HORN OK PLEASE

When I was in college, I had the opportunity to meet and interact with a few students from the USA who were taking classes at my department as part of a study abroad programme. As it turns out, India and USA are worlds apart in many ways and (quite obviously) these students made many observations, pointing out to some stark differences they saw and asking us a lot of questions.

One such thing they pointed out to was the fact that motorists in India honked a lot. And guess what, in the USA, it's considered "rude" if someone uses the horn - unless it's an emergency situation! Indians and Americans - how different we are! If you've stayed in India, even for a day, you would have noticed that in India, even the rowdiest of motor vehicles - the lorries/trucks - politely ask you to "Horn Ok Please".  In most other commercial use four-wheelers, you would have seen a slightly more abrupt, but equally loud and clear message to "Sound Horn". 

Why is it that, in India, we find honking so necessary? Well, for starters, our cities are overpopulated and our roads are always crowded. Secondly, there is really no such concept as lane discipline in India - we simply find gaps and move in, sometimes on the left, sometimes on the right, sometimes in between. Thirdly, we have more two-wheelers than four-wheelers (unlike in the USA). Fourthly, our roads are not just for motorists but also for hawkers, dogs, cows and (sadly) homeless people. Fifthly, we don't have parking meters and only some (posh) places can afford the extra space for designated parking - so we park anywhere we want and add to the congestion. And finally, half of the population (both motorists and pedestrians included) doesn't bother with the traffic rules when they can help it. Indians, dont start hating on me now, you know this is true.

So you see, in India, honking becomes a necessity, for a number of reasons. A horn is used to communicate many messages with fellow motorists as well as pedestrians. Here are a few examples to illustrate.

To fellow motorists:

• "Hey, I am overtaking you now - stay on your lane!"
• "Hey, you seem to be switching lanes in front of me. Careful, because I'm right behind you."
• "I'm turning blindly here, hope no one is on the other side and if you are, tell me!"
• "Let me go, let me go...it's not yet RED!" (At the signal when the people on the other side are already getting started before the signal turns red for you)
• "Why are you on your phone/talking to a fellow motorist/being distracted? Get back in the game!"

To pedestrians:

• "Waaaaaaiiiiiit! Don't cross now, my brakes will be ineffective at this speed. Don't tell me I didn't warn you!"
• "Excuse me, stop acting like you own the road and walk on the side, would you!"

To animals on the road:

• "Wake up doggie! Move fast, don't die under my wheels!"
• "Excuse me, Mrs. Cow, could you please...?"

Like I said, these are only a few of many scenarios when the horn is used as a means of communication.

One of the first things my dad taught me when I was still learning to ride my Scooty was to keep my left thumb out at all times while riding, so that it hovers over the horn. In that way, I'll not lose even a millisecond when faced with a situation to use it. And throughout my ten years as a rider (and honker), I've found this to be very solid advice. Whenever there has been a situation where I was too close to a lane-breaker or rule-breaker motorist and I consciously put all my effort on hitting the brakes, my thumb has automatically pressed hard against the horn - letting out a timely warning!  That's how important a horn is in a motorist's life!

Indians can be rude, bully honkers too. There are those who woke up late (and mad) in the morning and try to honk their way through traffic. Or ones that are simply jerks who want to scare you and make you run for your life and clear out the lane before they run over you!

In any case, I think it would be fair to say that, in India, honking is a language - a language of motorists, that goes beyond city and state borders. As in any other human language, how you use it depends entirely on you!