Today morning I got a pleasant surprise.
I was struggling on the road outside Dadar Station to catch a cab to my office at Shivaji Park. None of the drivers were ready to go as I did not have a change of fifty (it's a minimum fare from Dadar (W) to Shivaji Park). So, in all the desperation that I had to take a cab to work, I bought a bottled of packaged water to get myself a change of cash.
And as I turned back, I saw a vacant Taxi approaching. I showed out my hand and it stopped. Even before I could complete saying "Shivaji Park", the cabbie said it.
This was followed by the following monologue from him:
"Aapke kapdon pe likha hai aapko Shivaji Park jana hai.
Aapke bag pe likha hai.
Aapke chashme pe likha hai.
Aapke to poore chahre se tapak raha hai Shivaji Park, Mayor Bunglow, Veer Savarkar Trust"
I couldn't help but laugh with him and admire his friendliness.
He went on to tell me how he daily watches so many of my fellow office colleagues lined up on this road and often drops them (and amuses them with his banter).
He even knew the best route.
It surely was a good start to a mundane Monday!
Showing posts with label Traffic. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Traffic. Show all posts
Monday, October 18, 2010
Friday, July 04, 2008
A bridge an hour!!
When we were in grade 5 were taught the unit of speed as kilometers per hour, metres per second, etc. but having come to Mumbai I have come across this new unit of measuring speed - A bridge an hour.
As is with all others units in physics this is very self explanatory and easy to understand. What is different is that its very expensive to be used. Let me explain you with an example.
You are traveling from Kanjurmarg to Powai. There is a bridge that you have to cross. You are in an auto-rickshaw with the meter down. As you wade past the thick traffic enroute you come on this bridge. There is a cluster of vehicles a little ahead. You have been luck so far to have been successful in navigating through the traffic and you very confidently tell the auto-wallah to take you through the bridge much against his expert opinion to take an alternate rout. And rest they say is ............ So there you are at the end of the line (or may be at the beginning of it) and waiting for traffic to move, but it doesn't. So you wait... 5 minutes, 10 minutes, 15 minutes pass by and you have moved just an inch. Half an hour later you realise you have moved by a meter..By now you start getting frustrated and seeing the meter (which is running even though the auto is not running) you feel all the more frustrated... Your daily budget of expense seems to be going for a toss. In the meanwhile the auto-wallahs gets some sadbudhhi to change the lane and your savari seems to be moving a bit faster. So you chug slowly, halting intermittently and cursing heavily under your breath the Mumbai Municipality for not having completed the road on time, the police wallah for not having done his duty properly, the trawler which got stuck midway and your fate which showed you this fateful day!!!
Full one hour later, when you finally have cleared the bridge the engineer in you wakes up to the call of you inner unconscious and coins this new unit of speed A bridge an hour!!!
That is one small bridge for the Municipality and one huge dent in the pocket for the mankind!!!
As is with all others units in physics this is very self explanatory and easy to understand. What is different is that its very expensive to be used. Let me explain you with an example.
You are traveling from Kanjurmarg to Powai. There is a bridge that you have to cross. You are in an auto-rickshaw with the meter down. As you wade past the thick traffic enroute you come on this bridge. There is a cluster of vehicles a little ahead. You have been luck so far to have been successful in navigating through the traffic and you very confidently tell the auto-wallah to take you through the bridge much against his expert opinion to take an alternate rout. And rest they say is ............ So there you are at the end of the line (or may be at the beginning of it) and waiting for traffic to move, but it doesn't. So you wait... 5 minutes, 10 minutes, 15 minutes pass by and you have moved just an inch. Half an hour later you realise you have moved by a meter..By now you start getting frustrated and seeing the meter (which is running even though the auto is not running) you feel all the more frustrated... Your daily budget of expense seems to be going for a toss. In the meanwhile the auto-wallahs gets some sadbudhhi to change the lane and your savari seems to be moving a bit faster. So you chug slowly, halting intermittently and cursing heavily under your breath the Mumbai Municipality for not having completed the road on time, the police wallah for not having done his duty properly, the trawler which got stuck midway and your fate which showed you this fateful day!!!
Full one hour later, when you finally have cleared the bridge the engineer in you wakes up to the call of you inner unconscious and coins this new unit of speed A bridge an hour!!!
That is one small bridge for the Municipality and one huge dent in the pocket for the mankind!!!
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