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In any place that has automobiles, a honk can mean “watch out!” or “hurry up!”. In some places, it can also mean “Hey there” or “I've arrived”. In Chennai, honking takes on a far more sophisticated and malleable meaning. It is an entire language. It can mean any of the things mentioned above. It can mean more specific things like “I'm 1.5 inches off your right bumper and am passing you even though it means veering into oncoming traffic”. Or “Hey there Mr. Motorcycle Guy. Just because you have your wife and two small children on that bike with you doesn't mean that I won't run you over if you don't get out of my way.” It can also be celebratory, like “I'm on a scooter and just got hit by a car but that's OK because it's always the fault of the larger vehicle because the larger vehicle has more money!” or “Whee hoo, it's raining again!”. Sometimes, it simply expresses a driver's inner musings or the little song going through his head, like “Oh, I'm a rickshaw wallah and I'm drivin' around in my little rickshaw and it sure is hot and I wonder what I'm gonna have for lunch today”. As expressive as any other human language. At least that's the way I see it. | |||||
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