare doesn't trigger it, something else will. Only, as this particular driver taught his passenger, auto-rickshaw drivers are not just good at talking and arguing but also keeping their ears open.

Driving from Greater Kailash to Connaught Place, the driver in question started the conversation by asking his passenger if she thought Delhi had changed over the years. Originally a resident of Lucknow, the driver said he was not very happy with the way things worked in the Capital.

"Nobody cares here, I don't even know my neighbours. But things are different in Lucknow. People are not as rich, but life is nicer,'' he rattled off.

Then, of course, came the bouncer. He added there was another thing that he did not like about the city. "Ab ladkiyan ladkon ko patati hain. (Now girls woo boys)." Asked why he had problems with it, he added: "It's not bad, but in a majority of cases, it is the girl who takes the initiative now.'' Queried why he thought so, the driver was quick to retort that it was all because of the backseat drama that he witnesses everyday.

"All these girls are so smart. They ask the guy for his address, where they should meet and also other things. Girls these days are just too smart, they don't wait for the boy to take the initiative'' he said.

Courting

the devil

Driving blind-folded might be a daring `trick' that most people would pay to see in a circus, but for Delhiites it is almost routine in winter with the dense fog making it impossible to see. And while it might be difficult to fight nature, driving through the fog would be a little less stressful if people only obeyed the law as this Delhiite learnt the hard way.

On his way back home on a foggy night, he found that driving on Delhi roads was like trying to manoeuvre an obstacle course. With visibility down to almost zero, he found that besides trying to keep track of where he was going, he was also forced to be on the look out for huge trailers driving without any reflectors.

Unfortunately, trucks, trailers and buses are not the only ones that seem to overlook safety issues. Dare-devil drivers keen to reach their destination at break-neck speed despite the weather-conditions are no better, he discovered. The law might not be a priority for most Delhiites, but refusing to stop at traffic lights when they are probably the only reliable indicator in the fog is just courting the devil.

War or peace?

In a competition for headlines, would war win over peace? Unfortunate as it seems, for this group of people travelling through India and Pakistan with a message of friendship, their little brush with reality seems to have taught them that "peace makes no news". Instead, war captures the headlines.

Almost appealing to the audience, well-known Gandhian and social activist, Nirmala Despande -- involved in organising the Delhi leg for the delegation -- during a press conference in the city today said, "It is very sad that when peace is discussed, it is almost always ignored. It is very important to keep this issue alive. Peace is an integral issue''. Recounting incidents from the years of activism behind her, with a tinge of cynicism she added, "Even during the Kargil War, there was a joint statement issued by 25 eminent Indians and Pakistanis that spoke about the need for peace and friendship among both the countries. Our representative went to all the media houses with the statement. But save for one national daily, no one bothered about it. Instead we were told that `Peace makes no news'.''

Many might feel that peace has been resigned to the realms of rhetoric, but even so, perhaps the rhetoric needs to be maintained so that it is not forgotten. After all, a cliché might lack originality but that does not make it any less meaningful.

Anjali Dhal Samanta

By Lakshmi B.Ghosh, Mandira Nayar and Anjali Dhal Samanta

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

New Delhi