The Black Ribbons of Death

I was in Hyderabad the last couple of days after a gap of 30 years. However my memories of that trip way back in 1979 are so vivid and it surprised me to think that it happened 30 years ago. The reason why I remember that trip so well is because I along with my sister Latha were visiting my best friend Sarah who had just set up home and the 3 of us had a wonderful time doing all that the youth of the 70’s did. Rickety rickshaw rides, just walking in the sun and soaking the atmosphere and patronizing the way side eateries and going for an Amitabh movie (Manzil) which was shot in 2 sessions with a gap of almost a decade between them. I wonder whether the youth of today would even consider any of these as having a good time. My visit now was to attend the marriage of Sarah’s brother Roy’s daughter. Now Sarah is of the Avial fame and Roy of the Boost in my article Involuntary Inheritance. We were a family and we had to be there for each other.

The wedding was very grand as was expected. There was no surprise in that because it was held at the Taj Krishna a Premier Taj Hotel. I write this article not to highlight the wedding or the hosts or the guests but to highlight an experience I had while I was there. It does not pertain to Hyderabad alone and could have happened anywhere else in India. In the interim 30 year period both our lives have changed and we have both become older and have become victims of some medical conditions. I for one am a diabetic and have been so for the last 19 years. Sarah has had a severe back problem and she has had to undergo a surgery to her spine. With this surgery her movements are totally restricted. By the grace of God she leads a life doing only the things her physical condition permits her. Not for her the cycle rickshaw ride or anything crazy in that genre. Her life is strictured and any change spells doom for her. A walk and a swim is an integral part of her daily routine and come rain or shine she adheres to both of them Thus on the second day of my trip when we had to go from point A to B which was about 3 kms apart, Sarah suggested that she would walk, firstly as an exercise and secondly because there were no cars available and a trip by an auto rickshaw was unthinkable. As for me I quickly agreed as I felt guilty about all the desserts I had consumed at the previous night’s feast. It was a good hour to walk and thus the two friends set about on the walk. Those who know us well will vouch as to how many walks we must have taken covering longer distances and during the most blistering summers.

The moment we set out from Point A and on to the road, there was the morning hour traffic. We waited and with some negotiation crossed the road and then the nightmare began. To think that we were in the heart of Secunderabad and that the main thoroughfares did not have any side walks. We walked facing the traffic and could see the buses and other vehicles coming towards us. It was scary but had to be endured. The white line which marks the traffic zone was less than a foot away from the compound wall and that left absolutely no place for a normal person to walk. We had thought that we could have a long chat and catch up on the happenings, but this situation only made a silent single file movement possible. This too turned risky at points were there where vehicles parked. We had to look out to see what was coming and at times were almost sandwiched between a parked van and a moving bus. During this 3 kilometre stretch for a short distance there were side walks, but then we could not use it as it would hurt Sarah’s back. The side walks were over a foot high and her condition did not allow her to raise her leg that high. If it were a continuous walk she may have given it a try, but then at every twenty to thirty feet, the pavement was cut for the entrance to a compound. This meant that in a stretch of about half a kilometer, one had to go up and down atleast 40 times. This I must say is a strain for not only someone with a bad back but also for people without any back problem or arthritis.

Why are such side walks made? Does it serve its purpose in any way? It is in no way user friendly. I really wish the authorities who planned and executed these side walks would take a walk on them or for that matter take a walk on the road and see the dangerous and near fatal situation a pedestrian has to endure in his or her normal daily activity. I happened to be a witness to my friend’s difficulties considering that in no way can one say that she has a grave impediment. Hers is only a condition were she has to be careful. I shudder to think of the fate of others who face various forms of disabilities. It is said that there are over 70 million Indians who are disabled in some form or the other. To think that even a walk on an asphalted road could turn out to be a life or death situation is unthinkable. I dread to think of all the other hurdles they have to face. From time to time we hear of ramps being built to help the people in wheel chairs. Although that is important, I think what is more important is to make the roads safe for the pedestrian. I know it is difficult to control jay walkers, but make it safe for the rest of the pedestrians by providing decent navigable side walks in cities with heavy traffic on the road. Millions of our people are on the road at any given point of time and they include the young and the old and the fit and the sick and people with hearing and vision impairment and so many others belonging to different categories. The rate at which we are “developing”, it will not be long before our roads become the black ribbons of death.

The two friends endured an hour of the most vigilante walk and reached Point B with our vocal chords well rested.