Saturday, October 28, 2006

Bangalore Traffic Light

Green Amber Red
FreeAds AutoMags Sir
For you to browse through classifieds
Real estate - a house in the suburbs
(Away from the city's pollution?)
Your next automobile
(Sure, this one is no longer a status symbol)

You wait for the boy to hand you your change
As the light changes from
Red Amber Green

10 comments:

Suji said...

I often wonder when I see these kids at the traffic lights selling magazines and paperbacks, that they probably don't know how to read them. They should be in school learning to read....

arvindh said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
arvindh said...

That is right. They shd be at school. Poor young boys who risk so much to be at traffic junctions trying to make a living. All that exhaust smoke would definitely get to them eventually. Very sad.

Aku said...

arvindh, great to see you make a come-back after one year vacuum in this blog. i enjoy your writing. i need to write more about my surroundings, i find it easier to write feelings / simple feeling i feel. i share with you my poetry blog. cheers!

anitha shalini said...

Hi Aravindhan - you have a wonderful way with words. Your article on 65B is wonderfully yet simplistically written. We have met briefly..I am Leo's wife Anitha. Leo introduced me to your art work last night and I was very very impressed, but I just saw your write ups and had to comment right away -Great work - keep going.

meghjanmi said...

Isn't there a new rule now abolishing child labour or is it only for Tamilnadu?
Anyways,these kids surely ought to be taken off the roads..
btw,the verse is simple and elegant..kudos:)

bess said...

It's fascinating to read what memories your text brings to mind for your readers. Thanks for sharing.

Anonymous said...

I second Suji, poor kids.

@MJ, Rules exists, but when we ask the question whether it is followed? the clear answer we get is NO! Arent rules meant to be broken??

Anonymous said...

Bangalore.. once a beautiful city, adorned the rightful name 'Garden City'. It is disheartening that this city is ruined. Anyone courageous enough to take the responsibility? A big laugh. The city planners and ministers will be the first to wash off their hands. Is there any punishment for bad city planning? Well what is that???! If given a chance will anyone punish such planners..? I am sure to get an overwhelming response. Bangalore has been ruined the day IT companies were given lands in and around the city. Interesting part is that the government was able to bring in big MNCs and created jobs for lot of us.. but did not care about their own land. Roads were left as narrow as possible. Buildings coming up everywhere but not enough road for the people of those buildings to go through. Take example of EPIP/Whitefield area. How many roads lead to this place from the main city? Just 2 actually. Airport road and Old Madras road. Interestingly they both converge to one road, which leads to the EPIP entrance. It takes one 1 hour and 15 mins (if you are lucky) in a small car to reach EPIP/Whitefield office. Just about 12km. Do you think this is the time one should spend traveling every day one way to work? Anyone really bothered? Each one of us makes noise that it is so bad being here in this traffic. Anyone cares about it really enough to look for a solution? Our city administrators did not care about keeping land for roads to accommodate for the traffic, which they facilitated by introducing so many companies in one small place and that too very close to the city.. some being within the old city limits itself. Now to ease the traffic they have to build enormous number of flyovers, which will cost dear to the government. Wish they planned well, which would have saved this expense. Any idea how much taxes Bangaloreans pay to the government? Well you wont be able to imagine. So where is the people's money going? Bangaloreans pay the highest tax compared to any city in the country. But still the infrastructure is not in any form good enough to call Bangalore a city. A1 city status!!! This city seems doomed. And still see the drama at that the governance. Ministers are becoming friends one day and same group becomes bitter enemies the following day. And our ex-'sleeping' prime minister.... we should be ashamed to have this kind of people to govern us. Can any of us feel the consequence of electing these fellows? Well...we have a Bangalore city which they simply raped and made money. People from all over the world are buying a flat or land in this city. To rape the city further. Do you have any idea.. a large number of the actual dwellers of this city can't afford to stay in this city any more and a significant number have sold their living in the city to settle outside. It is well understood that if the city is growing.. it will eventually become a cosmopolitan city. But should it be at the cost of the city's own people who couldn't hop onto the growth train? It is pretty amazing that people here are still buying flats, apartments and houses and ignoring the fact that at the price we pay to stay here the city is not in any form worth living. Whatever you buy here is costlier than any city. Infrastructure is not in any form be called good. And still no one bothers. To top it all, our Blackberry police is doomed by its own corrupt officials. Wish I had a reset button to start the city all over again. Bangalore... my lovely city is taken by a sever disease and I don't find any help. I don’t know if you feel the same. Speak please.

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