Tuesday, July 10, 2012

Mistaken for TAXI Day?


With the improved and advanced health facility, the growth rate of world population is on hike even though the means to educating people about the benefits of having smaller family is given equal and due importance. Such rise is definitely leading to rise in ravenous greed of every individual for feeding or presentation of oneself. It is us – the human being – that is disturbing the Mother Nature and inviting all sorts of calamities – big or small. While some remain negligent about their naivety, there are others who are worrisome and already back on their horses educating their kind on the impacts from smokes or any other elements (contributing to natural hazard) to the environment and people, eventually. Countries across the globe are exploring the urgency and need in paying a serious heed to such threats and most have already placed proper precaution or generated awareness for the well being of people and conservation of clean environment that needed to be handed down the coming generations.

Bhutan has also been doing the same, if not similar. First came the banning of smoking and chewing tobaccos. Then, of recent, observing every Tuesday as the Pedestrian Day. It is always a thrill to invoke and truly analyze for yourself whenever an ‘alien’ is born in human town. There were voices of likes and dislikes of observing Pedestrian Day to which I remained a complete negligent. However, an hr ago, I ran into a random conversation with two of my friends that somehow led to and ignited about the Pedestrian Day. 

After breaking up with our conversation, we headed our own ways. I made my way to home but the words we shared about the Pedestrian Day kept ringing back as though someone inside my head kept replaying that very conversation. Now, that I am sitting on this not-so-comfy-chair and trying to scribble down something I should let it out, I am beginning to mull over and question if Tuesdays are merely Pedestrian Day for I see lots of yellow-painted-roof with four wheelers “TAXI” making rounds everywhere I land my eyes on? May be “Taxi Day” might be a better substitute and best -nym given for Tuesday. And one more thing, if almost equal or equivalent numbers of vehicles move around as much as pedestrians, then I am afraid yet compelled to confront that this is NOT a Pedestrian Day. In fact, we are observing taxis’ everywhere. Hence, and for logical reasoning and in my opinion this day better be observed as TAXI Day. 

Pedestrian Day is becoming hassle and causing perplexity among the private wheel runners and police personnel who always seem on uneasy-feeling-duty whenever the former try trespassing via restricted routes, the latter objects and make the wheel turn around and head the direction it came from. From my observation, irrespective of what mood the private wheel runners wear initially, the objection and NO ENTRY signal by police personnel into restricted routes compels those behind the wheel to take up the look of and throw few words of dissatisfaction that can be only lip read and not heard. 
As much as I am commendable about the Government ushering and introducing such brilliant contribution towards the conservation of environment and reduction of fuel expenses during such crucial hr of crisis – the rupee crisis, I am of equivalent stand that the synonym given to Tuesday is less pragmatic and mere delusion.   
If we are to truly observe the Pedestrian Day, then all wheels, exceptional being ambulances and fire brigades that too under emergency act, should be free of its wheelers and ONLY PEDESTRIANS should be on move – either for the entire day or specified length of hr in a day. Then, hands in air, hats off, we are indeed observing the Pedestrian Day.  

p.s This article was written on Tuesday at 12:30ish in the afternoon. Due to some technical error, the uploading and publishing was deferred.