My blog is going to sound like a litany of driving woes.

But, talking about the problems of driving – the bad roads, the unlocked interlocking tiles, the construction work that never seems to end, the roads that prepare ISRO for creating a golf buggy that runs on the moon and the jams – in Mumbai is akin to talking about the weather in London.

Last night I went drinking with the biz partners. We had a vocal and determined exchange of ideas 😀 and opinions – with some colourful language – and then in the evening we went to Manthan. Churn, as they say is good. It was actually a fun evening. The skies had opened up and it was just the kind of evening you spend with conversation and laughter. Some of our friends, old ‘war’ veterans joined us – memories of the evening – laughter 😀

But, I digress. K dropped me home (rather his driver did). and SV Road was flooded. The Subway was flooded. The interlocking tiles had come out, the Tar part of the road had withered away, and there were gouges on the concrete. Apart from that it was a good drive 😀

This evening, while driving home from Lokhandwalla it took me an hour and a half. The roads are dangerously bad – it is a miracle that there aren’t more accidents or more dead or maimed in traffic accidents. A combination of bad roads, fed up pedestrians and drivers breaking rules, and putting their life, limb, property at risk every day. every newspaper we get at home, every report I read on-line is the amounts of money spent on road building and the amount down the drain. When Raj Thackeray says this about the mess, there is a part of me which wants to cheer. The other part of me, is appalled at the part of me that is cheering

Question: You have ordered your supporters to go for aggressive protests over the issue of potholes on the roads. What does aggressive protest mean?

Thackeray: Aggressive protest means beating the contractors who make bad roads, so that they take lessons and make good ones.

Question: You talk about violence. Won’t that send a negative impression about your party among the citizens?

Thackeray: What positive message do people get while driving their vehicles in those potholes?

It is very important to teach such contractors a lesson. Then only they will stop giving commission to political parties, and will construct good roads in fear.

My shoulders hurt with the effort of keeping the car steady. My ankles hurt. All of me hurts – and it is a physical nagging pain. And it is not just me. And, when doctors put out warnings

“We advise women in their third trimester to avoid traveling in autos, and big vehicles like buses. They should not be travel ling on bad stretches especially during peak commuting hours,”

it is just as bad as the Police Chief in Delhi advising women not to be out late at night without a man, because there is a high likelihood of them getting raped and murdered.

It seems that Mumbai has joined Delhi in not being able to provide security for women.

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When being stuck in traffic, there must be some benefits. Here is something that made me smile. Check out the faux milk can on the right hand side

And, the bhoot shot – the shot of the rear view mirror, seeing the traffic behind, trough misted glass..