City of lights

Well, I am not talking about "real" cities of lights like Paris or Las Vegas here. I am talking about my very own city beautiful, Chandigarh. I have been staying here for last 15 years. In last 15 years, I have been to most parts of it. ok ok, I still dont know where is International Dolls Museum or where Capitol complex is but what the heck. That doesnt really matter. I think most of you would concur with me if I say that the one of the best thing about Chandigarh has been its quality and density of girls. Err, I am again going off the track.

Well planned roads have always been Chandigarh's USP. Residents here as so used to straight lines that find it tough at other places (at least I struggled in Bangalore). Whenever, I used to tell anyone that I am from Chandigarh, their first line used to be compliment about good roads. I still remember college days when I used to vroom across these straight roads on my little Puch (and Vespa later on). Along with these straight lines, the thing we liked most were green roundabouts that had dotted all the intersections here. These intersections always gave me a great chance of getting ahead of those high flying kineys as girls used to get slow down there. The way I used to zigzag across the traffic maze, it always made Keshto wary sititng behind me and Gogs will still remember his high flying slam and dunk. I used to feel like Gladiator showing off my high centres of gravity and small turning radius [:p]. I used to go as fast I could and then take a turn without taking hand off accelerator and without pushing the breaks. It was real fun.

(Photo courtsey: Tribune Website.)

Now, after being away all this while from these lovely roads, the thing which I am missing most are those free flowing round abouts. Owing to tremendous pressure on city's traffic, administration has gone ahead and converted all those roundabouts into traffic light signals. The places where we used to drive like sinosoidal curve have now been changed. Now, you must stop, wait and then wait and then wait and more wait and then finally crawl through it. Traffic lights stand on these intersections teasing you, counting down the seconds to take off but green light will fizzle so quickly that even Jim of American Pie fame will be proud of his timings and you are left with another red countdown. Even if you manage to get past one signal, another awaits you after next 1 KM and then next. There was stats that a cigratte takes 2-3 mins of your life. Dont know how much of my life has been wasted waiting at these traffic signals now and how much would I be wasting more? It becomes so frustrating that one feels like going Bangalore way of driving on cycle tracks (yes, we have dedicated cycle tracks here) and pavements but then we far more cultured (in traffic sense) than any other place in India that we prefer to wait for next green light. I am missing my old chandigarh (but it doesnt mean that I am not loving its new Avtaar. that story later)

P.S. The thing which is most frustifying is the way kiney girls cover their faces behind kilometers and kilometers of veils. Je kar eh Nakaab na hon tan banda roz savere B21 the gaana gaanda jaave. "Ni, tere hoye savere darshan. Ajj din vadhiya langunga"