THIS ISSUE -- of people’s unruly conduct on roads -- has a tendency to keep cropping up in public discourse again and again. There may not be any social conversation in town without a reference to the uncouth and brazen behaviour of the people in Maharashtra’s Second Capital. Unfortunately, we can see people from all walks of life -- from all economic segments -- indulging in blatant, brazen misconduct on roads or public places, breaking all rules and norms, and also defying common sense. In the process, such people lose the sense of the larger society within whose parameters one has to conduct life. This issue threatens to survive all the larger society’s appeals to good sense of the violators of civic dignity and responsibility that everyone must possess and practise. The appealers of good sense will perish -- but not the violators of good sense. And the city of Nagpur will continue to be mocked by such people -- and bullied by them -- and sullied by them ... ! And, as everybody knows, the cops are helpless against these violators. Yes, purely helpless.

 

Purely hapless. They can’t do a damn to effect correction of the brazenness that people come across on roads and at intersections and in public places. They -- these violators of good sense -- spit anywhere and everywhere; they keep talking on their cell-phones while riding their two-wheelers or driving their four-wheelers; or walking right in the middle of the road or across the roads; or stop their vehicles anytime and anywhere without caring to signal a stop ...! And they -- the cops -- watch helplessly (as said earlier). And other people, too, do the same. ... ... as if there is no solution to this problem, as if there isaconspiracy to sully and soil people’s experience of appearing in public places for whatever reason. It was not without a reason that a well-known cardiologist (who heads a major hospital in the city) once confided with the loosefooter that each time he moves out of his house or hospital, he senses his blood pressure rising menacingly -- thanks to the blatant, brazen unruliness on the road ! How does the city solve this problem -- if the cops do not seem to be able to do anything in this regard, if the COMMON PEOPLE are not picking up courage to accost the violators left-right-and-centre.

 

COMMON PEOPLE ! -- this term needs a further explanation. For, COMMON PEOPLE do not include the violators. For the violators are not common people. They are SPECIAL in every sense -- different from others as they consider themselves as the Government’s ‘sons-in-law’ ! Yes, ‘sons-in-law’ -- in Indian colloquialism ! JAMAI-RAJAS ! -- THESE BLATANT, BRAZEN BLOKES ! D O WE have an answer to this? Can we -- the people of this historic city -- find an answer or solution to this ‘man-made’ problem ? Or, in other words, do we have the time and inclination and resolution to solve this problem ? The loosefooter seeks to know -- on behalf of all common citizens of Nagpur -- which include rich and poor, young and old, men and women ! It is his right to raise this question -- and he asserts that right, in sheer exasperation, in sheer frustration, in sheer disgust ! But, the loosefooter also knows it well that he cannot get angry -- like the protagonist in the iconic Marathi movie Dombivali Fast portrayed by Sandeep Kulkarni -- and kill violators ! And to be sure, the violators, too, know that all too well ! Therefore .....!