The Honking Incident
Of Modern India.
Newly arrived in Bangalore, I was advised to hire a chauffeur or driver to navigate the nuances of driving in India.
Despite having driven in Delhi during my summer visits, I was strongly counseled against making a habit of it due to parking or traffic hassles, and the potential for unwarranted road incidents that might necessitate the assertiveness of a local male driver (more on this in another post!).
I used to live in a quiet neighborhood that was also home to overseas expats. It was happily situated to allow for walking everywhere.
One Saturday afternoon though, I headed out for a longer drive.
An individual, presumably an expat, was walking on the right side of the inner road - devoid of those pesky sidewalks - in the residential neighborhood, seemingly unaware of our approaching vehicle.
Just as the man neared the crossroads, our car approached the corner to turn right.
The driver honked.
In the quiet of the afternoon, the honk echoed louder than anticipated, startling the unsuspecting pedestrian.
Responding with annoyance, he raised both hands in the air, a universal gesture of inquiry that seemed to question, "What did I do wrong?"
Before I could react, we had moved past the scene.
In that fleeting moment, I felt an urgent need to explain the rule, and to let the pedestrian know that his bewilderment was justified.
There are no universal stop signs that people obey in India.
So, a honk is a well-accepted signal to sound a warning to the multitude of sources on the roads - pedestrians, two-wheelers, cyclists, autos, vendors, or other vehicles - to avoid unnecessary encounters at the corners.
It is not the same honk adopted by unskilled drivers in India. To them, a honk is to signal they are scared of oncoming traffic and more scared of their being in it. So, they yell as if to say: “Watch out, I am here, completely clueless on the basics of navigating this swirling traffic with its unwritten rules.”
p.s. If you are the person who walked on a quiet residential street in East Bangalore and happen to read this note, this is my apology and explanation!
Can totally understand this :)
I'm getting such good context from your post. In case I ever get to visit India!