Mamata Shankar, danseuse/actress

nWhat really annoys me on the road is when drivers don?t switch their engines off during a jam as cars and buses belching out fumes at a traffic signal don?t really improve the air we breathe. But then, the psychology here is very different. Instead of each one doing his or her own little bit, we just look at what the other is doing and follow suit. We don?t cross roads where we should, buses don?t stop at the right places and of course, auto-rickshaws are as careless as ever.

Yet another thing that I can never reconcile to is that despite paying road tax, the condition of Calcutta?s roads is pitiful. Potholes and ditches are a given on almost every road save for those that boast of a minister?s residence. These particular roads are always maintained extra well. So much so, that I think the only way to improve Calcutta?s roads is to have the ministers shift residence every three months or so.