The Supreme Court felt a few years ago that the two years imprisonment now meted out for causing death due to rash driving is ‘grossly inadequate’. I agree, but would like to define what the police believe is rash and negligent driving, and what actually happens on the road when an accident takes place.

Since I have been driving most of my life, I’ve seen my share of accidents and have also been involved in one, where I had to face police and court, through no fault of mine.

Today I shudder to see more and more photographs and pictures of donations and acts of giving. “Do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing!’ say the holy scriptures. But do we listen? All I see are photos of acts of giving, circulated to everybody through whatsapp, email or Facebook!

“Look what I’ve done!” shout the pictures shamelessly.

Once when my wife had gone to New York to see our daughter, I was on my own, and quite often ordered food from hotels nearby. One morning it was spicy vadas which I’d got out of bed dreaming about! The hotel sends me a lot of sambar, which from previous occasions I’ve found reappear later on my table along with my dinner or lunch. The sambar, though tasting good with the hotel food doesn’t go well with the food cooked at home, maybe because it’s a tad sweet, and my tooth, though in love with all things sweet, still prefers rice or chapati not tasting syrupy sweet!

I remember seeing this ad for a motorbike, with a handsome hunk riding it.

What a bike, what a machine, what a guy, what a helmet.

I looked at the ad. At the four stroke state of the art engineering marvel, that responded to full throttle by breaking through performance barriers…….whatever that meant.

I looked at the sheer excitement on the young man’s face, as he looked at the road ahead and as he felt the slim arms that held his waist…

“Ma,” asked the little girl, scampering after her mother, “What’s Good Friday?”

“It’s the day Jesus died on the cross!” said the mother as she smiled at her daughter’s widening eyes, knowing what the next question would be.

“If Jesus died on the cross, how can it be a good day ma?” asked the child.