I am sure we all recall the nursery rhyme, “Little Jack Horner, sat in a corner..”, in India we have Mohans, Abduls, Peters, Diljeet all ‘horners’ and mind you they are not little physically, but have very little matter in the upper story. The reason is simple, they derive perverse pleasure in honking their horns non stop, while they are supposedly driving their chosen mode of transport, two/four wheeled ones but at the same time driving the rest of the commuters or even innocent bystanders nuts. Honking of horn comes as part of the package, as they press the accelerator, the hand automatically moves to the horn, which was perhaps feeling left out, as all the other parts clutch , brake, accelerator etc have been put to use, so out of sheer compassion for the horn, these blessed drivers do the honourable thing. In the days of yore, when there were cycles and tongas for commuting or even the older buses, they did not have the luxury of these electronic horns, they had something which was called a ‘bhonpoo’ in Hindi, its contraption was essentially a rubber oval ball attached to a concave shaped metallic or even plastic through a slender pipe. As the rubber ball was pressed, the air passing through the speaker would amplify the sound, making a sound like ‘bho…poo’, hence the name. The word rhymes with ‘bhondoo’ which means an idiot and the ones who keep honking can best be described by the same adjective.
English is a funny language, but when it comes to horns, the other meaning of horns which the devil is supposed to be sporting, they got it right for a change. Horns have to be truly a devil’s work, and here there no horns of dilemma in honking, just plain and simple torture for the delicate eardrums. Like the Jack in the box, these morons will come and toot their cacophonic horns out of the blue, thus startling the commuters. Traffic rules dictate that honking of horns is prohibited near hospitals, but these horners have no qualms in going about their job with utter disdain for the poor patients, noise pollution be damned. As if the loud horns were not enough, the availability of cheap Chinese electronic ones have added multiple tunes which only end up exacerbating the agony. Irony is that traffic policemen seem to enjoy it, as despite clear instructions on the subject, none of these defaulters get booked for violating the rules.
Strangely we in the South Asia are probably the only people who have been afflicted with this malaise, and proudly boast “we are the horners!”. One rarely comes across anyone in the West or even Africa as much as even pressing it inadvertently. It is considered downright rude and not just impolite to blow the horn. We don’t realise but probably we all are gradually growing deaf, our ears coming out of the little end of the horn themselves. As a civilisation we are no greenhorns, then why is it that we behave in such an uncivilised manner, the authorities are definitely not facing any horns of dilemma on this pertinent matter. Locking ‘horns’ with these imbeciles is no easy task but these bullheaded fellows need to be taken literally by their ‘horns’, that is the need of the hour.
High time they take the bull by its horns….
22 thoughts on “WE ARE THE HORNERS”
True!!
we are the horners!”. Ah…hope it’s taken. with a pinch of salt than pride😊👊 Good you brought out this important aspect plaguing is as a nation. Hope someone is listening 🙏
Sujugular vein at it’s best 👌🥰
I always had the same idea what you have reflected in this blog.
But recently I came across foreigner probably European YouTuber who gave the entire issue, a very welcome kind of twist.
During his visit to India, he reportedly discovered that honking of horn establishes a kind of emotional connect between the pedestrians and the drivers in the vehicle or even among the drivers of the vehicles in near vicinity. It shows that they care for each other and hence are sending a caution signal for the safety of the other !!!
So much for the honking in the Indian subcontinent…….
Great write up once again Sir. However, I have a different take on this, preemptive and proactive honking in our subcontinent is a natural subconscious reflex action for personal safety against a swarm of traffic coming from all sides like misguided/unguided missiles and overtaking/criss crossing with such urgency as no method to madness.
An issue often felt strongly by almost everybody, specially during crowded traffic times in cities.. the honkers try to create music in the early morning hours on the empty Mandaleshwar road, caring least for the poor morning walkers, joggers & cyclists on the road (who incidentally are always on the extreme side of the road)..
another gem off your stock 👏👏🎉🎊
Yes, absolutely ! Rightly brought out by you that “as a civilisation we are no greenhorns, then why is it that we behave in such an uncivilised manner” !
We are a Sub-Continent of enigmas ! And we are the longest surviving too !😁 There must be some connect ! 😁
In our neighbourhood Bhutan, one doesn’t hear the honking sound or do they have any tfc lts. Still there is no jams or accidents one sees. We guys are obsessed with honking and reflects our intolerant psyche and civility.
Even countries like Sudan and Uganda one hardly hears honking of the cars. Here, no tax, no GST on honking and population rush ( भाग BK Bose भाग ) attitude is primary issue. Hardly any honking in states like Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Mizoram and other states in North Rast ( less Assam).
In other words, we are a very “horny” lot… 😁
Here in Chandigarh there is a Rs 1000 to 10,000 fine for honking needlessly
The word “horn ” has been so nicely explained that makes one think of an animal with so many horns, Stag,
Good evening…Simply put…the Argumentative Indian and his car! 😄
The debate may be over, but the horn must have the last word. Perhaps for us, honking is not noise…it is a national language! 🇮🇳📯 regards
Another great one Suyash. One of my friends a biker, had given feedback to Harley Davidson that their motorcycle horns would pack up in no time. The company told him that they are not built for so much honking and it’s only in India that they are facing this problem. I think it’s been addressed by the company. Now that they have started manufacturing motorcycles again in India. 🫣 Sixth line ” upper story” maybe “upper storey”.
Well written boss…your power of expression is super
An excellent piece – as always.
Unfortunately, not audible to the ones creating the rukkus on every nook and corner . It seems a difficult proposition to curb it in totality, but certainly not impossible with stricter rules and enforcement.
Very well written.
When words fail, the horn takes over. And unlike the argument, the horn never agrees to disagree! 📯
Another good one Suyesh! Many drivers take out their frustration through honking. Some treat it as a musical instrument and others as a car accessory that needs to be used lest it gets rusted. No horn sign is something which most drivers ignore. And your blog provides the right pun!
I rode for over 10,200 km across Russia. While I was on the saddle for nearly 21 days, can you believe that I didn’t have to use my bike horn EVEN ONCE throughout?
I still wonder what perverse pleasure do we get by doubling down on our horns.
I guess the problem is that we follow the simple Indian jugaad. Brake not working? Install louder horn!
Honking is my birthright and I shall have it….
this one needs translation in Hindi & all other 22 official languages and copies nailed at the far(t) end of proud Nationalist honking hudlums of Indian origin such that a ‘Pononon……. sound emerges from the tail end the moment pressure gets applied on any kind of horn……….. भाई सही पकड़े हो।
We are all facing the brunt of this nuisance but feel helpless because law enforcement agency are deaf to check this menace. Doctors have advised me to stay away from high noise environment. on a lighter side, i keep thinking where do I go ?