BENGALURU: There is a reason why potholes need to be loved. For all the lives they have claimed so far on Bengaluru’s roads, potholes do not have malice towards anyone. They don’t have a mind that can be influenced; there is no hatred in them; and they do not nurture deceitful strategies to put down anyone. And still they do! But please don’t blame them.
They are there because they have been left to be there to get deeper and wider. They develop through degeneration when rain acts on the road surfaces laid with questionable material used to lay them. Although potholes cannot be influenced, one must appreciate that they are absolutely secular and unbiased — they do not differentiate among faiths, castes, gender or background of humans who they kill or injure.
It just so happens that it is the two-wheeler rider who is most exposed to the threat of their existence on road surfaces. It just happens to be that way! Not the pothole’s fault at all!
So, you mustn’t blame the poor potholes. They are just there, like hungry open mouths, imaginably starving deep inside, and seemingly eyeing every human on a two-wheeler who passes by this degenerate Cyclops. Who knows, it probably even waters from the mouth at the very sight of motoring bipeds.
But you and I should know this: They are not like that at all! They are not even living beings to have such feelings. They never even intended to be there to claim lives or harm anyone — not even waiting to be driven or ridden into by human motorists.
I am saying this because every time a human dies or is injured due to a pothole, anger wells up within us. We spew out our anger at the authorities — like the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike, the Public Works Department or various other agencies — who are ever so ready with index fingers pointed at the other to deflect blame away from them. They defend well.
Lives lost, limbs broken, or rendered physically invalid? That is beside the point. In fact, we shouldn’t even get there. Why should we? I love motorists, because they love potholes. I say that because every time a pothole appears in front of them while they are on the move, they suddenly apply their brakes. See how much they love them? It is almost like a little child just darted across the road, and they apply brakes to save the kid. Sometimes they swerve to the right or left, and that is when a speeding vehicle from behind rams into them, causing injury or death.
But why blame the pothole? They never intend to kill or harm you. Blame it on the driver who was speeding behind you. In fact, like I said earlier, potholes don’t have intentions. But the unsuspecting speeding driver behind, too, never intended to crash into you. All this happened to save the poor, old pothole on the road to start with. Now, that’s good intention on the part of humans, right? See, how potholes make us such empathetic and understanding individuals? We achieve that even at the cost of our life or limb!
And then, I love the civic authorities too. They are the epitome of love and understanding towards the dear potholes. Please do not miss how they look after them to ensure their longevity. They fill them up often, but allow them the proverbial cat’s nine lives. How nice!
And when questioned about the number of potholes existing on the roads, they almost turn into a Schindler while listing them out. Do you see how beneficial potholes are for us? We must love them!