Part I

India is home to four megalopolises, and I recently travelled in one.

I am sure every Indian is aware of the four, but here they are – Delhi-NCR, Mumbai, Kolkata, and Chennai. Among these, Chennai has been the closest to me since my childhood. When I was young and lived in Tirupati, to write every major entrance exam, I had to go to Chennai. Oh my God, Chennai, just like all other megalopolises and metropolitan cities, has changed a lot. And still changing!

Every time I go there, something has changed. It is as if it is a huge monster undergoing constant metamorphosis! Even though I am a huge technophile, I cannot do two things at a time, especially when I am driving my car. People do all sorts of crazy things while driving. Let me talk about my current city of residence, Kadapa.

The unique antics of Kadapans and Rayalseemites, in general!

You are not really from Kadapa unless you ride your two-wheeler, or even a three- or four-wheeler, with your cellphone stuck between your head and shoulder! I am just kidding. But you can come and see for yourself if you don’t believe me! People drive so recklessly that if an accident occurs, there is very little chance of survival!

The other day, when I was travelling in a shared auto to the city’s central business district (CBD), a junction of seven roads, I saw an adolescent by the roadside. He was bleeding from the nose and mouth and having convulsions. I am pretty sure he wasn’t an epileptic. And of course, he was not wearing a helmet!

Parents are playing with the lives of their kids and others, too!

It created so much pain and agony in my heart that I cannot put it into words here. As a doctor, I have seen the worst in my life. But some sights still create a shudder! And I am damn sure that it is not just my place, Kadapa, but several other places in India and the world where there are reckless drivers.

And on top of that, people give their young children (as young as eight years or even younger!) two-wheelers to practice their driving skills! Endangering not just their kids’ lives but also the general public’s. I have never seen more horrible drivers than in Hyderabad, Kadapa, and Anantapur in the entire world! Of course, throughout my lifetime, I have lived in only two countries – India and the USA!

Some two-wheeler drivers in Kadapa and Anantapur ride on the left side. Exactly opposite to me on my humble bicycle. And some wrong-side drivers have the cheek to exhibit their rowdy behaviour by asking me to move aside in their gruff tones. Besides being on the completely wrong side of the road!

Okay, back to Chennai, one of the four largest Indian megalopolises

So, I recently went to Chennai in my car after about two years. It was my family and my sister-in-law’s family (minus her hubby, who is in Kuwait and waiting for the ticket prices to drop from INR 1,00,000/- courtesy the Iran war!). And the long journey began. All was good, but the moment we reached Tamil Nadu, the slight ‘hesitancy/confusion’ began.

Actually, my relatives in Chennai warned me about the ‘confusion’ in Andhra Pradesh itself. I was asked to be careful about my journey in Puttur, Andhra Pradesh, when taking the service road to Uttokottai! For me, there was no problem there. However, once Chennai came into view, the familiar fears of meandering down the wrong road appeared!

I have always had a problem with using maps, phones, or anything else while driving. My wife bought a cell phone holder for my car last October when we went to Hyderabad. I am yet to fix it in my car! But I have always used my mental maps rather than the mobile maps showing directions.

The best directions are in my brain!

I should definitely have at least a rough idea of the directions in my mind before I go anywhere. It is not that I hate technology. But the problem with driving, or for that matter, anything else in life, is that a human being can do only one task correctly at a time. Leave the multi-tasking to the Almighty! He is the one best at that. We, ordinary mortals, can hardly do even one thing correctly. At one time!

I cannot look at maps while driving. You might say audio directions are there. But there is nothing like the maps in our minds. Okay, enough about maps. But aren’t there smart glasses? Or a smart film attached to the car’s front glass. Maybe they can help by showing virtual landmarks and tags on the smart glasses or the smart film on the car while driving.

You will understand what I am talking about in a while. Anyway, there is this school – it was earlier called Temple. I think the school’s management has changed, and now it is Everwin! Oh, how I wish I had always won my battle against my driving confusion in Chennai or Hyderabad! To reach my destination in Nethaji Nagar, I need to take the school’s junction. The school stands on the main road.

Confusion always prevails, no matter what!

The ever-changing monster that Chennai is, as are the other megalopolises, I casually missed the metro works on my right. When I took the left at the Everwin school junction. Off I went.

Now, to mention about the parking travails in megalopolises! And the familiar problem of parking my car started. Usually, my co-brother’s car was parked right between their house and their neighbour’s.

But since the neighbour was constructing a new house after demolishing his old one, my co-brother’s car was parked about half a block away from his house. And I had to park my car beside my sister-in-law’s maid’s house.

Lucky, my car was shifted to a safer spot!

I was a bit worried about a drunk driver hitting my car! But my co-brother said he would ask his driver to check whether there were any empty spaces on a safer road near his home.

Luckily for me, my car was shifted to a safer spot. After I had left Chennai, the southernmost of India’s megalopolises, in a hurry the next day. Using Confirmtkt, I bought a confirmed ticket for a seat on the Mas Csmt Sf Exp numbered 22160. I caught a local train from Villivakkam to Chennai Central. And went to board my train a few platforms away. It was already on the platform.

I boarded the train. And had my lunch (curd rice courtesy of my Villivakkam sister-in-law) inside the train. The train started at the right time, i.e. 1.15 pm. And it started rolling pretty fast. And fast until it reached somewhere in the middle of the distance between Chennai and Arakkonam. Then it stopped suddenly before Tiruvallur station, I think.

I thought I had left behind my megalopolis travails, and then the train travails began!

Honestly, the train was stuck there for a long time. I have even forgotten where it stood, lifeless without any movement, while all sorts of even mofussil local trains, express trains, and probably even goods trains passed my train! It got delayed by nearly three hours. The culprit – Engine trouble. Near megalopolises!

I fail to understand how the engine could have been easily replaced with a working engine from a nearby station. Were no spare engine/s available? Or was there any other problem? I don’t know. My late father was a railway employee. Because of that, I have always had a love for trains. Trains are basically like a second home for me.

And the carriage I was travelling in was non-AC. You know how the summer heat is in South India. Luckily for me, a Jain monk was travelling with me. He was in an adjacent seat. I had a few discussions regarding religions, politics, and the general situation in India. And finally, the train began to move.

The train was supposed to reach Kadapa at 5.38 pm. It reached there at 8.25 pm! Once I got down, I went to a mosque nearby and offered my prayers. And went back to my place.

The rest will be continued in Part II of this article.