The sound of horn is like a soothing music to the ears of we Indians. We have become so much used to listening to it regularly, that it has
become a part of our daily routine. And interestingly we have become so much
immune to its sound or use that it has become an integral part of our daily
drive or driving skills respectively. In no other country you will hear horn
blaring in constant cacophony. I wonder sometimes are the Indian driver competing
with each other to discover India’s loudest road user. This happens even when the cars are standing at red light.
Outside India, honking signals an emergency situation. No one would ever honk in normal circumstance, in some countries horns are used as a sign of protest. But in India, they are used to express your frustration, anger, relief, joy, exuberance & sometimes just because it is there...!!! Obviously for India, the horn is a category in itself. Cities like Mumbai & Delhi tends to follow ‘the tradition of honking.’
What does Mumbai honk
at? Why does Mumbai honk? There are the usual reasons — the chaotic
traffic. Here the horn is your friend. You want to overtake? You want to change
lanes, you need that car in front of you to either speed up or get out of the
way? You honk your horn. In a city that doesn’t really follow lane driving,
doesn’t move at a consistent pace and doesn’t really care, you need your car to
shout a bit.
Sitting inside your cars, stuck in the traffic jam and you are getting late for the meeting, there are two options — You roll down your window and start shouting; or you use the horn as an extended voice box. In fact most drivers see ‘horn’ as an instrument of fun; they use one hand to steer the vehicle, while other needs something to do so why not make noise.
'Even a dog doesn't bark without a reason' but
'Honking is like an itch'. The person honking initially feels irritated about
the situation but gradually & unknowingly, he starts enjoying the act of
honking.
The
noise pollution on the road is reaching a dizzying level. The signs telling you
that there is a school or a hospital ahead are as good as invisible. Schools, hospitals and
residential areas mandated as no-honking zones in India but ironically, that is
where maximum honking happens.
The city feels restless, noisy, and frenzied.
You don’t have long peaceful drives anymore. You just get from point A to point
C while honking all the way through point B.
Talking about
traffic rules, there are none that are being followed. Driving in India is like
a play station game, with flashing lights, screeching brakes, cars out of control,
horns being used for sound effects. And everything else is left to karma & the
insurance company. “This happens only in India.”
