If you live in Dhaka you will have to cross mains roads and sub roads as well many other kinds of roads where the motorized vehicular traffic load is high and cars and of course motorbikes all jostle with each other to move ahead. Since there is no such thing as traffic rules let alone etiquette, most just want to go ahead, come what may. One can safely wonder if they can manage the path ahead safely as well but then it's a philosophical question. But one can ask what is philosophy doing with road crossing?

That is because many urban experts have argued that the Dhaka traffic system is post-philosophical. But as the phenomenon has widened, these urbanologist have been left behind and philosophers and that sort of people have come to the forefront. Possibly, it's the Kantian variety, the very Germanic school of reason and variety that leads. But then very few Bangladeshis know German hence the weakness in the application of Teutonic philosophy in traffic rules and management of Bengali speaking "Amar mayer bhasha" types who make up the shushil class.

But what about pedestrians? I mean they do exist don't they. For that we may have to shift countries and go to France and discuss French philosophies like existentialism to understand what that means and how existentialism applies in analyzing this problem.

Three encounters and Being and Nothingness

I am an oldish, elderly, senior citizen etc whatever you call the post 70 years generation and I am 72+. And that brings up the issue of existence. I mean at this age its life on the borderline between life and death. To put it philosophically, you are in a state of Being but anytime you could be pushed into the Nothingness territory. It's very philosophical. How does that fit into traffic problems?. And is the relationship philosophical? Very good questions that deserve pondering and attempts at answers. So let me illustrate what it means while trying to cross the main roads and its junior varieties spread all over Dhaka.

The Mahakhali crossing

The Mahakhali crossing where I think 4/5/6 roads converge and lead to various directions is virtually uncrossable. This is how it's meant to be. In fact, this is also mentioned in the constitution. According to Section 419, Article 1, "anyone who wishes to cross the Mahakhali junction will be considered a traitor and immediately shot if that person has survived the crossing." It's very clear, no crossing.

I myself have done it only once and not alone. I was literally held by my hand and led across the junction by a very determined young lady who also happened to be my student and now is a colleague. She later told me that she took advantage of a constitutional clause which says," the law will not apply to those who are incapable of understanding the reality around themselves and have to depend on others for survival including road crossing."

I am sure it's "Nothing" they are talking about.

The Police Plaza crossing

This crossing is important because its right across-in front-part of the Police Plaza, the shopping centre hugging the Lakefront and Hatirjheel. It's the police's crowning achievement as far as commercial activities are concerned including picking from the street. However, this is where a very complex road crossing situation exists.

Many need to cross the roads but the problem is of course the lack of communication between those wanting to cross the road and those driving their vehicles. And what is that? How will the vehicle drivers know someone or a group is trying to cross the road? And this is where philosophy comes in. Those who are driving are in the Being sector while those crossing are in the Nothingness variety. So Being can't talk to Nothing or what doesn't exist and hence don't stop or slow down. Why should they? There is Nothing.

The result is a profound philosophical exercise where Nothings try to scamper through the holes of philosophy and face another hurdle across the road. How they make it never makes the papers because there is no media outlet called Daily Nothing.

The Niketon crossing next to the Shaheed Dr. Rabbi Park

This crossing seems to be dedicated to the spirit of the Liberation war and its history. It mimics 1971 and one can see the chaos, the scrambling, the fight for survival and of course the desire to kill and molest. Sometimes it mimics the refugees fleeing the Pakistan army trying to extinguish the life of those who cross the line and boundaries set by its army.

The philosophical lesson here is also Being and Nothingness but from a historical standpoint. History repeats itself particularly in road crossing, narrow or wide in times or war and peace.

In other words we don't have a traffic problem let alone a road crossing one. It's a philosophical issue and maybe even a mystical one. Something along the line of "all is maya".