Safety Begins at Home...
And Ends with Tippers :)

One Family . . Blow Horn . . One 'Chiled'

Driving in India makes a complete man. In Kerala, a perfect man.

Truly. You could learn everything if you don't mind spending a few hours regularly on Indian roads - walking or driving, or still better, riding a two wheeler. If you feel you don't have the time to do so, welcome to Kerala, for a crash course.

The faster, the better. We choose the latter.

If you want to learn what's dictatorship, watch a tipper for a while - if you can manage to. Making way for itself, respectful of no one who comes along is part of their duty.

If you haven't learned of 'hereditary dictatorship' in your political classes, watch for a private bus to pass by, followed by a Kochi city service bus. You've now learned it exempli gratia.

If you want to learn how to take chances, watch for two-wheelers here. Close your eyes if you find anyone going without a helmet. That's called 'idiocy' on wheels.

If you want to learn whatever family planning schemes India has implemented or proposed, miss no comments written behind National Permit trucks.[One Family . . Blow Horn ... One 'chiled' , We one..Stop..Ours One , We Two ..NP.. Ours Two,... ]

Don't forget to call God in emergency times, you'll be well-taught to do so, if you could read the 'Daivame...' written at least at two places on every load carrier in Kerala, including those killer tippers.

If you find it difficult to believe power 'breaks', read what's written behind mini-trucks and ambassador cars.

Interested in Romantic poetry? Watching rickshaws is your job for the day, to see what’s written on their mudflaps.

To see how bribery works and bribers don’t, just have a look at the roads in Kerala. It’s not because people not paying taxes, but the taxes we pay are going to individuals, through the government methods and institutions.

And to find how daylight robbery works, go to any petrol bunk you see around, and ask for petrol price of the day.

Sophistication Counts. Unfortunately

Maybe it's so childish or thoughtless saying it'll work, but I feel it'll. So I'm putting it out here.

2 weeks ago I read in newspapers about the fire accident in the Carlton Towers, downtown Bangalore, along with photos of people peeping out through windows, because the building was filled with smoke. They couldn't breath. Some left their lives due to suffocation, burns and some by falling on the ground. Some jumped from the 6th floor, to their death. A few of the daring among them tried to tie their shawls to the window and get down through it.

I don't know if the building had safety systems to be used in case of such emergencies. If not, why didn't they install any? that too I don't know. But I know a method, which can save many lives in such cases, which would have saved most, or almost all the lives of those died in the Carlton Towers last week. It's not costly or rare, nor is it difficult to install. No maintenance needed either. All it lacks is a bit of 'sophistication'.
They call it 'rope'.

If they had a good rope kept somewhere in all the floors, the victims could simply tie it to the window or a pillar in case of such an emergency, just as how they tied the shawl to the window, and come down through it, in case they can't use lift or staircase or any other system inside the building. Anyone can simply tie the rope on a window, and come down it. Maybe it'll hurt your palms a bit. It may make your skin a bit reddish. In my opinion, it's better than being burnt in the safety of the building.

And then, you may say it's not a good idea to come down supporting your weight by holding a rope, from maybe 4th or 6th floor. I agree. You may say, 'for us it'll be ok, but for women and the weak it'll be difficult'. But if I remember right, even women jumped straight down to the street, or tried to come down through the shawl tied to the window of the 5th floor. You know it's much easier.

It's not easy to come down through a rope from tall buildings, but then it's better than jumping down from the same, or eating smoke. I sincerely think it's a nice idea as a last resort. And I wouldn't hesitate coming down through a rope, be it from 10th floor, if the building is on fire, and there is no escape through inside the building.

I'd have kept in my cupboard a good, strong rope, had I been in any floor above 2nd. For my safety, at least, if none else agrees with me. One day or the other, we'll have to die. That's for sure, but what I feel is being burnt is not the best method for it :)

w