IN our country, said the important-looking official, from the transport department, “the speed breaker is a symbol.
Do you know the kind of training the speed breaker makers undergo? “No,” I said. “I thought they were just ordinary masons.”
“Ah, how little you know,” said the official passing a group of road repairers and giving them a smart salute, “they are a special team.
See that man with the red cap in the middle, he has done his masters in speed breaking philosophy.
He instructs his men as to whether the traffic should be rumbled out of their reverie, or jolted out of their fantasy.” “He seems to be doing a good job,” I said. “Most motorists are fodder for orthopedic surgeons!”
“He has tried hard to advice the present government to abolish all roads and have only speed breakers,” said the official. “I think they’ve already listened to him,” I said.
“And that man with a torn blue T-shirt with sweat all over his face, who’s he?” I asked looking back and staring at what I had always thought were only ordinary road construction gangs.
“His job is very closely connected to the one with the red cap,” said the official squinting in the sun, “he’s a speed breaker psychologist.”
“What does he do?” I asked in wonder. “He tells the men as to what height to make the speed breaker. Traffic returning home will always have higher speed breakers.
This is to shock the drivers out of their office calm and get them ready for their spouses, and traffic going to their offices will have speed breakers that will gently ease them into reality.”
“You don’t say so?” I asked in amazement, “and here I’ve been thinking all along that a speed breaker is a speed breaker.” “I’m glad I was able to be part of your education,” said the official smiling at me.
I watched as suddenly a motor cyclist came down the road, hit the speed breaker head on, was flung into the air, before he lay crumpled on the ground for a while.
“Why don’t you at least paint white lines to warn them?” I asked angrily, watching the young rider getting up dazed and then being led off the road by the speed breaking psychologist to answer a questionnaire.
“What, and remove the element of shock and surprise? exclaimed the official, “We want people to learn from this experience.” “And when people are killed in this what you call ‘experience’?” I asked even more angrily.
“Most of them do,” said the official wisely, “but that is our motive, to teach people that in our country you have to look after yourself! Don’t expect the government to do so, as you can see is happening with Covid-19.
Instead of questioning the government they should have learned from ‘experiences’ we’ve providing in our speed breaker psychology..!
