jammed for life

can any one be reticent about the traffic in bangalore ? I've seen even the most timid and inhibited types let loose a barrage of pent up emotions when they're confronted with this topic. For others who have seen the city change, it evokes memories, sights and smells of a quiet garden city that it once was. Having spent part of my childhood in B'lore, I remember it as a quaint town with a cosmopolitan population. Returning to B'lore 25 years later, I found it had turned into an ugly shadow of its past. This is a classic example of bad planning or lack there of. And then, there is a half hearted effort to patch up things .. as life goes on ..

you could get mad
you could be sad
you might be stressed
or even depressed
you could complain
or fret in vain
you could lose your patience
or curse in silence
you might even question
your life's destination
if you have to drive thru
the roads of bengaluru
the one ways are there
but the other's under repair
the lights are there
but working ones are rare.
you think your light's green ?
no! its the other sides light you've seen
to go or not to go ?
have you ever been confused so ?
remember our priceless tradition -
is to blend with the confusion.
just stick to that dictum
and dont break the system.
most indians are color blind
and traffic lights they do not mind.
besides following rules is stupidity
and beneath our dignity.


If you're at an intersection
there's no time for consideration.
we dont believe in right of way
the one who drives faster has his say


OK. so its not a rosy picture.
its worse! I dont even see a future.
All I hear is grand plans
of metros, wide roads and trams
that in rumor surface
and then die without a trace.
nothing's changed in a decade
and dont see nothin coming Iam afraid.


Then, whats life without hope,
how else with reality do we cope ?
I would hate to assume
that I'd have to resume
my journey to work
from home without a break
resting for a drink
or catching a wink.
To spend my life waiting
at some level crossing,
or retire enroute
a lengthy commute.