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View from the VanMary-Jo Lang — Sarnia, ON The van is an integral part of the distribution process. Travelling to the distribution sites and back home again at night is an interesting, fun, novel experience. Here are some of the passing scenes as observed from our transport workhorse, our van. First to be noted is the congestion. There is traffic all over and every conceivable style of conveyance: trucks, pedal power rickshaws, man pulled rickshaws, three-wheeled cars, regular cars, carts, and human lorries — and, of course, walkers. Anything goes! There seem to be several unwritten rules of the road:
Of course, all manoeuvres are accompanied all the time by the honking of the horn. And every horn has its own distinct tune, just like cell phones. It is crazy, and definitely not for the faint of heart. Tapan, our A+1 most excellent driver, skillfully drove us by unlit rickshaws in the dead of night, the many walkers, and cows being herded down the road. It is common to see just four or five at a time, but sometimes we encounter a whole herd. Dealing with the traffic is a sight to behold. Sometimes we would come to a dead halt in all the congestion. January must be the season of festivals and every one has multiple parades in the city or the countryside. Traffic simply stops. After the parade passes, traffic resumes. So there is that sight from the van: the traffic. Also a striking sight from the van is the sari-clad female population. Whether in the city or the countryside, on sunny days or rainy, the women are beautiful in their colourful saris. No two saris are the same. Women in the rice paddies hitch up their saris and do their chores knee deep in water. Women along the road doing the washing or women waiting at the exit of a distribution site are a sea of colour and beauty. They never show a sign of dirt or wear. Morning ablutions are a common sight from the van. All aspects of personal hygiene are carried out quietly, respectfully, and in view of the community. There is something disarmingly, well, normal in this. Later in the day I saw something in one of the roadside stalls that was a lovely sight for its peacefulness amidst the chaos of Kolkata: a man having a shave. All lather, and probably talk, and some laughs. It must be a very nice feeling to have that chore done by someone in the middle of the hustle and bustle. One day from our van we saw two funerals, one Muslim and one Hindu, each of the two shroud-covered bodies being carried on simple slabs by groups of men down the crowded streets with mourners following behind: respect for the dead amid the traffic chaos. Just prior to the Avian Flu outbreak, I saw from the van a chicken being killed, having been sold I guess to the lady standing quietly in front of the stall. Coming home from our second overnight trip we saw bandits working the four-lane road we were taking. They stretched, six-abreast, across our lanes. Our driver did not stop and five ran away. It appeared as if the other would hold his ground but, at the last possible moment, he skittered away too: our own personal adventure movie, only it was real life. |
