On a typical busy Indian road as well as the cars, trucks, buses, cyclists, motorbikes, mopeds and auto-rickshaws, it might not be uncommon to see an oxen pulling some kind of flatbed trailer, perhaps a cow or two, dogs, goats, monkeys, and even monks! This melee of speed, color, and smell, in breathless cotton wool heat is an experience that will almost certainly punctuate any Indian adventure. It will overwhelm and amaze you, but you’ll love it.
The busy streets of every Indian city I’ve encountered are terrifying yet at the same time somehow strangely enthralling. At the cusp of chaos they rush like blood to your head, and throb like arteries pumping the very essence of life through your body.
On a rented moped weaving through traffic, people, and livestock feels something like playing a video game. The larger the vehicle the more right it has to charge on through the traffic. Road markings are merely guides and signs are more like suggestions. The constant use of your horn, on any vehicle, is a requirement and thus a constant chorus of horns fills the air and mingles with the dust and fumes from sunrise until well after the sunset.
Riding a bus is no less of an interesting experience. There seems little order to roadside bus stops, and sometimes the buses don’t really stop at all, they simply slow down allowing those who wish to disembark to do so while at the same time fighting with those who are hurriedly trying to get on the bus which is also being swarmed by hawkers holding their goods up to the glassless windows while shouting.
Auto-rickshaws are also an essential part of the transport infrastructure and a ‘must-do’ experience. As a tourist the driver will always attempt to inflate the price you’ll pay, which even then would still be dirt cheap, but there’s no fun in simply paying what they ask. An animated negotiation over the price before the ride is a must. If the driver tells you the ride will cost 70 Rupees ($1.64) you laugh and walk away, perhaps waving your arms for dramatic effect. The driver might then drive up beside you to offer a lower price, maybe fifty Rupees. “Fifty? Ha! No. I do this route all the time I never pay fifty. Thirty, no more.” Better yet, and if you can pull it off with some swagger, learn how to say “I am not a tourist” in their local language as you walk away in ‘disgust.’ It’s not a lie, it’s an enhanced negotiation technique.
While on the road I ended up shooting some video clips using my digital camera. Initially I was simply going to post the clips on YouTube in a raw unedited format, but I ended compiling and producing a very short film (see below) in which I sped up the clips which I think goes some way to communicating the hectic and chaotic nature of the roads in India.
For those who might be interested in the technical aspect of this very short film it was shot entirely on my digital camera, a Canon Powershot S80 which I also use to take all my photographs. The film was compiled on a Mac using iMovie HD and various effects to increase the contrast and graininess of the clips. The music is a track called Ya Ali by Zubin.
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Wrote the following comment on May 21, 2008 at 2:43 pm
Cool video. Thanks for posting so much India trip collateral–it’s almost like I’m getting a vicarious vacation.
Wrote the following comment on May 21, 2008 at 3:04 pm
I’ve got one more post from India, then I’m done with that :-)
Wrote the following comment on May 21, 2008 at 7:04 pm
cool video. it’s like rome and paris but more chaotic than usual. i’m surprised you don’t use the G9 powershot (i’m not a canon person).
Wrote the following comment on May 22, 2008 at 12:13 am
That top picture is really very cool indeed. The video is also very cool, it looks like something from one of those funky travel shows on BBC America! How on earth did you find that track though?
Wrote the following comment on May 22, 2008 at 2:54 am
Love the video! It’s always difficult to describe the traffic in India to someone who’s never experienced it.
Wrote the following comment on May 24, 2008 at 1:33 pm
Simon, the video is fantastic! Perfectly depicts what you described in your writing! As always, thanks for sharing and vicariously taking us with you!
Wrote the following comment on May 25, 2008 at 12:32 am
great video! i especially liked you chewing gum in time… hehehe
looks like a spectacular trip though. Joelle looked at home on the bike; seems like a very cool lady to live there and do all she does.
Wrote the following comment on May 25, 2008 at 1:14 am
Joelle is indeed a very cool person. She returns to the UK at the end of this month.
Doug, the track was in my iTunes collection. I suspect it was given to me by Joelle, however I have some very, shall we say, varied stuff in my iTunes collection. If you liked the track you can download it from here.
Wrote the following comment on May 25, 2008 at 5:07 pm
What a great video! Reading these posts are fun.
Wrote the following comment on May 26, 2008 at 12:32 am
It doesn’t look like much if anything has changed traffic-wise since I was a kid there in the mid 60’s – except you should be playing some ear-shattering Bollywood fab-concoction track, lifted above the crowd noise by the most shrill of sopranos. :-)
Wrote the following comment on Jun 6, 2008 at 10:13 am
i have seen ladies drive a bike but with a sari, thats a first for me. it seems you had a great time, did you visit any other part of india besides the south? how did you manage the heat? we supposedly had record temperatures this year.
Wrote the following comment on Jun 6, 2008 at 12:17 pm
Ah yes, my friend Joelle did get a few looks on her moped. I didn’t go anywhere other than the south, but at some point I’ll venture to the north. As for the heat, I love heat. It was wickedly hot, but I was very happy with that so all was well. I am very untypical for an Englishman in that I seem able to tolerate heat that most people can’t stand. However when it comes to even a slightly cold day, I am a huge wimp! :-)