To Cross or Not to Cross?

It all depends on the mood I am in. I am either amused or exasperated watching people making the crossing of the busy road into a sport! I am talking about India and Bangalore specifically. My nephew refers to the city of Bangalore as the 51st state of USA. But, I am sure that he leaves out the roads from the scope of his definition.

There are three kinds of people among the pedestrians that Bangalore teems with.

There is one kind who cross the road in stages by crossing one vehicle at a time. The number of rows of vehicles is at least twice the designated number of lanes, if any. A good dose of negotiation and influencing skills are demonstrated by this lot who look pleadingly at the bus drivers for a quick pass while assuming the role of self-policing cops by showing the stop sign with their up turned hands when dealing with 4 wheelers. Understandably enough, when dealing with the lowly 2 wheelers, they just let a bit more of their animal instinct pierce through their docile exteriors by locking horns with the mopeds and their ilk while successfully keeping them in suspended animation.

The second kind are those that are in some kind of race with themselves. They seem to be in a sort of misplaced olympian spirit and seem bent on breaking their own records. Come what may, whatever the speed of the vehicles be, even if it means that they are crossing a highway meant for cars, all they are keen on is making that 80 or 100 feet dash and breaking into all gold medal grins in case they make it to the other side. These specimens come in all shapes and sizes and in singles or groups. In order to fully focus on the event at hand, they tend not to fritter away their time by looking at the left side or the right. Every second counts, you know. When these come in groups, the ones that make it (Gold medalers) look at those that are left behind (the Silver/broze medealers) in unstinted glee. Ah..The taste of success in any culture is the same to the lettered or the unlettered. These are some kind of mavericks and intrepid folks thirsting for adventure. "Who cares about life, there is rebirth anyway" seems to be the line of thinking they are wedded to!

And then, there are those that wait on one side of the road having fertile dreams of making it to the other side, but falling short in the gallantry department to do so.

A lot can be gleaned about a person and his personality style by merely watching him cross the road. Next time, you are looking for a candidate to fill a role in your home or business, just come out and watch how they cross the road.