A recipe for disaster
Of late, the city has been witnessing multiple accidents, mostly involving two-wheelers, especially scooties. The affordability, the mileage factor and the ease of riding has made the scooty a very handy vehicle for people everywhere.
But the scooty comes with some hazards. It is unsafe and prone to accidents. And when young people ride them recklessly zooming past traffic from right, left and everywhere, it is a recipe for disaster.
Roads in Shillong are dotted with junctions everywhere.
With several roads merging at a point and drivers not adhering to traffic discipline like staying in the same lane, you often find two-wheeler riders squeezing through narrow gaps between vehicles, sometimes grazing past your vehicle.
Most of them don’t even follow traffic rules. In such cases accidents are a common occurrence.
The situation after dusk is even more concerning. Add a mix of adrenaline and alcohol and the result is over speeding which is a familiar sight on the city roads in the night hours.
It is time for some stringent laws to be introduced to ensure that two-wheeler riders adhere to speeding limits and diligently follow traffic rules to ensure not only their own safety but also the safety of the pillion riders, other drivers and pedestrians.
Kindness shouldn’t be rare
Besides everything else, human nature is largely benevolent.
Kindness is ingrained in all, and sometimes, it is simply seen in people’s actions, which are clear depictions of selflessness and compassion.
Before revealing where we’re getting at. Here’s some context.
Shillong has of late become a happening place for music lovers — at several locations, young and budding as well as seasoned musicians can be found entertaining people with their talents, all thanks to an initiative called the Meghalaya Grassroots Music Project or the MGMP, as it has come to be popularly known.
This Saturday, at a live event in Khyndai Lad where artistes were performing as usual, passers-by, many of whom stopped to watch the performances, were seen cheering loud and interacting with the performers. It may be not familiar to many that a donation box is placed right near where the artistes perform.
But the audience that day went ahead to donate for the artistes, joyfully. The SJ team, which was one of the spectators, observed people pleasantly dropping a note of two in the donation box for the artiste with a smile. They stuck around for the entire show and went home with happy faces.
Now, if you’re wondering, did we donate too? Yes, we did. Because kindness shouldn’t be rare!