It was quite past midnight; should be about 1.30 to 2 am. I was
tracking back to my room after a party. I have to be careful, I thought. Since
in the evening on the way to the party I missed my way. Though it was a
small village of 8000 as its total population, that too, nearly 75% of
them being local college students, with straight roads and by lanes
cutting at right angles, with large trees on the sides of the roads,
individual houses were not easily visible or identifiable with lot of
vegetation covering every house. So when I ventured a little in the previous
evening to while away a few minutes – I wanted to be right in time for
the party and not before time – I missed my way and was lost for some
time. I don’t want that to happen now late in the night. So I was
trudging carefully- the path was also very moist with snow – back home. At
last I arrived the main downtown-area. This was a well lit area with four
roads radiating. The automatic signals were on. When I reached the
junction there was a car waiting for the change of signal. The little
inebriation I had evaporated at the sight of it. Because the whole area was
deserted; no vehicles or anything on sight but still the man behind the
wheels was waiting for the signal before proceeding.
This thing happened in a village, Oberlin, Ohio, U.S., 2 years back.
And on another day I was waiting in another signal. The place is Saidapet
intersection, Chennai, India. Time was 9.20 am.
In the morning peak hour there was a heavy rush and at the junction I
was waiting for the green signal. The automatic digital clock showed 100
and so I put off the engine of my vehicle. When the clock read 10 I
ignited my machine and thought I have another full 10 second count-down.
Voila! Even when 7 seconds remaining, vehicles started moving at mad
pace and though I wanted to wait for green signal, with blaring and
threatening movements from behind I had to jump light to avoid getting jumped
over!
Laws will be there. But two things are necessary: one, the will of the
people to have at least a modicum of respect for the law of the land;
and second: the executors of the laws should do what they have to.
