The Mumbai Pune Expressway brings out another side in me – the one of a young Haryanvi truck driver. So I honk, I yell (in my mind or loudly), and I enjoy the drive with company of the chitter-chatter of the husband or the radio when the frequencies find favour.
The husband on the other hand prefers to discover his 80-year-old-Parsi-uncle streak and errs on the lower side of 80 on the speedometer. Depending on how quickly we need to get out of the bay or into the bay – decides the question of who gets the keys. Since we “do it” twice every week, let me also share I prefer the driving to Mumbai from Pune leg because the ghats don’t seem so terrifying and yes, I stubbornly honk behind any truck driver who is driving in the fast lane.
Everybody I know has their own Expressway story – be it of timing, or of food alongside or people and their generosity. But off late, the stories are more worrying than otherwise. Ask prominent builder DS Kulkarni – who lost his driver – when a container hit his car from the other side in the wee hours of the night. The case made headlines as DSK (as he’s well known amongst the Pune circles) had a narrow escape with a few broken ribs and a fracture. His wife sanguinely fielded all his well-being calls and I am sure knowing DSK, he will take this up as a pet cause soon.
That one followed my aunt sharing with us how 17 people lost their lives last Sunday. She narrated it because we usually drive at 5:30 in the morning planning to reach our desks early. And last Monday, I drove even more cautiously than otherwise!
Is the problem in the driving that the 161km of concrete can offer? The traffic police seems to think so. They’ve booked 6000 people in the last two months for cutting lanes, negligent driving. As many as 177 trucks in a single day get fined for not driving in the slow lane. But having driven every week, the minute the cops are off duty, the truck drivers, buses and containers go back to being their boorish self behind the wheel.
My view is simple: The Expressway needs monitoring to be exercised stringently: with cameras, fining offenders and asking citizens to become journalists to shame offenders is a must. The use of the trauma centre, the ambulance and the helipad will also ease of the pressure but it needs to start with the attitude of not just being safe on the road but also keeping others safe.
For now, I am getting enough sleep before I head onto the highway. My other handy tip: Follow Ridlr (earlier Traffline) for tips on traffic between Mumbai and Pune. And yes, always have a phone charged with enough battery!
My other picks:
My #ProudBatchmate moment: When two boys from my batch hit the headlines. Pune-boy Umang Bedi moves to take over the reins of Facebook in Gurgaon. Two weeks earlier, Amit Fulay got on to every small and big screen to talk about Google’s plan with Allo! I can tell you lots of chatter on Whatsapp was all abuzz!
#SuperThrowback: It’s admission time and it always reminds me of a Citadel magazine expose written two decades ago when I was to join Fergusson College. Did you know apparently the Physics labs in Fergi were a favourite spot for a quiet makeout. I can never look at the tables without that little flashback.
Supercurious about the buzz around: Tien in Model Colony. There are many reviews about this healthy and organic café with limited menu but simple taste. Anybody game this weekend?
Nidhi Taparia has a day job as a senior executive working with a leading transnational. A weekend Puniete, Nidhi left the city 16 years ago to fall in love with Mumbai – but Pune still is her first crush. Diary of a Weekend Puneite will appear every Saturday. The views expressed here are personal
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