Masti Ram invites trouble for himself while demostrating his five year old daughter on 'what is one way traffic'. Poor Masti Ram.......
One way traffic
Masti Ram believes that the best wealth he could pass on to his children is his experience of life. He strongly advocates that a lesson could be learnt not only from one’s success but from one’s failure as well. It was this philosophy of Masti Ram that makes him feel that his own life and experience could be taken as learning and so his proud on himself.
It is in this process, with his enthusiasm to teach his five year old daughter about the road traffic that he landed into a rough weather. His exhaustive attempt to explain his daughter about the traffic by way of a ‘discourse on traffic’ didn’t heed any way. It was too much of an expectation of Masti Ram from a too little daughter. The little girl, in her primary school, not able to understand the nuances of road traffic of our country played a trick and stumbled Masti Ram with a question. "Appa, in our school we are taught that we should cross the road only in the zebra crossing. But on our roads we do not find the zebra crossings most of the time. Then what do we do?", asked his daughter. Masti Ram quite aware of this reality of our country didn’t make any attempt to refute. Because, just a few days back he had an argument with a policeman on this issue, who ultimately shut his mouth by saying, "are you practicing whatever has been taught in your school?" One thing Masti Ram agrees as the saying goes, "easier said than done". But Masti Ram, then had no idea that he would soon be recalling the same saying once again, this time for his daughter.
Realizing the fact that the discourse on traffic to his little daughter was of no use, Masti Ram decided to administer practical lessons to her. He preferred to handle the issues one by one. He started with one way traffic. He identified a particular road, with the restriction of one way traffic. He started off with his daughter in his scooter from the beginning of that road. Before moving his scooter, he started explaining what the one way traffic is. He said, ‘Look dear, all the vehicles on this road will be moving only in this direction. No vehicle will come in the opposite direction. Ok. This is called one way traffic". Poor Masti Ram, before he could complete his teaching, his daughter showed her hand to cause the real embrassment to him. Masti Ram looked at the direction of her finger. A middle aged man in his motor cycle was coming from the opposite direction of the one way traffic. Failure no.1 for Masti Ram in his practical demonstration of the lesson on one way traffic.
He then managed to divert his daughter with some excuses and took her to another road, which also had one way traffic. This time he was sure of completing the practical demonstration. He told his daughter, ‘See, we are going in this one way traffic. All the vehicles are on the same direction. This is one way traffic". They almost traveled half of the distance of that road. Suddenly his daughter raised yet another embarrassing question. "Yes papa, I think I have understood what one way traffic is. But I have a doubt?" Masti Ram thought he had succeeded in his attempt. But the way she raised another question had made him worry a bit. She again showed her finger towards the opposite direction and said, "Papa, see this uncle. He is pushing his motor cycle and coming in the opposite direction. Is it still one way traffic". Masti Ram at once thought that he should not have taken up this topic at all for practical lesson. But having taken up he didn’t want to give up. Knowing very well that she would not understand what he says, he told her, "dear, as per our rules, only driving the vehicles in the opposite direction in a one way traffic is an offence or violation. Simply pushing an undriven vehicle in opposite direction in a one way traffic is not an offence or violation". He knew that she is not matured enough to know that both affect the one way traffic equally and go against the spirit behind one way traffic.
Masti Ram felt that he was being trapped slowly by his own cause. Poor Masti Ram, having failed miserably in his attempts to impart practical knowledge on one way traffic, only wondered whether the rules are made to follow in its spirit or just in its letter?
