The day I stopped a tram in its track....

And before you guys start thinking I did something our Indian film heroes regularly do with their little finger on the left leg with ease and say so what, let me explain.....

I went on a student exchange to Belgium. I was with Solvay Business School, University of Brussels. I loved my stay there ( and the Belgians, I think they were wonderful!). My hostel was about a km from the university campus and was an awesome place. More of a living community, with people protesting against war, sun bathing( when the damn thing came out), coffee with music and music performances... sigh those were awesome days. Anyways, back from the detour.

The Belgians are probably the most courteous people I met on my trip to Europe ( I saw, trekked, traveled to some 7 countries!!). On the main signals, there are anyways pedestrian requests, where you request for the traffic to stop, which then turns red to let you pass. On most other roads, all you need to do was to step near the Zebra crossing and the vehicles would stop to let you go. You acknowledge their courtesy and off you go..... it took me a while to get used to cars stopping completely to let me pass.... I would usually be dumbstruck as to why the heck are they stopping :) problem of upbringing...

And one fine day, I was listening to Bob Marley on the discman, having hot waffles and out I step on the street from the pavement and realise a huge gush of air around me ..... and then I realise, the tram which was on the street stopped to let me go.... jackass that I was :) I apologised to the driver, acknowledged and moved. And surprise he didn't swear at me nor did the others who were waiting to cross....

Now lets play that scene in Indian frames... Deepak steps on the street, driver says "B#@$%^, iski to aaj main le loonga" and pushes the throttle, wham, passengers say " sahi hua saale ki dimaag thikaane aagaye" and then me, with a few handicaps (not the golf types mind you) would be seeking treatment and sympathy!!!


I think about this and try to attribute why we Indians will not let people cross even when the signal is red.... vehicles do a 'creeping acquisition' of the Zebra crossing, swear, spit,scream and honk... I tell myself maybe we are an aggressive race, maybe we are trying to catch up on lost time under the sun, maybe people have urgent work, maybe population trouble leading to too much competition leading to high levels of aggro behaviour but its plain lack of culture I decide, lack of courtesy and respecting someone on the road.... I might be guilty of the same conduct, but trying to change...