Why We Should Carpool

May 25
NabanitaDhar

On the bulletin board in my office today, I noticed lots of posts about Car pooling to office from different parts of the city. On a forum where otherwise people are busy fighting Man vs. Woman battles or discussing the food served in various food courts around the campus; every post today was about Car Pooling. Yes you guessed it right. The common man; the middle class or the cattle class whatever they (read the government) may call us; was busy scouting for avenues to save himself from being gutted by the fire caused by the steepest rise in petrol prices.

Long queues outside petrol pumps, bikes and cars alike, some waiting patiently while others pushing and honking agitatedly, to try and save a few bucks before the prices went on a major over drive was the story at each and every petrol pump all over the country. Celebrating the third anniversary of its second term in office, the UPA gifted the people of this country a humongous increase in their monthly expenses! ‘Extortion’ you think? Oh yes most definitely extortion in broad daylight by our so called government and the fact of the matter is we cannot possibly do anything about it.

It angers me looking at how everything is going against the people of this country who are not politicians or celebrities or ones with Swiss Bank Accounts. My Landlord, who I detest from the depths of my heart, has increased my rent thrice in the span of a year. On top of that I have to pay EMI for my own home so that I can finally get out of the pathetic greedy clutches of any godforsaken Landlord forever. As if that wasn’t enough, the prices of fruits, vegetables and other items too are swirling well beyond control. The icing on the cake ofcourse comes every few months with the dastardly government of ours increasing the prices of petrol at their own whims and fancies instead of actually practicing good economics! Where does that leave me and millions of others like me? Sad part is our salary or our income doesn’t increase as much as every other thing that we need to survive. What do we do then Mr Finance Minister?

Every time the government pulls such stunts I feel like we are run by an uneducated and ineffective bunch. Life is getting tougher by the minute with help from those who govern us. What do we do? Sometimes I wonder if the government wants us to leave the country and go settle somewhere else. The take in the IT Industry these days is an onsite term of a decade, in the least, to come back and survive without being burdened by debts and such abrupt and bizarre decisions by the State! Not too patriotic you feel? Perhaps yes but do those ruling us leave us with any other choice literally!

Everything the government does is a travesty. They first increase the prices by 7.5 odd rupees and then pretend to roll back some 2 bucks. Do they think we are fools? We can see right through their play if at all they roll back anything it will only be an act because they would have actually taken care that even the roll back would actually lead to the increase they actually wanted.

The common man is at his wits end trying to figure out what to do. When he curtails his expenses on one end the government makes sure that he ends up paying more in some other. Sometimes I wonder at the tomfoolery they are engaging in. If Indians are finding it difficult to sustain or afford life in their own country, imagine the level to which the government had failed! So what now, instead of Gold we put Petrol in the Lockers to barter it for bare necessities of life!

May be we could switch to bicycles or even horses as a colleague of mine mockingly put forth. But I am sure that even if we do that the Government will find a way to bring in some form of taxes or preach some economic jargon which will lead to even those being overtly expensive and beyond our reach unless we become A. Rajas in our lives too!

65 thoughts on “Why We Should Carpool”

  3. nice post VAT rates on #petrol in Cong ruled states AP, Assam, Kerala, Maharashtra, Rajasthan & those of UPA allies-WB & UP are higher

  4. A very nice post. Appropriate this week. This heartburn and helplessness is difficult to bear.

    Loved those cartoons.

  8. So true…. I got promoted at work a couple of days ago and my colleagues, instead of asking for a treat, were jokingly asking me to give each of them 10 litres of petrol instead!

    Its becoming quite difficult to manage expenses with prices of necessities spiralling over the top. Where are we headed!??

    A.
    e-pinion.blogspot.com

  9. I see value in the recent petrol price hike. It will hopefully deter people from indiscriminately using their cars. It will slow down the rate of car sales and new cars on the roads. This will lead to lower emissions, and a cleaner, cooler planet. What it will also do, as pointed out by you, is push cost of living upwards, leading to a greater rush after higher earnings and lesser time to be a part of the human family.

  10. Hi Nanbanita

    very apt post for this week…The common man is the worst effected as you said….Plight of salaried folks is bad….Imagine those who earn daily wages and already struggle to make ends meet….One positive effect as Subhorup mentioned is when people turn to carpooling or public transport it will reduce traffic congestion and pollution….

  12. Car pool is a good habit, and maybe jsut maybe the increase in prices will make people waste less fuel.

    Moreover I think fuel prices have gone up everywhere in the world, WE have been paying 1.50 a litre.. that is almost 130Rs a litre .. So you got a long way to go ..

    and I guess the indian Govt had no other option, the problem is indian politics is dirty politics the people who are going on strikes and creating rucus if they had done the same raise.. then congress would have done this..

    One should be logical on such things how much subsidiy can be given with the current economic scenario.. I am not supporting any govt or anything , I hate politics but just giving my two cents worth of knowledge..

    Bikram's

  19. My friend… Just because the prices of Petrol are up, the use of cars won't come down drastically… People will go for diesel cars instead and let me tell you diesel emissions are more harmful than petrol…So rise of petrol prices will not aid bringing in the so called green planet as much as everyone would want that and as much as how noble that could be…

  22. Well Bikramjit paying 1.5 in the currency of US or UK or some other developed country is very different and much better than paying 80 to 82 Rupees in Indian Currency ….But I do agree that Indian politics is in such a state which is aiding the downfall of the economy instead of doing something constructive about it…

  25. Dear Nabanita,

    A really nice post…Carpooling is definitely a great model and I have seen it succeeding in various places. Everybody knows India has to depend on imports when it comes to crude oil, so, if there is a rise in crude price, it will reflect in the prices that consumer has to pay eventually.

    However, I am surprised that every where people are making hue and cry about the rising petrol prices and yet no one is raising the all important issue of public transportation? In Bangalore, the vayu vajras have made commuting both easy and affordable. I have stayed in Bangalore for three years and for all three years, I didn't need a car. I was totally dependant on the BMTC buses and was rarely uncomfortable (except travelling after 10 PM), but then, you also have a choice of the Meru / Easy Cabs..

    So,point is, long term, sustainable solution is to develop strong public transportation means rather than buying a diesel car, which lot of people deem the best thing these days..

  28. True Sachin but with increase in petrol prices even the fares of public transportation rise !

  29. It's very true. Good post!
    I read that the petrol prices in other nations are too low compared to that in India (equivalent to 10 or 20 Indian Rupees in some places). What is the problem with our country? Why can't it be made like other countries? I can't understand anything!

  31. Nabanita, dismal state of affairs today but marvellous presentation and the cartoons with caricatures are mind blowing!

  35. With the petrol prices touching sky high and heat competing at the same pace, carpooling is the only sensible option according to me 🙂
    A well written post!

    sarah

  37. What is the landing price of Petroleum in India before federal taxes, excise duty cess and other items. If they are now kept constant then there won't be any rise of Fuel price.

  40. I believe car pooling will become reality in future, but big bosses want the snob value to continue, despite the price rise

  47. Dear Nabanita,
    its avery well written post and i can understand your well placed anger. But there is one side which even we need to see. petroleum is a loss making enterprise for the govt. because of the state of corruption there is a fund deficit that the govt faces. And how are they compensating for it? by taxing us all the way. it is painful and will remain so unless the country is ready to take responsibility and reduce its population, and also reduce corruption. hence putting lesser pressure on the govt of india. we need to pay our taxes on time and stop fuelling private education etc and support the leadership by getting better leaders and politicians to power rather than the gunda raj we all are currently in.
    i wish there was a instant solution to this. but unfortunately it is a crappy system for which no one is ready to take responsibility for

  49. A thought provoking post dear and has come on a right time.
    are these pictures yours , if not , u can mention the source
    the narration is again awesome the anger can be seen !!!
    i hope we get to a solution

  50. Thanks Rahul…I have put a note on my blog saying all pictures used are either sourced from the internet or are my personal…wasn't aware that I need to put it individually…Thanks for the heads up…

  51. I do not think so, Still Diesel prices are kept very much in control, the Public transport it totally dependent on Diesel and CNG.

    Petrol is not becoming like a Jet fuel these days, only affordable by the Business class

  52. Amazing use of cartoons in between, that underlines the agony of the people in a very apt way. I also loved the content in your post which has come directly from within, without hesitation. That also indicates in the nice flow of the article.

    Having said that, let me also point out, that though the things you have pointed out in the blog are true, and everyone is feeling the heat, you seem to have given very less thought about the possible solutions about it.

    Today all I see around me is cry of despair, and the fruitless desire of proving how miserable our lives are. We must acknowledge what is still good around us.

    We as a blogging community come from the class of society which is supposed to be well-read, knowledgable thinkers. We have in our hand the power of pen and paper which can be used to spread ideas and thoughts. Pointing out what everyone is feeling is a job of newspaper. We are above that. We would want solutions and not just registration of our pain. I am putting this here because by the nature of your blog I can see that you are matured and well-veresed with the blogging medium.

    I do not wish to offend, but I say this only to point out, that we are a generation which seem to complain a lot, call of strikes over petrol hikes to Misplaced 50 year old Cartoon. And that road leads only to blamestorming. Nothing else.

    NOM at all.

  53. Very simplistic view without understanding lot of issues. You blame politicians and celebrities for your low life though it is more of bitterness for not being able to be like them. majority of misery caused is by our own middle class ppl- e.g. your land lord who increase rent thrice a year and you have to pay as otherwise another guy is outside waiting to join in and nobody ever protests. IN an average household, majority of income goes towards a) House rent / EMI b) School Fee C) Doctor / Healthcare but have you seen anybody cursing schools, doctors, or your own middle class ladlords and house sellers because all of these belong to us and we cant chide our own brethernen. So grow up and see what is there rather than complaining about some oil price hike.

  54. You need to remove all cartoons or ask for specific permissions otherwise it is pure stealing. Kindly read copyright act. You can share only items which are under creative commons license. When you life these images, you deny an artist his right to livelihood.

    The great Indian middle-class will do anything to suit itself and then complain against others be it maid or be it film star

  55. This coming from a person who doesn't even have the courage to share his/her name while launching such personal attack. You need to have the guts to use your name before preaching like this. Since you followed no decorum then I can also stoop as low as you in replying in your same uncouth language… Fist of all what low life do you mean..?? And you go all guns blazing against the middle class, we all are ready to take action and stand up and fight for our rights but then the government, the investigating agencies and the judiciary should be such that supports the stand taken by the common people and aid their fight… Unless laws are formed by the government and unless they take interest and improving the condition of this country the middle class however it may try will only suffer… And PRICE HIKE is not a small issue and it is the collective failure of the government that has caused this.. Eminent economists and people well versed in this domain have the same view… So unless you have some valid reasons and points to counter attack do not bark for no reason.. I guess you do not know how to indulge in a constructive discussion and hence polluting my blog with your nonsensical and unethical manner of commenting..Criticism is welcome but certainly not from an ANONYMOUS and more so when in the tone of a PERSONAL ATTACK…Please REFRAIN FROM COMMENTING IN MY BLOG UNLESS YOU LEARN PROPER ETIQUETTEs..

  56. I am not earning money from the cartoons or deriving any economical benefits out of it plus I also have a disclaimer in my blog.. And why should I listen to an arrogant person like you who doesn't know the decency to comment, comes across as uneducated and also doesn't have the courage to say all this using his own name..There is a way to criticize but you certainly don't know that..And launching a personal attack saying I am stealing, I could go to the Cyber Cell and launch an FIR against you for teh personal attack…AGAIN I AM TELLING YOU REFRAIN FROM POLLUTING MY BLOG UNLESS YOU BECOME EDUCATED.

  57. Thanks Harshal… atleast there are still people like you who know a polite way to disagree…

  58. When I commuted by Public transport everytime there was a hike in petrol, the cost of buss passes and daily fares increased.

  59. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

  61. while doing a car pooling we need to make sure we pool in a diesel car 🙂

  63. An outstanding share! I've just forwarded this onto a friend who was conducting a little research on this. And he actually bought me breakfast simply because I found it for him… lol. So allow me to reword this…. Thanks for the meal!! But yeah, thanx for spending some time to discuss this topic here on your web page. pay day loans
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