Tiger on the road: An English poem (satire) on traffic violators...

  

If adversity reveals the true character of a person, then traffic reveals the true character of a citizen. It’s on the road that the true virtues of a citizen are showcased. The way people abide/flout the rules, respect/disrespect each other’s comfort, convenience and safety speaks volumes about their sensitivities and sensibilities. That probably is the truest reflection of the maturity and morality of a society in general.
One busy evening, while walking to my car after groceries, I found an SUV parked in the middle of a busy road under a fly-over. While there was a built up of traffic behind that car, the chauffeur was unperturbed with the distress calls sent by the horns of vehicles stuck up behind him. A closer look at him revealed that he was a man in uniform. Usually when I’m in a hurry, there’s a tendency to overlook these things (having got used to such acts of blatant disrespect for fellow citizens), but somehow, I took out my phone, and started to pretend that i was filming the incident. I won’t have been surprised if the man had come out and smashed my phone (or maybe my face), but as soon as he realized that he was being filmed, he cranked the engine and hurriedly fled away, of course shouting profanities at me while he passed by me.
This was the incident that compelled me to write something about this attitude of some commuters that affects every person on road.

Tiger on the road...

When there’s movement at the traffic lights,
And honkers get so mean.
You’ll know that the light is red,
It’s time to flee the scene.
When trail of engines drops to dead,
Rest assured the light got green.
And that’s the time when tigers charge,
From lanes that ain’t yet green.

Watch out you clumsy fellas,
Daring beasts are on maraud.
India is a land of tigers,
Where tigers prowl on road.

When mortals have to park their car,
They search for parking space.
And when legends go for groceries,
They park on road with grace.
High on wealth, low on courtesy,
Connections right in place.
They have an air of arrogance,
Beaming on their face.

But that wealth can’t buy wisdom,
That’s not fair my Lord.
India is a land of tigers,
Where tigers prowl on road.
- Dr. Prashant Bhatt

Long back I came across this joke. Once a young driver was driving a visitor around the city. He was repeatedly jumping the lights while they were red. The distressed visitor asked him to be cautious, but the driver replied with elan, “Nothing will happen, we are tigers”. Suddenly he slowed down to stop at the next crossing, and when the visitor pointed out that the light was green, the driver said, “One needs to be cautious, there might be another tiger crossing”. That’s how the analogy ‘Tiger on the road’ was born.
So, let’s be a bit more cautious of our demeanor on the road and in traffic. Let’s be respectful and sensitive towards the safety and convenience of our fellow commuters. It starts with us, let’s first be responsible ourselves before expecting the same from others. Because goodness spreads faster than meanness.

Cheers! Keep Vibing...

Here is the video of this poem, posted by our partner YouTube channel KidsLounge...