The Expedient Zone!

The Expedient Zone!

Ashim Kumar Paul

Living in a mega city like Dhaka means living with some exasperating experiences. Of them, traffic congestion sketches out its distinctive feature on the lives of the city dwellers. It is conspicuous that traffic congestion has brought the wheel of development almost to a standstill while the modern world is now swiftly on the run on the moving wings of globalization and its other blissful attributes. On account of the curse of traffic jam, it is hard for us to keep pace with the nimble change of the world. Various measures that incorporate the construction of over bridges, fly-overs, and the availability of mass transportation cannot subdue in a prolific way the immensely terrific traffic jam. Traffic congestion, in fact, amounts to a loss of quite a few million work hours, swallows the mettle and mental composure of the dwellers and grinds the socio-economic development of the whole country to a halt. Nonetheless, as a dweller of this frenzied city, you could hardly think of a day when you, keeping your feet on road, would not
encounter with the inevitable veracity.

However, unlike the statistician, I am not likely to extend an analytical study and disadvantages of traffic congestion before the readers. Rather, I wish to share an about-turn on the dark truth of everyday city life. To me, not only does traffic jam trigger the stratum of exasperation but also provide some food for thought! Thought that compel me to take hold of my pen!

“More haste, less speed” does not always brace its implication. Hastiness sometimes rewards you with its lavish presents. Think of my friend who, in a hurry, was successful to catch the bus already leaving from Gulistan to Dhamrai and to manage a seat behind the driver. The bus with its slow pace in keeping with other motor vehicles as usual got stuck in a jam off Azimpur signal. The scorching sun displayed its grand power, pierced the thirsty world and let the commuters feel almost throttled.

However, the scenario that all vehicles stood immobile maintaining the process of order and the drivers were seated with deep patience notwithstanding going through the protracted queue was nothing but a snapshot of the regular experiences of the Dhakaites. Time went on briskly and vehicles of other sides could exchange their route several times but the unfortunate queue found no chance to move forward. The vexed commuters shouted, screamed and sighed. The helpers and conductors were busy with their chit-chats beside the clogged vehicles. Some elderly people began to curse upon the blunt traffic system while others joined in their heated discussion. Political gossip further loomed large in their talks. In the meantime, the question by my friend why their queue did not move prompted the driver to gush out a flurry of insults. As the traffic sergeant, he said, was yet to be fed with his regular carrot, it was up to him to let the vehicles proceed! Ultimately, feeding carrot to the sergeants was the only resort to end the sufferings. My friend found a new commotion in his mind that this innovative way of forcing the drivers to meet the illegitimate claim of our sergeants, no matter how offensive it was, must deserve a high acclaim indeed!

Everything on earth needs the proper supply of nutritious food to stay fit and fight for the snags. Otherwise, paucity of nutritious food may stand in the way of gaining growth and maturity. If you are not convinced with my words, please look around your plowed garden where you have planted the trees, which are not properly nurtured owing to your busy schedule, now looking scrawny, frail and puny. The same is applicable to our traffic sergeants who need the uninterrupted flow of carrots to keep his paunch fit and your way smooth, preventing the odds. And most importantly, if you wish to afford your brain to work best and produce something extraordinarily creative, then let go of the thought to provide the food for our pot-bellied sergeants on roads!