Horn OK Please

On the many Indian roads I had just been,
few new lessons I learnt from what was seen
Motorists seem to have a road goddess to appease,
and too often use the mantra, "Horn OK Please"

Driving style's bit different from the likes elsewhere,
for moving objects may intercept you from anywhere
Not just cycles, rickshaws, lorries or bikes
but dogs, pedestrians, even buffaloes yikes
Angry cow on your path? Well don't freeze,
just remember to "Horn OK Please"

Waiting for intersections to clear may take forever
we just pray and move forth with a brave endeavor
Motorists love you, so may come very very close,
Don't worry, smile at them and say cheese,
but don't forget to "Horn OK Please"

A lone light may not be a bike on the highway,
but a truck with just one headlight & a sway
It's risky to investigate so put your fears at ease,
better be safe, chant with "Horn OK Please"

Red lights in some places mean nothing, folks,
lane lines are mostly decorations, practical jokes
Looking over the shoulder? don't bother mate,
there are always vehicles there, sometimes 7 or 8
you'd rather want to scan ahead in an alert state

Driving Indian roads may take some expertise,
but it seems to begin with the mantra, "Horn OK Please"

***

Based on what I recently saw, I feel Indian driving expertise come in 4 levels.
1. Newbie: Waiting and yielding, shy of using the horn, driving within lanes, fearing the cop etc
2. Beginner: Just starting to get brave, moderate to regular honking, foot ready on brake etc
3. Intermediate: More brave, not yielding, heavy honking (even in heavy long traffic) and most importantly gentle swearing at other motorists
4. Advanced: This stage requires certain prerequisites in addition to that of the Intermediate level, such as knowledge of swear words in native tongue of that locality and physical strength (since many road accidents seem to get resolved by hand to face combat)