I am writing this on the birth anniversary of modern India’s greatest son and my hero, M K Gandhi. In other words, it is the 2nd of October, and to take a lesson from him, I admit I am pretty late in submitting this to the editor of autoX, and I apologise for it. But you must be wondering what relevance an old man born over one-and-a-half centuries ago has to a 21st-century automotive publication? Well, there is no connection, even a tenuous one. Except maybe this little automotive factoid: at the Sevagram Ashram, there was a broken-down Ford which was drawn by a pair of oxen – Gandhi called it his Ox-Ford!
The Mahatma has left a huge body of quotable quotes that are powerful and relevant even today. I thought why not take a selection and maybe learn something from them to make us into better riders, drivers or road users? He has weighed on everything – there are books on Gandhi on Business, on Diet, on Ecology, etc., so why not Gandhi on Road Manners?
"If we could change ourselves, the tendencies in the world would also change. As a man changes his own nature, so does the attitude of the world change towards him. We need not wait to see what others do."
These are a powerful few lines that have been shortened to a pithy ‘Be the change you wish to see in the world’ that is wrongly attributed to Gandhiji. However, the lesson remains relevant. If we wish our roads were to become better places, it starts with each one of us. If you, as a pedestrian, notice that others are not stopping at the zebra crossing, next time you’re driving, make it a point to give way at zebra crossings. If we think someone else is riding like a jackass, do pause to think whether you’re riding any better. If you see someone honking needlessly at a junction, maybe you should also observe your honking habits. True change happens only when each of us changes, not when you expect someone else to change while your habits stay as they are. And yes, one need not wait for others, we can start today.
"Nobody can hurt me without my permission"
I used to have this bad driving habit, but I think I have subdued it – though I admit it occasionally rises up sometimes. I used to get irritated that some smart alec was driving smarter than me… you know, clever manoeuvring, rapid overtaking, slick moves and all that sort of stuff that makes you think you are faster than everyone else. Admit it, even you have that problem right? Otherwise, you wouldn’t be reading an auto publication. Anyway, now I have decided that no one is going to hurt my ego anymore. Please go ahead if you think you’re a better driver than anyone else; as far as I am concerned, it’s not going to affect me if I see you do what I would have done.
"The future depends on what we do in the present"
What Gandhiji said may seem a bit obvious, but does that reflect in our actions? We act like there’s no tomorrow in the way we drive or ride, but our tomorrows are watching us and learning from us. Our children, to whom we should set good examples, instead see us virtually break every rule, even putting them in harm’s way. Do you think the future will be glorious then? Also, it is an apt quote for bringing down harmful transport emissions. Not just individuals, but institutions too should also take it to heart and clean up our polluted air. All of us must act, individuals or institutions, and act in great coordination.
"The true measure of any society can be found in how it treats its most vulnerable members"
By that measure, our society is highly uncivilized. Because it is the vulnerable road users who are dying every day on our roads. These are pedestrians and cyclists primarily, who account for about 20 per cent of all road fatalities. If you include two-wheeler riders as vulnerable, that's another whopping 45 per cent. We often forget that it’s not a food chain, but a road ecosystem. So yes, if we have to attain some semblance of a civil society, our roads need to be inclusive of their requirements too.
Also Read: Dear Government, Please Stop Giving Step-Motherly Treatment to Motorcyclists
"There is more to life than increasing its speed"
All of us get what you’re saying Gandhiji, but you wouldn’t have said that if you’d driven a Porsche 911 GT3.
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