You can travel by car of course. There are more and more cars on the road every day, especially with the spread of 'flyov
ers'/highways. But there are also auto-rickshaws, cycle-rickshaws, buses, trains, and now the Metro (an high speed above train that only runs in certain areas). I tend to travel in auto-rickshaws which sort of resemble a golf cart. (See the picture above where the autowallah is staring at me strangely because I am taking his picture).Flagging an auto is like flagging down a taxi in New York city, only instead of driving according to a meter, you usually have to engage in some bargaining with the auto-wallah. This means knowing something about the rates of one place to another and auto-wallahs can easily detect when someone is not familiar with Delhi.
Generally, it's known that auto-wallahs are charging passengers above the metered amount (there are meters in the autos, but they are hardly used) and some passengers fiercely bargain to lower the autowallah's proposed rate. For most people who are middle-upper class, the difference between 5, 10, 15 rupees is nominal really, but somehow being taken for a ride and being overcharged has something to do with self-respect. So, one has to bargain to some extent but to what extent is a personal moral judgment.
Another interesting mode of transportation is the buses and trains. For women, travelling on buses and trains is often not a very pleasant experience since the crowds and congestion can lead to a lot of harassment in the form of inappropriate touching. This has led to reserved sections on the buses and train
s which are meant only for women. (In Mumbai, there is actually an entire train called Ladies Special). On the whole, a man sitting on the bus in a 'ladies seat' will usually get up if you ask him to move. But men I've noticed do tend to jump onto the ladies only compartment in the train and sometimes there's a backlash of annoyance by the women in the train against those men. Generally, I have to say that I see nothing wrong with this kind of 'reservation' or gendered segregation and lately I've been grateful for this system. Above is a picture of a crowded ladies compartment on a train from Delhi to Faridabad.
s which are meant only for women. (In Mumbai, there is actually an entire train called Ladies Special). On the whole, a man sitting on the bus in a 'ladies seat' will usually get up if you ask him to move. But men I've noticed do tend to jump onto the ladies only compartment in the train and sometimes there's a backlash of annoyance by the women in the train against those men. Generally, I have to say that I see nothing wrong with this kind of 'reservation' or gendered segregation and lately I've been grateful for this system. Above is a picture of a crowded ladies compartment on a train from Delhi to Faridabad. 
No comments:
Post a Comment