Dogs to blame for our outdoor culture!

Anyone who has stepped outdoors in our cities knows that for India to ever really get all viksit, things must first get a whole lot safer - never mind easier - for pedestrians to walk and vehicles to ply. Bombing everyone to oblivion and starting a new society all over again is, we are reliably told, not an option. Thankfully, three wise men of the Supreme Court have not only found the source of urban chaos but also its solution: dogs, and taking them off streets, footpaths and public spaces, respectively. 'While [dogs] are running on the road, it is a problem - roads where there are moving vehicles.... The roads have to be clear and cleaned of dogs. They might not bite, but they still cause accidents,' said the Macbethian trio.

And here we thought that pedestrians were the ones routinely treating roads like their living rooms by casually strolling across them, and looking on at footpaths - if they do exist along stretches - as vestigial organs that serve no real, functional purpose. And, of course, driving on the opposite direction, random lane changing, overtaking as if in a bad heist movie, and never giving way even if common sense dies aren't human traits in this part of the world. As a non-dog, one must be thankful the wise men didn't suggest that humans - walking on streets or driving cars, autos or buses - be banished. Pashupatinath be praised!