We've all joined facebook groups saying "you know you're from delhi if..." followed by certain defining characteristics of the city and it's people. Interesting and nostalgic.
I've lived in Bangalore for nearly four years now (wow, has it been that much time?) but have never really considered myself a Bangalorean. And this is not just me, a lot of people feel like immigrants here. It's got nothing to do with the city or it's people (mostly - but a few bad apples are present everywhere) but for this inner tug that most people feel for their hometown. Now I've been a Delhite 85% of my life -I've been born there, did my schooling there, college, post-graduation, first job. My family is there as well. I always have that back of the mind thing that all things being fine I will eventually go back to the lovingly abusive city of Delhi. This feeling, ingrained deeply, prevents me from thinking of any other city as home - however good it may have been to me.
But yesterday something happened that made me think about the impact the city is having on me. I was chatting with a friend from IIFT, VJ, and I was asking him whether he's seen the latest movie to hit the screens, Karthik Calling Karthik.
Perfectly innocuous, right?
Wrong!
As I was typing the name of the movie my mind suddenly got stuck in a quandary - is Karthik spelt with an 'h' or without??
Now if I was in Delhi this question wouldn't even register. I mean I had friends with that name and invariably were spelt without an 'h'. But in Bangalore everything, I mean everything, is spelt with extra h's. Whether it is the iconic Marut'h'i car or the inconsequential name Amit'h' - there's always an extra 'h'. It's like a conspiracy by ink makers and printers to increase their revenues (What? it could happen. After all, United Airlines did save USD 400,000 by removing one olive from the salad they used to serve)
So the fact that I stopped to think about it is an indication of the southern winds influencing me. It also made me think of the other subtle changes that may be happening without me realizing it:
1. I like dosas for breakfast. I've also gone to Krishna cafe specifically to have the giant dosa they have.
2. I don't get exasperated by the traffic snarls anymore.
3. I hardly use the air conditioning in my car.
4. At the slight hint of sunlight (sunlight I would've scoffed at in comparison to the Delhi summer sun) I squint my eyes and wear sunglasses
5. I still don't understand Kannada but I am able to fade it out rather then get irritated by it's cacophony (I'm sorry but it is a loud language)
Gulp, Do you think the transformation is complete? I think all I need to do is date a Bangalorean girl to complete the transformation.
What do you think? Is it time for me to go back before it's too late?
13076
Showing posts with label delhi bangalore. Show all posts
Showing posts with label delhi bangalore. Show all posts
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Tuesday, September 4, 2007
Difference between Delhi and Bangalore traffic jams...
Well as you know i've just returned from a trip to Delhi. Sigh...
One of the great things about going to Delhi is that I get to drive on the huge, wide roads for a change. So there I was, driving along ring road (New Delhi is built in the shape of a circle where two main roads called outer and inner ring roads respectively act as the main rivers into which the smaller roads flow in as tributaries)in the evening. (Would you be interested in knowing what all I did on my trip? hmmm lets see, if this traffic jam post doesn't turn out to be too long, I'll probably enumerate what all I did there).
Anyway, so I got stuck in a traffic jam near Moti Bagh enroute to Dhaula Kuan and further down to my home. Nudging the car slowly in the 4 lanes full of a medley of cars, autorickshaws, bikes, trucks and buses a sudden revelation flashed in my mind about the difference between traffic snarl ups in different cities.
Now i've been to a number of cities, but haven't really stayed too long, or driven too much in any city except Delhi and Bangalore, but jams have distinctive characteristics even in these cities. Maybe you could tell me about the characteristics of traffic jams in your city after you read this post.
Delhi Traffic jams:
1. Traffic doesn't really come to a standstill for a long time. Cars keep nudging forward.
2. One thing i've noticed is that nowadays many vehicles are sticking to their lanes in Delhi, even in traffic jams. Now earlier when the infrastructure there was still being built traffic jams had snarly characteristics with cars fighting and jostling and angling every which way just to gain a few yards. It was a race, and a winner-takes-all kind of race in which no quarters were given.
3. Jams are not made by human craziness, generally that is (making any sweeping statement about traffic in any part of India is just plain stupid). They are usually an effect of sheer number of vehicles stuck at red lights.
Bangalore Traffic jams:
1. Traffic comes to a dead halt for a long time. So long that you end up fidgeting in your seat with sheer exasperation. ok, by traffic I mean cars - the bikes, mopeds, people, cows create a canvas of flux in which sane car drivers try to adhere to lanes etc here.
2. Vehicles DO NOT adhere to lanes, much less in traffic jams. I'm sure an aerial shot of a Bangalore jam would make a very interesting picture as most vehicles would be at angles to each other and to the lanes. Little corners of cars, helmet locks and leg guards from bikes, angled handles of cycles and of course the suddenly spurting movements of people trying to cross the roads come together to form a deadly nexus in which everyday that you come home without scratching your car should be deemed a miracle of nature.
3. Jams ARE caused my human insanity. Some places, yes, the roads are narrow, too much traffic, but at others? Sheer stupidity. Some of the weirdest red lights i've seen in my life. I don't know who's designed the traffic systems here but s/he must be cross-eyed, myopic, drugged,psychologically challenged and just a plain sadistic. And the people just make the job easier for this psycho. Absolutley no traffic sense. Lanes have been drawn, cos i guess the roads would look too drab without them, for all the purpose they serve. Everyone makes strange lane-cutting turns, awkward and sudden U-turns. The sheer selfishness in driving here, the fights over yards of road, make Delhi traffic seem like heaven. And thats saying a lot, cos heaven knows that traffic is pretty bad in Delhi as well...
Anyway thats my take, and as I've managed to stretch even this small post to such lengths, I'll tell you about my Delhi vacation in the next post.
One of the great things about going to Delhi is that I get to drive on the huge, wide roads for a change. So there I was, driving along ring road (New Delhi is built in the shape of a circle where two main roads called outer and inner ring roads respectively act as the main rivers into which the smaller roads flow in as tributaries)in the evening. (Would you be interested in knowing what all I did on my trip? hmmm lets see, if this traffic jam post doesn't turn out to be too long, I'll probably enumerate what all I did there).
Anyway, so I got stuck in a traffic jam near Moti Bagh enroute to Dhaula Kuan and further down to my home. Nudging the car slowly in the 4 lanes full of a medley of cars, autorickshaws, bikes, trucks and buses a sudden revelation flashed in my mind about the difference between traffic snarl ups in different cities.
Now i've been to a number of cities, but haven't really stayed too long, or driven too much in any city except Delhi and Bangalore, but jams have distinctive characteristics even in these cities. Maybe you could tell me about the characteristics of traffic jams in your city after you read this post.
Delhi Traffic jams:
1. Traffic doesn't really come to a standstill for a long time. Cars keep nudging forward.
2. One thing i've noticed is that nowadays many vehicles are sticking to their lanes in Delhi, even in traffic jams. Now earlier when the infrastructure there was still being built traffic jams had snarly characteristics with cars fighting and jostling and angling every which way just to gain a few yards. It was a race, and a winner-takes-all kind of race in which no quarters were given.
3. Jams are not made by human craziness, generally that is (making any sweeping statement about traffic in any part of India is just plain stupid). They are usually an effect of sheer number of vehicles stuck at red lights.
Bangalore Traffic jams:
1. Traffic comes to a dead halt for a long time. So long that you end up fidgeting in your seat with sheer exasperation. ok, by traffic I mean cars - the bikes, mopeds, people, cows create a canvas of flux in which sane car drivers try to adhere to lanes etc here.
2. Vehicles DO NOT adhere to lanes, much less in traffic jams. I'm sure an aerial shot of a Bangalore jam would make a very interesting picture as most vehicles would be at angles to each other and to the lanes. Little corners of cars, helmet locks and leg guards from bikes, angled handles of cycles and of course the suddenly spurting movements of people trying to cross the roads come together to form a deadly nexus in which everyday that you come home without scratching your car should be deemed a miracle of nature.
3. Jams ARE caused my human insanity. Some places, yes, the roads are narrow, too much traffic, but at others? Sheer stupidity. Some of the weirdest red lights i've seen in my life. I don't know who's designed the traffic systems here but s/he must be cross-eyed, myopic, drugged,psychologically challenged and just a plain sadistic. And the people just make the job easier for this psycho. Absolutley no traffic sense. Lanes have been drawn, cos i guess the roads would look too drab without them, for all the purpose they serve. Everyone makes strange lane-cutting turns, awkward and sudden U-turns. The sheer selfishness in driving here, the fights over yards of road, make Delhi traffic seem like heaven. And thats saying a lot, cos heaven knows that traffic is pretty bad in Delhi as well...
Anyway thats my take, and as I've managed to stretch even this small post to such lengths, I'll tell you about my Delhi vacation in the next post.
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