The Flip-Flops saga

Sometimes, reading a news item really stumps you. It happened with me this morning, when I read about the new dress regulations proscribed by the Australian Airline Qantas for visitors who want to visit business and club lounges in Australia's main airports. Calling it as "smart casual" dress code, Qantas has decided that "Singlets, bare feet, rubber thongs and clothing with offensive images or slogans are, in most cases, likely to be deemed unacceptable." While I had no problems in understanding what singlets are, ( in India, we call them Baniyans), I was just flabbergasted about these rubber thongs. For me, a Thong so far was a skimpiest underwear worn by high-fashion beach loving females on sandy beaches though some also preferred to wear it in day to day life. I felt that this Qantas regulation was bit queer and weird because firstly it talked about “Rubber Thongs.” I first could not understand why the heck anyone would want to wear underwear made from rubber? and secondly why wear it at the airport lounges of all the places? And above all, why would Qantas be concerned about what people wore under their clothes?

So I was off straight to Internet, what else? I found to my surprise, that in Australia, Thong means something else, radically different. This bit of information, for which I looked, says;

“ If you were in Australia and you said thongs, it is not those skimpy pieces of underwear and swimwear won by women, but are the basic footwear, consisting of a sole and a thong passing between the first and second toes of the feet and affixed in a Y formation on three points to the sole”

So Rubber thongs, banned by Qantas in airport lounges in Australia, were nothing else but Flip-Flops or “ Hawaii Chappals” as known in India. Flip-Flops happen to be the most popular footwear, worn by tens of millions of people around the world. In India, “Chappals” which are sandals without the rear strap, have always been the most popular form of footwear even from ancient times. It suits the hot Indian weather and can be easily removed as no one adorns foot wear in homes or temples.

I first came across these fancy looking rubber Chappals with a pair of 'Y' shaped straps, sometimes in 1950's, when one of my cousins, brought one, while returning from US. I tried them and the comfort and ease of wearing simply struck me. I could not hope to get a pair, as no one made them in India. A few years later, “Bata” company of India, first brought them out in the market, under brand name “Hawaii” the name stuck and that is why they are still popularly known as “Hawaii Chappals.” I must have immediately bought at that time a pair because, as far as I remember, I have been wearing these for more than five decades.

Flip-flops have many local names such as thongs, jandals, pluggers, go-aheads, slaps, slides, step-ins, chankla. They are a type of open-toed sandal typically worn in casual situations. They consist of a flat sole held loosely on the foot by a Y-shaped strap that passes between the first and second toes and around either side of the foot. They may also be held to the foot with a single strap over the top of the foot rather than a thong. The name "flip-flop" originated because of the sound that is made by slapping between the sole of the foot and the floor when walking.

Flip-Flops can not be considered as a very safe type of foot wear. They may be fine on hot sand at the beach, or near community swimming pools, but their simple design can cause a host of injuries of the foot and lower leg. Walking for long periods in flip-flops can be very tough on the feet, resulting in pain in the ankles, legs, and fee. Ankle sprains or broken bones are also common injuries. But because, more than often, Flip-Flops are used in the vicinity of water, chances of slipping on wet surfaces really is the greatest risk. The British National Health Service estimates that there must have been at least 200,000 flip-flop related injuries till 2010.

I had my first accident with Flip Flops sometimes in 1964. I was walking with wet Flip-flops and I slipped on a sooth surface of the tiles and hit a baluster of a staircase railing. The fall was so hard that it broke one of my lower ribs and it took me several months to recover completely. Not deterred, I kept my love for the Flip-flops and continued the use. There have been number of minor accidents for me since then, because Flip flops skid easily on wet surfaces.

In India, Flip-Flops go anywhere and everywhere although used as household slippers, by more affluent people. It is the poor, who use it as a full time wear everywhere, including work places. Several years ago, when I was renovating my house, the contractor had erected a bamboo scaffolding around the house. The masons and their assistants all were wearing rubber Flip-flops and it was simply amazing to see them climbing up the scaffolding with their Flip-flops on with an ease as the footwear simply bent in any shape matching the foothold. However, I did think that the workers were taking undue risks, but no one seemed to be worried.

Around six months ago, I consulted a foot specialist looking for cure of some foot pain. During his interview, one of the first questions that was asked to me was whether I used Flip-Flops at home. Naturally my answer was affirmative. The foot specialist then plainly told me to give up immediately any kind of footwork at home and walk barefoot. This brought to an end my long association with this most popular footwear of the world for keeps. I am now quite used to walk barefoot in the house, but when I am travelling and stay in a hotel, I terribly miss my old Flip-flops.

9

^th April 2015

About Road Rage

An incident that took place this week, in my home town Pune, raises serious concerns about safety of commuters on road. A 26-year-old engineer working with a private company, was stabbed and his car driver assaulted by three unidentified persons, including a six-seater “For Hire” vehicle driver, on an outer road in Pune. The incident happened, when this engineer's car was parked near a roadside ramshackle cabin shop by the driver to buy some tobacco. The time was about 11 PM and a 6 seater “For Hire” vehicle, perhaps never saw the car in the darkness, and rammed into it before turning turtle. There were heated arguments as the “For hire” vehicle owner and the 3 passengers demanded money from this engineer for damages caused. The engineer refused to pay and just left. About 200 meters ahead, the “For Hire” vehicle managed to stop engineer's car. He and his co-passengers, pulled the engineer out from the car and stabbed him. He fell down, bleeding heavily. His car driver, instead of helping him. Just ran away terribly scared. Meanwhile, two persons who were passing by, saw this guy lying injured and took him on their motorcycle to a nearby Hospital. However, they robbed him of his two cellphones and cash of Rs500 before dumping him outside the hospital.

I am not trying to analyze here the case; or who was the actual defaulter or anything of the sort, that is for the police investigators. My concern here is about the basic general tendency seen these days, to express any feeling of anger, in form of physical violence, on roads. This tendency along with extreme arrogance and disrespect for law, are making the roads in my home town, a dangerous place.

Few months back, I was trying to cross a busy one way street. As there are no pedestrian crossings provided anywhere, one needs to cross the road, when signal lights at a far off place turn red. While crossing the road, I was naturally looking at the far off signal, from where the traffic would start flowing in few seconds again. A person riding a motor cycle, suddenly came up to me from other side and jammed his brakes. I felt really very startled and humbly pointed to him that this was a one way street. He told me that he knows that, but the rules are not meant for him. He was so arrogant and so sure that police wouldn’t touch him that I thought it to be prudent to keep quiet and just continued crossing the road. I am quite sure that had I gone in an argument with him, he could have easily converted this argument in some form of physical violence easily.

The problem is that now almost every vehicle driver in Pune has purposefully given up his or her traffic or civic sense. There is a law of jungle here. Once on road, people drive with their animal instincts of survival and have stopped bothering about niceties and orderly behaviours. This fundamental change now often leads to road rage.

An incident happened recently, when an elderly man was trying to cross a side lane joining a busy thoroughfare. When he was patiently waiting on a curbside, a motor cycle rider sharply turned into the lane, speaking on his mobile, which was held up near his ear by pressing his head on one side on his shoulder. While turning, he suddenly spread left hand, making an animated gesture while talking he never noticed this elderly man standing on curbside. His outward spread hand hit the elderly man all of a sudden and made him loose his balance, he fell down hitting a tree trunk and broke rib bone and had to suffer a long illness in the bed. The motor cycle driver never even bothered to look back or take care of the old man and just speeded away. Poor elderly man had to suffer a long illness for no fault of his.

Driving a four-wheeler has become a nightmare in Pune as people do not seem to have patience while commuting. People do not follow lane discipline which often leads to minor accidents, sometimes turning into big fights. New induction of SUV's on the roads has created further congestion on the narrow roads. Even traffic police have become helpless bystanders, who mostly spend their time instead of controlling traffic, collecting fines from an odd fellow, who has broken the law.

In Pune, usually nice and polite people, turn into wild animals, once they start driving on road and if they meet any obstruction or are resisted, they become angry wild animals with a road rage that could even kill.

26 December 2012

Evil Shadows of Ignorance

 

On some days, I feel kind of depressed in the mornings, after I do my daily perusal of that day’s newspapers. The reason for my state of mind is not difficult to find. I find the news published in the news papers that particular day, so depressing that it spoils my mood completely. It is not that I am in any way connected with such news items. Yet, in one corner of my mind, I feel sad and  melancholy. This morning was one such morning. I had just read that for the n'th  day today, there has been another major accident on the Mumbai-Pune express way. The other day, the papers have published photographs of two more buses completely smashed up in these accidents and I felt stunned with a sinking feeling in my heart, that we Indians,  are not really fit to enjoy such modern amenities at all.

This Mumbai-Pune express way  any way is notorious for the accidents that happen here. Even then, this must be the first time that there have been major accidents involving passenger buses.

 

Last year a minibus belonging to Girikand Travel company of Pune was speeding on this road, carrying some 19 Thailand bound passengers. These passengers were going to the Sahar airport in Mumbai to catch a flight. Around midnight, the driver of the bus lost control of his vehicle. The bus crossed the road divider and collided straight on another truck coming from the other side.The impact was so great that 6 of the bus passengers were killed instantly and 13 more were injured seriously.

On the next day again,  44 kids from Universal school, Thane, who had gone to Kolhapur for a school excursion, were returning to Mumbai. Their bus,  hit on the road divider as the driver lost control and overturned at about 8.30 PM. Number of kids were injured badly. After this, on the next day,  two buses met with accidents in the early hours of morning. A bus from Andheri in Mumbai and going towards Jejur,  hit the vehicle in front,  as driver lost control injuring 5 passengers. Another bus was rammed at the rear by an unknown vehicle and hit a rock on the side of the road. This accident happened  at Somatane near Pune,  and injured one person.

This must be the first time, in the history of this road,  when four accidents have taken place in short span of three days. Really speaking, Mumbai-Pune express way has been built to international standards and is as good as any such expressway found anywhere in the world.  It is a 6 lane highway with a very wide road divider, which ensures that head light from an on-coming vehicle never blinds a vehicle driver coming from opposite direction. The tunnels on the highway are properly lit. There are proper sign boards about the speed limit and other cautions. In short,  there is nothing on this highway, which can be criticized.  The main difficulty in using this highway arises,  because of the ignorant and careless mindset of the drivers ,who drive on this road.

Whenever anyone tries to drive on this highway at night, he would invariably see that majority of the trucks ride in the fast lane, meant for smaller cars and S.U.V.’s. The red tail lights on these heavy trucks seldom work. If there is a trailer truck, it will not have caution signs and red lights fixed at the rear. The driver coming from behind does not realize that the vehicle in the front is a trailer truck till he tries to overtake it, when it may be too late. The speed limit on this highway is supposed to be 80 KM. Most of the cars and S.U.V.’s drive at 120 or 140 KM speed. Signs have been put up everywhere about following lane discipline. No one follows it in practice.  It is absolutely essential to have full depth trades,  on the vehicle tires. Most of the buses and taxis have tire surfaces looking like mirrors. The mountain pass section of this road has a much lower speed limit. In practice no one bothers about this speed limit.

This ignorant and careless attitude is not really limited to this highway only. We Indians, unfortunately take some kind of pride in not following the rules. Because of this, it is argued  many a times that what possibally the police can do?  I feel that there are number of points , which can be easily checked by the police. There are two toll stations on this road and all vehicles stop here for few minutes.  It can be very easily checked at this point, whether red tail lights and brake lights are functioning? Whether caution signs have been put up at rear of trailer trucks? Just these small checks would prevent number of accidents. Most of the heavy trucks and buses carry more than one driver so that the person driving the vehicle is rested and alert. Smaller private cars and S.U.V’s and minibuses do not have a spare person available. It might be a good idea to prevent such vehicles plying on the road between 1 AM to 5 AM.

In the old days, the traditional custom was to always travel only between sunrise and sunset. This is obviously not possible and advisable in the present age. Yet, on a personal level, I think it is a good idea from angle of personal safety.  Speaking about myself, I use this road, mainly whenever I have to go to Mumbai to catch an international flight.  Considering the general horrific situation on this highway, I have started following a norm these days. I try to book myself on such flights where my travel between Mumbai-Pune always falls in day time. If this is not possible, I rather wait at Mumbai airport  and commence my journey only in the daylight.

Unfortunately, this beautiful expressway, has become a Ferari in the hands of a 16 year old learner driver or an AK 47 rifle in the hands of a recruit. Making such fabulous road available to the ignorant and careless drivers of India, might have been a big blunder to start with. Drivers, who have experience and would follow proper discipline should be really on this road. Since this is not done, innocent travelers are made to suffer. This is very unfortunate.

 

 However, a common traveler has no remedy for the ailment  and only thing, which he can do is to fix and follow his own safety norms like ‘Daylight travel only.’