Transportation on Indian streets defy physics. One example is the photo above. While dodging other cars, lorries, bicycles, pedestrians, and motorbikes (and the occasional human-drawn cart), these vehicles work their way down narrow streets where two lanes are made into four lane roads. One taxi driver recently told me that "God gave us two tools to survive on the streets of India, a loud horn and good brakes." Honking is used to indicate everything from anger, notifying someone that you want to get by, flirting with another cute driver, and general thrill that you were able to get to the other road.
On a trip outside of Kolkata, I truly learned what signals drivers send one another. Our driver, on the return trip after dark, only turned on his lights when approaching semi trucks and laid on the horn to indicate the truck should move over. Until the semi moved over, the horn continued to go. One semi refused to move and our driver tried to pass on the shoulder-- until the shoulder disappeared and we were suddenly off roading. We got back in one piece, however. A colleague suggested that in the future we should offer a tip in 10 rupee notes and tell the driver that each time he scares his passengers, one ten rupee note is removed. Then remove one immediately to show him you're serious. I chose the second method of fall asleep during the trip and pray I don't die. I think I'll try the former on the next trip :).
Either way, make sure you have a loud horn, good brakes, and a lot of luck and you'll be fine on the roads.
