Power!

Recently I had a small whiff of power.

I was on my way back from office waiting at the Cyber Tower Junction when a traffic-policeman walks up to me and asks me for a lift. I ask where, he names a place on my way back, so I ask him to hop on. I knew that at that time of the evening the traffic would be crawling - to put it mildly, and had prepared myself mentally for the back-breaking drive ahead. What I had not anticipated was having a guy who had the authority to control the traffic and was willing enough to enforce his will from the rear-seat of a bike.

After some time I noticed that the traffic seemed to be thin; I had covered almost double the distance I would have covered on any normal day. I was congratulating myself for such a prudent choice of time, and decided to check the time. This slight sideways movement enabled me to watch the spirited gesticulation of the pillion-riding cop. With apt strategic setting of the left rear view mirror I was able to follow the whole show of controlling traffic from the rear-seat. He puts up a hand to the left, the traffic from left stops; he puts up a hand on the right, the traffic from right stops. The cop paved a way for himself and hence for me till his destination.

On one hand I was feeling good that the stretch that takes me 20-25 minutes, I covered in hardly 15 minutes, but on the other hand I felt bad, really bad. I always had a complaint when the cops stopped traffic, so that any important person can pass, I used to curse them. This time, being on the other side, gave me a heady whiff of power; but I also felt very ashamed of myself. I did not ask the cop to manipulate traffic, but neither did I stop him.