Good Honking Bad Honking!

-by Anup Tiwari Saturday, July 05, 2008

(This story has originally appeared at MSN India website)
http://content.msn.co.in/Contribute/Others/UCStory7481.htm
Suddenly everyone is saying that honking is bad. Initially it was just my expat friends. As I write this I am reminded of a former colleague from London. We were driving together and I honked having to negotiate a blind curve. She remarked," I know how to become a millionaire in India". I did not quiet understand and looked at her for more. " I just need to start a car horn business", she said with a wink.

Now it is almost everyone. There was this big no-honk campaign in Mumbai cheer led by 'the AB', himself, around the launch of his film- Bhootnath. The Delhi administration was though not impressed and said that Delhi's traffic was a different animal that did not need a similar campaign. But that is a different story of indifference reserved for a different day.

Coming back to honking. Yes, honking is bad. Especially, when it is needless and continuous.Not the single beep gentle variety. More so when it is a pressure horn.

But wait, there is a good honking too. Don't slaughter me for that expression. Read on.

I was in Lucknow being driven around the city by a friend of mine. He had then newly bought the erstwhile Matiz. A hot new launch around that time. I am sure many of us can go back in our minds and recall it vividly.

Now this friend of mine was a polite non-honker. At one of the narrow zones near Hazaratganj, he had no option but to overtake this slow moving tempo. He did it, but in the process scratched his car. Both the drivers pulled to the side. The tempo driver stepped out and said in his fully rustic dialect, "What sir, you are driving such a luxury car and being miser about honking."

Well that is good honking for you. The type that will guaranty that your car goes scratch free.

There is more. Picture this. You are on a red light. Slowly you have taken a start like a cricket fielder and are almost at the verge of crossing. You are at a point where you cannot see the colour of the signal. What do you pray for? I know I pray for the honk to signal that light is green. The first honk and you know it is accelerator time.

Another one at the traffic signal. Have you ever been lucky to be at the head of the waiting traffic? I don't know why but when I am at the head of the pack, my mind and eyes tend to rove. Suddenly I am not there. Then somewhere from behind comes this god send honk. I am pulled out of my reverie. It is driving time again. I don't know how I could have ever done without this music to the ears. I would have never ever hit on my smart (?) collage of ideas.

But wait don't let me make non-honkers turn honkers. The idea is to stop bad honking but keep on doing good honking.