A Passage to India: Feb 14, 2007

Hi everyone! I hope that you are having a good Valentine's Day, it is sort of celebrated here, but is certainly not as recognized as it is in the USA. But not to worry, though we are not really celebrating Valentine's Day, we did get to celebrate a Bundh (pronounced bundt, like the cake) on Monday (okay, celebrate is not really the right word, but as the result was a day off of work, I had reason to celebrate). A bundh is basically a strike, and due to the Cauvery tribunal verdict (see previous post if you have no idea what I am talking about), the city of Bangalore shut down for the day. And when I say shut down, I mean it. There were no shops open, businesses were closed (Motorola, for instance), and transportation ground to a screeching halt. Actually, that is not true, without the traffic, there was no screeching at all.

But let's not get ahead of ourselves. When I last wrote, the verdict had just been delivered and many people were very nervous about the reaction that it might elicit in Bangalore (remember, that in 1991 there were major riots). Businesses immediately shut down and schools sent the children home. Here at NCBS many people went home very early because rumors were circulating that riots had broken out in parts of the city. I left at my normal time (the 5:40 shuttle, which is normally packed) in a mostly empty shuttle. The traffic was non-existent (I feel that there should be a threat of riots everyday to keep traffic reasonable) and it was so quiet. It was actually quite unsettling though, walking home from work in the peace and quiet. I am so used to the chaos of my evening commute that the town had an eerie feeling to it. Anyway, I made my way to the gym, and like most other shops and businesses, it was closed. That night, we learned from the news that there was no violence in the city, the reports that we had heard were just rumors. However, we also learned that many state organizations were calling for a bundh on Thursday.

To me, the theory of a bundh is seriously flawed. The major fear associated with the ruling of the tribunal is violence and rioting, so here's a great idea, give everyone the day off so that they can riot and cause violence. Idle hands are the devil's tools, right? Well, at least on Monday they weren't. There were some demonstrations, but from what I have heard, in all the bundh was pretty tame, but I must admit it is kind of exciting living in a place where all hell could break loose at any minute, sort of like in L.A.

Since I missed out on any excitement due to the bundh, the universe remedied that this morning when I was involved in a traffic accident on my way to work. I take an autorickshaw (pictures above for reference) to my shuttle stop, and most of the drivers drive like they are possessed. This morning my driver and I were at a light waiting to turn left when the light turned green. Now, in Bangalore, when the light turns green the drivers (not just autorickshaw drivers) act as though they have seen the green flag at the Indy 500 and really put the petal to the metal, there is no such thing as gradual acceleration, it is all or nothing baby. Well, for some reason the big jeep ahead of us also floored it, but then stomped on the break while my driver was still in Indy 500 mode. Crunch. Everyone was okay, but my driver and the driver of the jeep both jumped out and started screaming at each other, and there I was standing there looking like an idiot. I wasn't exactly sure of the proper etiquette involved with car crashes, but I felt that I needed to get out of there as the drivers were really going at it and I didn't want to be around if it escalated. I handed my driver my fare, and got out of dodge. I have been told that here in India, an accident is generally deemed to be the fault of the larger vehicle, and that even in the case of rear-endings, this holds true as well.

Who needs holidays like Valentine's Day when I get all the excitement I need with bundhs and collisions, and the month is only half over!