Driving in India

Rules Of The Road, Indian Style

Travelling on Indian Roads is an almost hallucinatory potion of sound, spectacle and experience. It is frequently heart-rending, sometimes hilarious, mostly exhilarating, always unforgettable — and, when you are on the roads, extremely dangerous.

Most Indian road users observe a version of the Highway Code based on a Sanskrit text. These 12 rules of the Indian road are published for the first time in English:

Article I:

The assumption of immortality is required of all road users.

Article II:

Indian traffic, like Indian society, is structured on a strict caste system. The following precedence must be accorded at all times. In descending order, give way to:

Cows, elephants, heavy trucks, buses, official cars, camels, light trucks, buffalo, jeeps, ox-carts, private cars, motorcycles, scooters, auto-rickshaws, pigs, pedal rickshaws, goats, bicycles (goods-carrying), handcarts, bicycles (passenger-carrying), dogs, pedestrians.

Article III:

All wheeled vehicles shall be driven in accordance with the maxim: to slow is to falter, to brake is to fail, to stop is defeat. This is the Indian drivers’ mantra.

Article IV:

Use of horn (also known as the sonic fender or aural amulet):

Cars (IV,1,a-c):

Short blasts (urgent) indicate supremacy, i.e. in clearing dogs, rickshaws and pedestrians from path.

Long blasts (desperate) denote supplication, i.e. to oncoming truck: “I am going too fast to stop, so unless you slow down we shall both die”. In extreme cases this may be accompanied by flashing of headlights (frantic).

Single blast (casual) means: “I have seen someone out of India’s 870 million whom I recognise”, “There is a bird in the road (which at this speed could go through my windscreen)” or “I have not blown my horn for several minutes.”

Trucks and buses (IV,2,a):

All horn signals have the same meaning, viz: “I have an all-up weight of approximately 12.5 tons and have no intention of stopping, even if I could.” This signal may be emphasised by the use of headlamps.

Article IV remains subject to the provision of Order of Precedence in Article II above.

Article V:

All manoeuvres, use of horn and evasive action shall be left until the last possible moment.

Article VI:

In the absence of seat belts (which there is), car occupants shall wear garlands of marigolds. These should be kept fastened at all times.

Article VII:

Rights of way: Traffic entering a road from the left has priority. So has traffic from the right, and also traffic in the middle.

Lane discipline (VII,1):

All Indian traffic at all times and irrespective of direction of travel shall occupy the centre of the road.

Article VIII:

Roundabouts: India has no roundabouts. Apparent traffic islands in the middle of crossroads have no traffic management function. Any other impression should be ignored.

Article IX:

Overtaking is mandatory. Every moving vehicle is required to overtake every other moving vehicle, irrespective of whether it has just overtaken you.

Overtaking should only be undertaken in suitable conditions, such as in the face of oncoming traffic, on blind bends, at junctions and in the middle of villages/city centres. No more than two inches should be allowed between your vehicle and the one you are passing — and one inch in the case of bicycles or pedestrians.

Article X:

Nirvana may be obtained through the head-on crash.

Article XI:

Reversing: no longer applicable since no vehicle in India has reverse gear.

P.S. I got this in an email. This is not my original post. If you find out a source then please let me know. I shall gladly oblige.

Should India repeat "Mission Kill Osama"

America’s successful stealth strike against Osama bin Laden has led many to ask whether India should carry out similar covert operations against targets in Pakistan. The strategic analyst community also asked whether India had the capacity to take out the five or so ‘wanted’ terrorists/criminals who currently reside in Pakistan.

Can India hunt down these men? Army Chief Gen VK Singh and Air Force Chief Air Marshal PV Naik led from the front. Gen Singh said Indian armed forces were “competent” to carry out a similar operation.  Air Chief Marshal P V Naik had also said that India has the capability to carry out such surgical strikes against terrorists. He said, “India can do it.” Intelligence officials also say the US Navy Seals operation could not have been mounted without close cooperation between Pakistan’s Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) and the US’s Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) – something not possible between India’s Research & Analysis Wing (R&AW) and ISI.

However, a battle raged in civil society over whether emasculation of sovereignty was the price to pay for stamping out terrorism.

Being an Indian, I strongly doubt if those are best option for India. Let me categorically put me in simple terms. When 27/11 happened, everyone expected India to go for unilateral strike against terrorist camp, but we didn’t do it, and I understand why ?

India doesn’t enjoy the status that US enjoys. they have stronger voice in security council, much of western nation are pro US lobby. Secondly ,US and Pakistan are strategic partner(at least that’s what they say to whole world). they aid Pakistan, help them getting loan from IMF, World Bank, feed them with latest weapon. So Pakistan need USA in many ways. They are nothing without US and what India is doing to Pakistan ? nothing ? instead we are in logger head.

US military is more than 10 time bigger in terms of weapon, size, technologies, capability. When USA lead Osama operation without anyone’s permission, Pakistan can’t retaliate. They knew that it will lead to wrath of USA generals, and will lead to strong conflict. in that sense, India does have strong army, air force but yet Pakistan will certainly retaliate, as being anti Indian is what makes ISI/Pakistan army keep going on day to day business.

Had India gone for unilateral strike after 26/11, the world would had taken it as a retaliation of a wounded state and most of them wouldn’t had minded to stand beside us, but now that the world order has changed, and with recent Osama saga, the world has become more cautious and any such attempt will be directly considered as infringing the sovereignty of another country.

We cannot afford to be pushed down by anyone into so called “Anti-Islamic” world given the fact that we have the largest population of Muslims in the world.

I believe that covert operations can be mounted to eliminate the threat and impose costs on terror masterminds, but that can only happen when the nation’s civilian-political- defense leadership gives a clearance for creation of specific assets for specific missions.

CRICKET MIXED DIPLOMACY

CRICKET FEVER is at its peak in the sub-continent and with arch-rivals India and Pakistan all set to take on each other at Mohali on Wednesday, the atmosphere is all charged up with emotions running high and people are making sure that they don’t miss this game wherever they are in the World as the mother of all games will decide who is going to the finals of the World Cup 2011 to be held in Mumbai on April 2.

The two teams have already reached Chandigarh and with all hotels booked to capacity, there are no rooms left for visitors from Pakistan, who are now travelling to nearby cities to get accommodation.

All roads lead to Mohali and with Indian players in great form, India hopes to get to the finals if diplomacy does not come to interfere in the match.

The recent invitation sent to Pakistan Prime Minister Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani by Indian Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh to watch the semi-final match between India and Pakistan at Mohali, has put many minds in clouds of uncertainty as all have been reminded of an earlier invitation sent to the then Pakistan’s president Pervez Musharraf in 2005 to watch the India-Pakistan one day match at Feroz Shah Kotla.

During that match India literally gifted that series to Pakistan, Indian captain Saurav Ganguly looked completely dejected but could not utter a word, after which we all come across the term “cricket diplomacy.”

The India-Pakistan cricket match is mother of all matches. It is not less than a war of emotions and excitement goes high with entire nation coming to a halt to watch this game of cricket. I personally feel politicians should stay away and instead of sacrificing the spirit of game for diplomacy, better they watch it on their TV sets rather than going to stadium and putting unnecessary pressure on the players.

Many of us still are not able to understand what is the compulsion to invite Pakistan leaders to India to watch cricket matches, and what benefit will this move give in solving pending disputes between the two nations? Earlier also we have seen Zia ul Haq and Pervez Musarraf coming to India for cricket diplomacy but without an result? The disputes are still lingering on and we still stand on the losing side.

Let the diplomacy be limited to New Delhi only and Mohali be allowed to have a free and fair game. If diplomacy is going to take the driver’s seat then India is going to gift this match to Pakistan under  pressure. Better we allow the players to play their natural game and let the best team win the match.