JOIN USGod, show me the way!
Merriam-Webster dictionary says a footpath is a narrow path for pedestrians. It’s where the urban homo sapiens supposedly walk, without being distracted by the ongoing traffic.
Our roads have footpaths on either side, of varying width — anywhere between one foot to five feet or even more — slightly raised (four inches to one foot) vis-a-vis the adjoining road. Come to think of it, many of our footpaths have gutters as their underbellies.
Generally, people get on footpaths to avoid being run over by trucks, buses, cars or hit by humble two-wheelers. They’re safe as long as they keep themselves to their narrow corridors. If they spill onto the road, trucks, buses, cars, or two-wheelers may consider running over them.
Footpaths just help in segregating the traffic: motorised and non-motorised. Simply put, the traffic that does not depend on petrol, diesel, or batteries makes use of the footpath. Then what fuel does this particular traffic use? No bronze medal for guessing!
Footpaths are often employed for other purposes than mentioned above. If you’ve got one in front of your house, you may park your two-wheeler or even a four-wheeler if it is wide enough. Fearing this mode becoming popular, our municipal geniuses have built one-foot wide footpaths in most places. No worry! You can still park your two-wheeler along the length of the footpath. And for four-wheelers, you may, partially or fully, get down to the road.
There are also those who sell fried peanuts, pakoras, fruits, vegetables, or even have a tire puncture shop on footpaths. Gobi Manchurian and pani puri carts are particularly fond of footpaths. You’ll also find pan shops, where they sell bidis, cigarettes, bananas, and pans. People often hang out with friends on footpaths, smoking, chewing pans, or tobacco. No problem even if they spit on the footpath while chewing a pan or tobacco. Their right to spit is always safeguarded.
Last but not least come footpath dwellers, who cook, eat, sleep on footpaths. It’s better our government starts a kind of akrama sakrama scheme for these hapless folks. Ditto for the businesses.
Now, back to those who make use of the footpath just to wade from point A to point B. If they come across a puncture shop, or a pan shop, or a fruit or vegetable vendor, what will they do? They’ll simply get down the road, round the business or businesses, and climb back onto the footpath and walk on till another business stops them. They can use it wherever they’ve left the strip blank.
Many footpath users, who’re not so polite, curse under their breath, whereas the polite, law-abiding folks simply exclaim: God! Show me the way!