Usually, the commuting to and from the office is the most unpleasant experiences of a working day in a city like Bengaluru so much so that when someone asks, ‘what is the distance of your office from home’, I say, ‘it is one and a half hours to two hours depending upon the mood of the traffic of the day’. Of course, in terms of physical distance it is only 25 km one way.
But today while going to office flowers blossom in me.
In spite of the fact that it is a post holiday working day. Today is Diwali. It must be a holiday for the Indians in the north of the Vindhyas. However, for many offices including the central government ones, yesterday was the official Diwali holiday. The thin traffic indicates that in spite of it being a working day, many thought in true Indian spirit that a day like Diwali ruled in favour of staying at home over whiling away time on mundane office affairs. I also learn that officially it is Diwali off day for some.
It is such a pleasant experience to drive on Bengaluru roads on some of the busiest routes on a working day with thin traffic. I ruminate whether there is a remote possibility that in distant future a time will come when every working day traffic will be like this. Why limit the traffic problem to only working days. Even on weekends you may have a horrible time while negotiating with the Bengaluru traffic on many stretches. I am reminded of those lazy weekends twenty five years back when I used pedal around Bengaluru the whole day sometimes alone, sometimes accompanied by a friend. If I do it now the doctor may, in stead of calling it a healthy habit, discount my life expectancy by five years.
But today flowers blossom in me. Bangalore is a cool beautiful city. What make it hell are its potholed roads, made worse by the incessant rain of the last couple of weeks. And the bumper to bumper laborious traffic. Today, free from the care of the bumper to bumper traffic, I can smell and feel the cool breeze passing through the roadside trees.
Flowers also blossom in me for another reason. Thank God, I am not a Delhite. I will be able to blast a few crackers along with my son and his friends at least this year. For I don’t know when the ban- cracker-to -avoid- pollution syndrome that originated in Delhi will infect Bangalore, which is as cursed as Delhi in terms of vehicular pollution.
Of course our liberal and secular sensibilities do not allow us to ban certain types of highly polluting vehicles and industries, and inhuman practices of privileged religions.
Wishing all my readers a very happy Diwali.
PEBBLES AND WAVES 
Dear Mr Dash,
Lovely post.
Creative thoughts.
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Thank you so much for your kind words
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May those flowers never wilt! I have mixed feelings about the cracker ban. While there is no doubt (Chinese) cracker bursting was transgressing limits of tolerance, any extreme is dangerous. I am fully in agreement with your views.
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It seems the ban did not dampen the spirit of Delhites.
Thanks for stopping by.
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Which is an endorsement of our perspective.
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I have never given a thought to reply anyone on a post like this. Nevertheless found it very interesting and disturbing too. Have forshaken the idea of polluting further by using highly noisy hazardous crackers a long back.
Our best wishes to everyone related. Feeling quite nostalgic about those years with you there dear writer.
Thanks
GC Pradhan
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So kind of your dear GC to stop by and offer your perspective on the issues. Thanks a lot.
Yes, there are many pleasant memories of our old days in Bangalore.
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Thoughtful post
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Thanks
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Agreeable thoughts are these. Hearty Diwali wishes to you and your family members.
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Widhing you the same Mathur ji
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thoughtful post thanks for sharing
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Thank you so much for stopping by
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Reblogged this on PEBBLES AND WAVES and commented:
This post is in response to the prompt of Indispire Edition 307 – “Share any recent happening that has sparked joy in you”.
To avoid repetition, I am re-sharing an old post. Similar feelings came to me while travelling to a distant place in Bengaluru a couple of days back. Even though it was a working day, due to some reason (probably the strike call given by some trade unions on 08.01.2020), the traffic was far less than expected.
In Bengaluru having a traffic-hassle free day is like having a sunny day in the mid of arctic winter.
Thanks to Indiblogger member Anita Sabat ji for suggesting a topic with positive vibes, away from the usual needless controversies created these days to serve vested interests.
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Lovely read!
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