Everyone who visits here (as far as I can tell) talks about the chaotic driving.
It's true; the whole thing seems like a big jumble of randomness and confusion. Cars driving on every side of the road, passing when there are giant busses coming head-on. Scooters, rickshaws and bikes weave in and out and around, all the horns beeping to somehow signal "hey, I'm making a move here, look out!".
I laughed out loud the 1st time I saw the car with "Good Luck Driving School" painted on the windows. I wondered if the good luck was for the poor fellow trying to learn to drive in the chaos, or for the rest of us on the road with an inexperienced driver on the loose.
In Kalari, the Shakti (feminine) form is great training for this: lots of movement-seeming random at first. Turns, weaves, lines of direction, and changes are all standard in each of the sequences. It is so hard to manage it all in the beginning. I sometimes feel like the poor guy in the Good Luck School...Good luck to you, just keep up and keep going, try not to crash!
What I have come to realize is the parallel in both Kalari and driving in India to the chaos of our lives. We are all trying to get somewhere, some of us on the same route, some of us in the opposite direction. Occasionally, we weave in and out and around each other. Sometimes we travel together, and rarely, we collide and have to make reparations. Everyone is doing their best to stay safe and to keep those around them safe, honking at each other when necessary, and smiling, waving and continuing on with it all.
It's true; the whole thing seems like a big jumble of randomness and confusion. Cars driving on every side of the road, passing when there are giant busses coming head-on. Scooters, rickshaws and bikes weave in and out and around, all the horns beeping to somehow signal "hey, I'm making a move here, look out!".
I laughed out loud the 1st time I saw the car with "Good Luck Driving School" painted on the windows. I wondered if the good luck was for the poor fellow trying to learn to drive in the chaos, or for the rest of us on the road with an inexperienced driver on the loose.
In Kalari, the Shakti (feminine) form is great training for this: lots of movement-seeming random at first. Turns, weaves, lines of direction, and changes are all standard in each of the sequences. It is so hard to manage it all in the beginning. I sometimes feel like the poor guy in the Good Luck School...Good luck to you, just keep up and keep going, try not to crash!
What I have come to realize is the parallel in both Kalari and driving in India to the chaos of our lives. We are all trying to get somewhere, some of us on the same route, some of us in the opposite direction. Occasionally, we weave in and out and around each other. Sometimes we travel together, and rarely, we collide and have to make reparations. Everyone is doing their best to stay safe and to keep those around them safe, honking at each other when necessary, and smiling, waving and continuing on with it all.
The Ever-Absent Traffic Police
Follow your Nose (or your stomach)
Headed to Practice
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