Friendly Honking

Every day the program driver takes us to the school and back. Riding around Jaipur is quite an experience in and of itself. Red lights and lines on the road are taken more as suggestions than laws, if not completely ignored. Sometimes it seems like the dotted lines in the middle of the road serve as the invisible third lane for passing. When I first arrived in Delhi, I was picked up at the airport at 5am and had another 5 hour car ride to the volunteer home. I immediately noticed the frequency at which my driver, along with everyone else on the road, honked, and for no apparent reason. After a while though, I figured out it’s almost done as a courtesy. Here, cars share the road with big trucks, rickshaws, motorcycles, bicycles, pedestrians, camels, and the occasionally free wandering cow, none of which have exceptionally great rearview mirrors. So, from what I’ve gathered, it’s just a polite way to let the other vehicle, animal, or person know there is someone coming up behind them about to pass. I’ve grown to kind of like it (it’s much more pleasant than the typical angry honking of America), and I have a feeling it prevents accidents as well. Rickshaws – the three-wheeled, motorized, open-air buggy things - are everywhere. With a bit of haggling, you can catch a ride to anywhere in the city for 50-100 rupees ($1-$2). Despite the dusty air and the bumpy ride, they’re actually quite fun. Camels are used like horses here, hauling building materials, food, or whatever else.

Cows on the other hand are not used for any type of work. There are just random cows all over the place. Ironically, you can't find beef being served anywhere. In India, where Hinduism is the prominent religion, cows are considered sacred and can never be killed. They are raised up to a certain age, and then set free to roam the city. On any given day you may see a car, a camel, and a rickshaw all stopped in the middle of the road waiting for a cow to cross.