Hyderabad traffic, like most other things in this city, appears chaotic when you're first introduced to it. But it has an organic flow, and once you see that, it becomes easy to maneuver through it. At this point, it seems silly that I was ever startled by the traffic here.
And that's because with Hyderabad traffic, like most other things in this city, you have to carry yourself purposefully. Here's a fundamental truth about Indian drivers--they are all defensive drivers, just not courteous ones. And once you figure that out, nothing they can do on the road will seem intimidating anymore.
Don't jump. Don't be startled. Don't wince. Stare at the driver and walk across. What are they going to do? Run you over? Oh, they're in a car? Carry yourself like you're driving a tank. They will stop.
And they'll honk, sure. They're in a rush, but so are you. They can wait, because you certainly aren't going to stand here all day. You just have to remember that they're not honking because they're angry at you, like in the United States. No one is going to pull out a shotgun and shoot you if you honk at them, like in the United States (it's kind of delightfully ironic that Indian traffic seems much less likely to injure you than American traffic). An Indian driver honks to let you know he's there, as if he's in an existential crisis and needs to remind himself that he exists. He honks, therefore he is.
Existential crises breed emotional vulnerability, and there's no room for pansies on your schedule.
And that's because with Hyderabad traffic, like most other things in this city, you have to carry yourself purposefully. Here's a fundamental truth about Indian drivers--they are all defensive drivers, just not courteous ones. And once you figure that out, nothing they can do on the road will seem intimidating anymore.
Don't jump. Don't be startled. Don't wince. Stare at the driver and walk across. What are they going to do? Run you over? Oh, they're in a car? Carry yourself like you're driving a tank. They will stop.
And they'll honk, sure. They're in a rush, but so are you. They can wait, because you certainly aren't going to stand here all day. You just have to remember that they're not honking because they're angry at you, like in the United States. No one is going to pull out a shotgun and shoot you if you honk at them, like in the United States (it's kind of delightfully ironic that Indian traffic seems much less likely to injure you than American traffic). An Indian driver honks to let you know he's there, as if he's in an existential crisis and needs to remind himself that he exists. He honks, therefore he is.
Existential crises breed emotional vulnerability, and there's no room for pansies on your schedule.
"He honks, therefore he is." Existential awareness taken to new heights.
ReplyDelete