The good citizen

Once while i was driving, a friend was coming from the opposite direction. (No. Relax. i did not hit him.) I saw him gesturing something. His lips were moving and the fingers in one of his hands were moving like how children do while singing 'Twinkle, twinkle little star'. I stopped the car and asked him what he was trying to say. He said that the headlights of my car were on. Then i understood what he had been gesturing. I switched off the lights, thanked him and drove on.

From then onwards, whenever i was walking or driving, I noticed that a number of two-wheelers, while on the move, had their headlights on. Then i started repeating what my friend had done that day. This has now become a habit with me. Whenever and wherever i walk, i find that a good number of people ride their two-wheelers with the headlights on, even during the day. (I have very rarely seen a car in such a state though.) So, as a good citizen, i try to gesture to them to switch off the lights.

The responses i get are of 3 types. In most cases (almost 90% of my targeted beneficiaries), they respond as intended by me, switch off the lights and move on with a smiling and thankful look at me. People belonging to the second group (about 8%) fail to notice my gesturing as their eyes are fixed ahead like the beam of light emanating from their vehicles. They ride on merrily. The third group of people (the remaining 2%) get confused as to what i am trying to convey. They notice me, waver, and their vehicles sway a little, making me afraid that they would lose balance and cause an accident!

There is yet another group, that of some pedestrians. They observe me and their reactions range from giving me a queer look to a slight derision wondering whether i have gone out of my mind.

Yet, i do not want give up this habit. It gives me a little satisfaction that i am helping in energy-conservation, preventing wastage of a valuable national wealth and contributing a little to reduce global-warming!!!!!!!!!! (Tall claim, isn't it?)

Of course i do not do this when i see a lady driving a two-wheeler (It is always a scooter or scooty and never a motor cycle.) with the head light on, for being misunderstood.