By Sanyukta Iyer:

(Sounds: Ignition, Horns, People Yelling.)
It is indeed fascinating to be driving in Pune, if not, it sure is enthralling to be a pedestrian and watch the chaos.

I still fail to understand what intrigues me more the three people squeezed into a two seater scooty pep like Shahrukh Khan in Swades or the way you can view the uncountable two wheelers around you moving like cattle on a red light. Not that everybody stops at a red light anyways.

The Mamas are rare and whenever around can easily be dealt with by slipping in a 20 or by speaking in fluent Marathi. Enticing, I know!

For drunk drivers, do not fret, Marathi is the saviour to all, if not … the Alcohol detecting machine seldom works anyways! Facts state the detector fails to detect alcohol consumption. Regular two wheeler driver drunk after a party was free to go as the machine failed to work.

From personal experiences of student drivers at Symbiosis we have Dushyant who gladly quotes, “potholes are much more dangerous than the reckless drivers.” Smiling again he adds, “Valentino Rossi and Casey Stoner would gladly quit driving if they began to ride on Pune roads!”

Krishanu Jha a two wheeler rider from the past 3 years says, “I had a doubt that women shouldn’t drive, after coming to Pune it was confirmed that they shouldn’t even be close to a vehicle. The way people overtake from the left, I think I will finally need to get my left side, rear view mirror fixed.” He adds humorously, “In Mumbai in an accident, the cops barge in and take the driver who encounters damage. But in Pune, the cops never seem to show up at all!”

I drove a friend’s scooty all the way to Lonavala twice. I didn’t have a licence, no vehicle papers, no insurance and no helmet either. But I guess that fact that I was around Pune doubled my confidence.

Probably it is unfair to blame the hawaldars in Pune. It isn’t their fault. They are very few in number and work in 12 hour shifts. Neither are they paid well nor are they given benefits like the hawaldars in Mumbai or other metropolitans.

Pune has around a lakh of unregistered vehicles and most of its driving population consists of student drivers, making the roads unsafe to drive on and not following of road safety rules.

It is indeed a pitiable state for drivers in Pune, but for positive souls like me I guess it’s always, an Awesome Road Trip!