There is a popular saying, a cat has nine lives. There is no equivalent phrase for humans. However, the way many perform reckless acts on roads leads one to suspect that they consider themselves beyond the laws of mortality. I was brought up to be cautious. My grandmothers would interrupt me with concern if I alluded to even the hint of a calamity. It would bring bad luck.
As I grew older, I started having more trust in my actions for favourable outcomes. This belief had a flaw. It did not factor in the fact that we are social beings. We are also impacted by the acts of others. My wife also made a similar statement. We were out for our walk in our condominium complex when we were interrupted by a shrill whistle directed at us. It was the guard drawing our attention to a temporary pedestrian pathway created on the opposite side of the road. This had turned the road into a narrow lane for the vehicles to navigate the blind stretch. Enquiries revealed an accident earlier in the day.
I felt this was a knee-jerk reaction to a more serious issue of the children recklessly racing their bikes on the roads inside the complex. My wife also commented, “Accidents will always happen, whatever measures are taken.” Though her comments made sense, it would be foolhardy to knowingly or unknowingly walk into dangerous situations. Delhi, or for that matter any city, is not safe for pedestrians. The onus is on the walkers to safeguard their lives. A senior retired colleague was out for his walk early in the morning in Delhi. Contemplating the mysteries and unmindful of the vagaries of life, he stepped off the kerb to be hit by a bus. He escaped with multiple fractures, which took a few months to mend.
He was gracious enough to accept his fault and count his blessings. The legendary 114-year-old marathon runner, Fauja Singh, was hit by a vehicle in the afternoon outside his home in a village in Punjab. He did not survive. Even other forms of travel are not safe. We also do not make it any easier due to our preconceived notions. A few years ago, the Delhi Traffic Police made it mandatory for both riders on two-wheelers to wear helmets. A community objected to the same on religious grounds and sought exemption even for women riders. A senior colleague from the faith remarked, “An accident would not discriminate on the basis of one’s religion or gender.” Relative affluence has resulted in younger people acquiring luxury cars. Many of these have retractable roofs. We often read about the risks posed by reckless road behaviour, endangering both participants and bystanders. Many luxury cars with retractable roofs amplify these dangers. We often read about the risks posed by reckless behaviour on the roads, endangering both participants and innocent bystanders.
Many luxury cars have retractable roofs, and stunts performed through them frequently lead to tragedy. I travelled to Bhutan towards the end of the previous century for work. A couple of these were close to an Indian state that was then facing insurgency. A Bhutanese official warned us to avoid these areas due to crossfire risks. I remarked, “Whatever is meant to happen will happen.” He replied, “But why should we invite a bullet to be our destiny?” I recalled my younger days when three friends and I ran through a hail of falling pebbles across a hundred-metre stretch in the hills. It felt thrilling but was undeniably foolish. Life always carries risks, yet wisdom lies in avoiding needless danger — respecting rules, exercising caution, and treating safety as a shared responsibility.
The author is an electrical engineer with the Indian Railways and conducts classes in creative