Horn...!!
I was going from ground floor to the fourth floor using the elevator when an advertisement caught my attention. On OOH TV, a quote came which said, "When did you last listen birds chirp?". It forced me to think, more than think, to ACT. I could not understand what exactly to do, so I followed what was told in the ad. I decided I would not blow horn while commuting. From the next day I started acting on it.
FIRST DAY: It was very tough for me not to blow horn. After all it IS diffcult to control your instincts. 6 months of regular blowing of horn and screaming on people while driving can not be controlled so easily, that too in a day!! But I was determined. For the first kilometer, it wasnt difficult controlling the urge, and I thought people are just unnecessarily polluting the nature by honking all the time. I was such a naive. As soon as the main road came, I was shown the reality. I could not even gather where the noise was coming from, the simple reason being it was coming from each and every direction. I was horrified. I was so tempted to press the button, but then what about my resolution? Was it so weak that just a few 1000 decibels of noise thwarted it? That only because I was surrounded by irresponsible and insensitive-to-the-nature people, I would forget my 1-day old promise to myself?!?!?! "NO" was the answer :). I continued the receive the blows from every possible direction, determined not to retaliate and not to honk.After reaching the office, I was basking in glory, come on, I had covered a little less than 10 km without using the horn even once!! It was something to feel proud of, and I was.
I continued my self-assigned service to nature for the subsequent days as well. In the process I kept encountering quite a few interesting observations.
Muscle memory is something which people do unknowingly because the action has has been done so many times that it is stored in the brain and to redo it, no prior memory is needed. For instance, if a person has been wearing his/her wrist watch in his/her right wrist for, say, 10 years or so and suddenly he/she has worn the watch in his/her left hand, and someone asks the time, the person would immediately, without thinking would look at his/her right wrist despite having the prior information that the watch is present on the right wrist.
While I was observing on the road, I felt people have built a habit of blowing horn as soon as any obstruction comes and it has been registered in their muscle memory to do the same. A few observations:
1. As soon as the lights turn Green, people start honking. 2. While waiting for the lights to go Green, i.e., even when the lights are RED, honking starts, brighter side being, fewer people practice this than the people following (1). 3. If a guy sees a hot chick on her bike, the honking starts. 4. Usually those people blow horn who have a noisy horn, for there is no point honking when no one listens (read gets irritated). 5. There are not many who dont make proper use of their horns. Come on, the company has given that button to be pressed! People in cars, SUVs, Auto rickshaws, bikes, MOPEDS (why the heck?!?! Girls, you already get the attention. Point number 3).. everyone.
I feel the horn is the most utilized part of the vehicle, more than even the wheels or the engines. While the vehicle isnt moving, the wheels and the engines do take rest. A horn can be blown just by turning the ignition on!
EXPERIENCES: I have been very actively pursuing what I have so sincerely resolved. Its been more than two months that I have been using the horn like a miser. Unless someone is actually in the grave danger of getting crushed under my bike or I am under grave danger of dying (latter is teh case usually), I do not blow it. Doing that, I didnt find plethora of difficulties whilel driving or otherwise. Many a days, rather most of them, I dint honk and didnt find much trouble reaching my destination. Not that my co-citizens didnt give me bad times, I swear there were times when I cursed myself for taking that resolve, but then just like terrible times, those moments also passes by smoothly.
MY CONCLUSION: I didnt have to go any extra mile, nor did I require any extra effort to do the above mentioned activities. Initially, yes I did need a bit of determination to do the same, but the feeling I got after doing it was nice. I felt as if I also contributed towards betterment of my city (FYI, I love Pune) and probably helped reducing the level of decibles by a small amount.
I also felt that the honking is becaused of certain reasons. The first and the second points that I mentioned earlier are because of excessive intolerance amongst all of us. People are rushing all the time, whether it is needed or not. Everyone is in a hurry, to reach office, to reach the college, coaching institution, a date, a meeting.... the list is endless. I feel that the rush is because of growing lethargy in all of us. Procrastination of everything is leading towards this. Everything is left to the eleventh hour which cause a person to rush at the final moment.
Another thing which I observed is the lack of empathy. Have a look at point 2 again. I havent exaggerated it at all. Its so irritating to listen to the noisy horns when no one can do anything about it. Come on man, we are supposed to stop there. It is the height of non-sense.We always appreciate the patience of a person behind us, never the one just ahead. We are growing more hypocritic. We continue doing the idiotic things and curse others who repeat the same.
Having done it myself, I didnt find it troublesome avoiding to blow the horn. It is absolutely within our normal abilities to avoid honking. If everyone even moderately tries to avoid, there would be immense serenity even on the roads. No one would be required to go to Lonavala and khandala in search of peace n calm. But then what will happen to Lonavala's economy (oops!!)?? So for Lonavala, KEEP HONKING;).
FIRST DAY: It was very tough for me not to blow horn. After all it IS diffcult to control your instincts. 6 months of regular blowing of horn and screaming on people while driving can not be controlled so easily, that too in a day!! But I was determined. For the first kilometer, it wasnt difficult controlling the urge, and I thought people are just unnecessarily polluting the nature by honking all the time. I was such a naive. As soon as the main road came, I was shown the reality. I could not even gather where the noise was coming from, the simple reason being it was coming from each and every direction. I was horrified. I was so tempted to press the button, but then what about my resolution? Was it so weak that just a few 1000 decibels of noise thwarted it? That only because I was surrounded by irresponsible and insensitive-to-the-nature people, I would forget my 1-day old promise to myself?!?!?! "NO" was the answer :). I continued the receive the blows from every possible direction, determined not to retaliate and not to honk.After reaching the office, I was basking in glory, come on, I had covered a little less than 10 km without using the horn even once!! It was something to feel proud of, and I was.
I continued my self-assigned service to nature for the subsequent days as well. In the process I kept encountering quite a few interesting observations.
Muscle memory is something which people do unknowingly because the action has has been done so many times that it is stored in the brain and to redo it, no prior memory is needed. For instance, if a person has been wearing his/her wrist watch in his/her right wrist for, say, 10 years or so and suddenly he/she has worn the watch in his/her left hand, and someone asks the time, the person would immediately, without thinking would look at his/her right wrist despite having the prior information that the watch is present on the right wrist.
While I was observing on the road, I felt people have built a habit of blowing horn as soon as any obstruction comes and it has been registered in their muscle memory to do the same. A few observations:
1. As soon as the lights turn Green, people start honking. 2. While waiting for the lights to go Green, i.e., even when the lights are RED, honking starts, brighter side being, fewer people practice this than the people following (1). 3. If a guy sees a hot chick on her bike, the honking starts. 4. Usually those people blow horn who have a noisy horn, for there is no point honking when no one listens (read gets irritated). 5. There are not many who dont make proper use of their horns. Come on, the company has given that button to be pressed! People in cars, SUVs, Auto rickshaws, bikes, MOPEDS (why the heck?!?! Girls, you already get the attention. Point number 3).. everyone.
I feel the horn is the most utilized part of the vehicle, more than even the wheels or the engines. While the vehicle isnt moving, the wheels and the engines do take rest. A horn can be blown just by turning the ignition on!
EXPERIENCES: I have been very actively pursuing what I have so sincerely resolved. Its been more than two months that I have been using the horn like a miser. Unless someone is actually in the grave danger of getting crushed under my bike or I am under grave danger of dying (latter is teh case usually), I do not blow it. Doing that, I didnt find plethora of difficulties whilel driving or otherwise. Many a days, rather most of them, I dint honk and didnt find much trouble reaching my destination. Not that my co-citizens didnt give me bad times, I swear there were times when I cursed myself for taking that resolve, but then just like terrible times, those moments also passes by smoothly.
MY CONCLUSION: I didnt have to go any extra mile, nor did I require any extra effort to do the above mentioned activities. Initially, yes I did need a bit of determination to do the same, but the feeling I got after doing it was nice. I felt as if I also contributed towards betterment of my city (FYI, I love Pune) and probably helped reducing the level of decibles by a small amount.
I also felt that the honking is becaused of certain reasons. The first and the second points that I mentioned earlier are because of excessive intolerance amongst all of us. People are rushing all the time, whether it is needed or not. Everyone is in a hurry, to reach office, to reach the college, coaching institution, a date, a meeting.... the list is endless. I feel that the rush is because of growing lethargy in all of us. Procrastination of everything is leading towards this. Everything is left to the eleventh hour which cause a person to rush at the final moment.
Another thing which I observed is the lack of empathy. Have a look at point 2 again. I havent exaggerated it at all. Its so irritating to listen to the noisy horns when no one can do anything about it. Come on man, we are supposed to stop there. It is the height of non-sense.We always appreciate the patience of a person behind us, never the one just ahead. We are growing more hypocritic. We continue doing the idiotic things and curse others who repeat the same.
Having done it myself, I didnt find it troublesome avoiding to blow the horn. It is absolutely within our normal abilities to avoid honking. If everyone even moderately tries to avoid, there would be immense serenity even on the roads. No one would be required to go to Lonavala and khandala in search of peace n calm. But then what will happen to Lonavala's economy (oops!!)?? So for Lonavala, KEEP HONKING;).
Comments
Personally, I have always been irritated by the practice. I rarely honk, and I pay the price. Slow and unsteady that my scooty is, it lingers by the sidelines wherever I go.
A friend recently mentioned that Indore is one of the noisiest cities in India, courtesy pressure horns and zero road sense. This might be a fact. People even honk on empty roads, just to let others know they are around.
I hope the resolve sticks Chatur. But do honk when needed, its your voice on the road.