La llei de la selva / the law of the jungle

Si a la selva el lleo es el rei, als carrers de la India la vaca es la reina.

Les carreteres del subcontinent son un caos. No m'estranya, amb la diversitat de vehicles que hi circulen. Aixo es el que un es troba nomes posar un peu al carrer: vaques, cabres, gossos, cotxes de cavalls, ricksaws (o ciclo-ricksaws), tempos, bicicletes, motocicletes, cotxes, camions.... ah, i tambe vianants que a vegades s'atreveixen a creuar la carretera. Condueixen per l'esquerra, com al Regne Unit (com no) o Japo.

La regla numero 1 es respectar les divinitats. O sigui, les vaques. Les vaques sempre tenen prioritat. Es pot fer servir el claxon per foragitar-les pero no se'ls pot tocar un sol pel. Aqui matar una vaca es tant greu com matar una persona. El problema es la quantitat. N'hi ha moltissimes d'abandonades, campant per tot arreu menjant el que poden i dormint on els dona la real gana. Aixo passa sobretot a la ciutat, al camp acostumen a anar en ramats conduides per un pastor o ben lligadetes al costat de les chaboles.

En realitat hi ha vaques per tot arreu: a les voreres, al mig de les rotondes, als parcs (si es que es pot dir aixi), als camps, als carrers, carrerons i avingudes. Una de les primeres coses que vaig veure a Delhi al arribar va ser un grup d'elles dormint tranquilament en un carrer del centre en plena nit. Nomes imagineu-vos els fars iluminant de cop i volta els rumiants enmig de la foscor...

La regla numero 2: Per adelantar, tocar el claxon fins a trencar-se els dits

Les carreteres indies son un festival. Els camions semblen carrosses de reis, pintats de mil colors, amb lletres i brillants enganxats. A vegades porten un triangle reflectant a la part del davant! A mes a mes, constantment se sent algu pitant. No es que es passin el dia queixant-se o estiguin enfadats, es que no tothom te retrovisor. Aleshores el que fan es fer-se sentir per avisar al conductor del cotxe del davant quan volen adelantar.

A la practica aixo vol dir bocinassos constants i vehicles adelantant-se cada pocs metres. Camions adelantant bicis, bicis adelantant peatons, ricksaws pitant per esquivar vaques, cotxes adelantant ricksaws.... I a les carreteres rai, son prou amples. Als carrers de la ciutat es encara mes emocionant, millor que Port Aventura. Ara, si patiu del cor no us recomano conduir per la India. S'ha de tenir mes que sang freda.

La reina de la selva
The queen of the jungle
Allahabad, India, 08/07

Si us plau, toqueu el claxon si us plau
Horn please
Allahabad, India, 08/07

If lion is the king of the jungle, then cow is the queen in the streets of India. In the subcontinent the roads are chaotic. It's not surprising, there are many different vehicles running around. If you go out and start walking in the street you will find: cows, goats, dogs, carriages driven by horses, ricksaws (also known as ciclo-ricksaws), tempos, bicycles, motorcycles, cars, trucks... and also pedestrians who dare to cross the road. They drive on the left, just like in the UK and Japan.
Rule number 1: Show respect to divinities.

In other words, cows. Cows always have priority. You can blow your horn to scare them away, but you can't touch them. Here killing a cow is nearly as bad as killing a person The problem is quantity. There are a lot of stray cows, wandering around everywhere eating what they can and sleeping wherever they want. But this happens mostly in the city, in rural areas cows are usually driven by a shepperd or either well tied near the shack.

In fact they are everywhere: in the pavements, roundabouts, parks, fields, roads, streets, lanes and avenues. One of the first things I saw when I got to Delhi was a group of cows quietly sleeping in the city center in the middle of the night. Just try to imagine the headlights lighting up the ruminants in the darkness...

Rule number 2: Blow your horn until you break your fingers if you want to overtake another car.

Indian roads are like a festival. Trucks look like floats, colorfully painted, with big letters and shiny things sticked to them. Sometimes they also have fluorescent red triangles in the front. Furthermore, there is always someone using the horn. They are not complaining or angry, it's just that not everybody has a rear-view mirror. What they do is make noise to be heard to warn the car below.

In practical terms this means non stopping honks and vehicles overtaking one another each few meters. Trucks overtaking bicycles, bicycles brush passing pedestrians, ricksaws blowing the horn to dodge cows, cars overtaking pedestrians... But in the road is not so bad, they are quite wide. In the city streets it's even more exciting, better than a funfair. But I won't recommend you to drive in India if your heart is weak.