The Laal Batti

I was driving from Chandigarh to Delhi after a long day of press conferences and everyone who has traveled on Indian roads, especially in the bureaucratic by-lanes of Delhi, is aware of the laal batti gadi.

The laal batti gadi, for all my non-Hindi speaking friends, is an official car with a red flashing beacon that gets the right of way because it is “official.”

Every driver on the road usually gives way to this car and then there is a frantic rush to get behind it because it clears a path for you, or at least it appears to. Many believe it is the fastest and safest way to move forward.

This act is similar to what happens in the Indian corporate world where people like to hide behind their bosses because they believe they are at the least amount of risk. You cannot really get hit face first unless you are the lead car.

That brings me to my biggest dilemma. Why would someone want to voluntarily be another follower and just another trail car?

Wouldn’t you rather be faster than the laal batti gadi? Be the one who makes the way for the laal batti gadi. It is a lot more fun and yes, you will upset some “official people,” but if you stay ahead their complaints will only be swallowed up in the dust from your exhaust.

Drive safe.