BENGALURU : Much of last week was spent in tracking the progress of the gigantic ship that got stuck in the Suez Canal and caused a massive, global traffic jam among ships. The issue slowly swept over the news and reached the colourful underbelly of the Internet – memes. As someone who always had a keen interest in history right from my school days, I’d never have imagined that the Suez Canal would make a comeback in public consciousness.
If you don’t remember your high school history – here’s a quick recap. The Suez Canal is a man-made artificial canal that was made to connect the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea. Over the years, it became an important trade route and nations have fought each other over control of the important trade route. But over the years, the Suez Canal was relegated to the back benches of our brains along with Panama Canal and Kodaikanal. However, last week saw the Suez Canal make a splash in the news with a 400-metre-long ship getting wedged lengthwise on the canal, blocking hundreds of ships for an entire week.
Predictably, the incident did not spark much conversation among Bengalureans, for whom such phenomena are quite run-of-the-mill. Getting stuck is as common as ordering a masala dosa for the citizens of Bengaluru. Ask any IT employee in the city and they’ll vouch for the Nolan-like time dilation that occurs when stuck in a traffic jam. Much like the ships in the Suez Canal, we all have memories of being stuck along the Silk Board – where traffic moves at the pace of bored silkworms. We have all been in the place of the ship while reversing a car, only to have it wedged vertically while taking a U-turn, thereby inviting condescending looks from the educated people of urban Bengaluru.
The Suez Canal issue was finally solved when a Supermoon caused high tides in the canal. This is also something that Bengalureans can relate to, for it is only divine intervention that can help overcome a traffic jam! I have lived in all the major Indian cities, and experienced traffic jams in all of them. But there is something really unique about the traffic jams in Bengaluru. For one, there is no fighting or honking – it is just rows of educated people sitting patiently in their cars.
These are engineers who can write code to send rockets to space, but have left their movement on the roads to the stars! I was once supposed to take a flight from Bengaluru to Hyderabad, and I reached Hyderabad while the friend who dropped me at the airport was still stuck in traffic! I usually download Sanjay Leela Bhansali films for the traffic - not as a fan, but because it is the only place to watch his three-hour epic films.
Every time I’m stuck in traffic, I’m curious to find the one person that started the jam. You’ll always find that one adventurous person. A trailblazer who decided to ride his bike on the footpath, or a truck driver who chose Robert Frost’s path less taken by attempting to reverse amidst peak evening traffic!
It came as no surprise therefore, that Bengalureans couldn’t understand what the whole fuss regarding the Suez Canal issue was really about. If you think about it, we have our own Suez Canal, and if you’re fortunate enough to cross the Bellandur Lake, you get to experience a Suez Canal served with extra whipped cream and frosting!