Running Behind Time

We (wifey & I) were setting up our rented place and couple of weekends back, we went to electronic stores to get the usual kitchen essentials. Wandered out on Bannerghatta road trying to search an autorickshaw but nobody would come to where we wanted to go.

Finally flagged down a MERU cab and we hopped in.

I'm still trying to figure my way around Bangalore roads and its rather difficult because of alternate one-ways. You never come back in the same road which you took to get to the place. Makes the whole navigation a lot more confusing. I pride myself in remembering routes but Bangalore is a different cup of tea.

Anyways, so after a while when we had still not reached our destination, we asked the driver...."Aur kitna aage chalna hai". Pat came the reply - "Saab aur 10 kilometer door hai".

The answer puzzled me.

Never ever has anybody in Bombay to a question like that replied in distance. The reply is always in time. "20 minute" and such like.

It got me thinking......every Bombayite probably understands the importance of catching that 08:12 Churchgate local, weaving through traffic to gain that vital 5 minutes, taking the office bus at 05:45 to reach home in time to watch the 09:00 pm "Saas Bahu" serial.

We're always running behind time in Bombay....but we manage to catch it only 30-40% of the time.

What irony!!!