The Joy of Midnight Riding on Indian Roads
India’s daytime driving chaos brings the thrill of mastering ever-changing mayhem; with sunset, a serene transformation unfolds.
If you’ve ever driven in Indian traffic, you might be knowing the complete chaos that rules the street, the lack of basic civil courtesy, disregard for traffic rules, and people willingly choosing to become mindless zombies.
It’s a perfect cocktail of thrill and madness out there in the daytime.
The Indian drivers like to be in utmost chaos, yet, there is an invisible flow, which you learn gradually over time. It’s similar to a wild river stream during monsoon, where every drop of water flows together in a rhythm, and all the non-water has to settle at the shore.
It’s a thrill of navigating through the ever-changing dance of mayhem and mastering the art of chaos.
You have to be in the flow rather than out of it.
But, when you drive for pleasure, you wanna drive for yourself, and thus the pleasure of driving gets lost when you have to be highly alarmed and defensive all the time. It’s insane.
Then comes night, when it’s mostly peace and quiet and finally an unsettling order arrives. The same roads reveal a different world.
Now, at this time, heavy vehicles rule the roads, driving at breakneck speeds, yet following the silent rules of traffic. As the night progresses, the roads become rather comforting, allowing you to go as fast and as far as you can.
Once while heading towards Gwalior (M.P.) on NH-44, I remember singing to myself, feeling the absolute pleasure of riding in the company of my own solitude.
The whole horizon was completely empty, dark, covered by forest on both sides, yet welcoming at the same time.
The night embraced me, and I embraced it back.
Obviously, during late-night driving, you still need to be alert. But, alertness doesn’t cause you exhaustion in a short while, continuous alarm-ness definitely does.
At night, those black empty roads wrap you in the darkness making you feel more alone in the most comforting way.
The moonlight illuminates the surroundings, the darkness envelopes everything around you except the road ahead, others can’t see you. You feel all alone in your own capsule.
The distant village lights look like a shiny star, and when you cross their empty and dark streets, lit only by either the moon or the odd street lights, it acquires a bit of hyperrealism.
You know, the next morning, these streets will again be full of possibilities, yet empty now, you cruise through the darkness in your own way, quietly and calmly, as if you don’t want to wake a sleeping friend.
From time to time, I spy on the flickering lights coming out of their windows, sometimes the sound of raised voices, a song turned up loud, a woman‘s laughter, a baby crying, a man’s careful eyes staring at an unknown smoking his cigarette at the roadside.
And then you move on.
The cold breeze again greets your face. Everything feels calm, tranquil, and laidback, the engine's heavy sound, the grip over the accelerator, the glide between gears, the vibration of the bike.
As the night goes darker and darker, these empty roads raise an exhilarating wildness in my veins — like a swallow thrush, like a bird buffeted by the cold night air, like anything and everything.
That’s all it is left of you. Raw, unfiltered you!
