Rural India in Busy Towns

On one of my many trips to rural India, I randomly clicked several photographs. They were my check-points, reminders of various incidents that were at once interesting and intriguing. One of those fascinating experiences was finding cows in the middle of intense traffic. 

This is a most common sight in rural India. But also in some medium-sized industrial towns which, in spite of developing rapidly, had certain sections where people had build small dairies just next to their homes.

This photo was taken close to my uncle’s house. 

Don’t they frighten you with their size and immovability? It was peak traffic hours and these cows appeared to be extremely at ease with the noise and pollution. In fact they were the biggest road blocks. Why were they left loose to create major accidents, especially in a country which worships cows? Nobody seemed to know the answer.

This photo was taken from our car on one of the busiest main streets of a small town.

What a confrontation! And right in the middle of a crossing. It amazes me to see this stark contrast between India’s metropolitan cities and its major industrial towns. Perhaps this is what makes our country so colourful and rich.

 

I am always frightened of driving on those roads. I feel that the huge cows would decide to cross the road just when I was driving by.  Given my luck, they would stop right in front of me... BUMP!!! An unavoidable accident!!! 

However uptil now, my fanciful nightmare hasn't manifested. And I have successfully driven on those roads without harming anyone. What will happen on my future trips I can’t predict, but I hope that the fear would gradually decrease and I would become a careless driver like the intrepid locals. Inshallah!!!