Traffic Jam: On the Way to Office

I started fresh in the morning for work. As I put the songs of Arth (an old Hindi movie’s songs) in the music system, Jagjit Singh crooned ‘tum itna jo muskura rahe ho, kya gam kai jisko chupa rahe ho’ (very difficult to translate this one in English, so I let it go). I hummed along (and I am very bad at it, totally off key) thinking within no time I will reach my workplace. How mistaken I was! For 28 out of 30 days of a month, I usually get a smooth ride (by Indian conditions) to work but for the two other days, it can be hell. Today was one of those days and I am glad I had my camera with me.

What happens is this, that at a place we people have to take a turn right and the traffic from the right try to go the other way. There are huge call centre and software office’s contract buses trying to go and come out and at times they stand in front of each-other. Then people start trying to go from the wrong side and within no time it is a gridlock.

The two cars here are trying to take a right and the Temo guy has entered from the wrong side, and no one can go anywhere! I am sitting behind the white car, clicking my camera and trying to pass time.

Dam le le ghari bhar musafir Jaayega Kahan?

The bus and the motorcycle guy both are on the wrong side. The guy in grey Santo (on the right) finally started getting angry and twisted his wheels to block the motorcycle guy. I try to stay cool by switching on the AC for a short while, but then switch it off, after all how much petrol can I burn, sitting in this gridlock? By now I am getting late for the office but no one really bothers you here, and I anyway rarely get late, so no major hassels for me.

The cap that we all are waiting for is finally visible. Fron nowhere this guy in uniform materializes and it raises our hope that finally things will start moving.

The guy in the bule shirt pleaded with the traffic police to get him out of the jam first, but the cop said he had to wait just for a while, there was a big bus obstructing his side and it will take some time to sort it out. The guy immdeiately started explaining furiously something in his cell phone. But after a short while, with the help of this angel cop, I could finally take the turn and reach my office within five minutes.