“Kithane Admi Thay” (How many were there?) the most famous dialogue by Gabbar in the all time great movie Sholay was ringing in my ears when we were passing Ramanagara en route to Bangalore.

These rocks are part of the Ramanagaram hills where the movie scenes were filmed.

Though it’s my fourth drive to Bangalore, I have not done it for a few years. With the result, we forgot some of the mandatory checks before the journey.

If we had checked, we would have avoided the Kuthiran climbs and road, but had to face the block abruptly. I thought it was some major accident that caused the jam and innocently asked a policeman passing by as to what had happened!

He gave me a long smile and later I realised the meaning of his smile. It’s obvious that you are to crawl in there.

I must take a different route on return.

The road after that is good, but heavily tolled. I have collected the numerous receipts and should find out how much it came to, when I find some time.

Just a thought, why don’t the national highway authorities use smart cards where road users can ask for and get the cards loaded with the toll amount depending on the destination. For example I ask for toll loading till Bangalore and use the electronic and automated gates and barricades, instead of waiting in the queue for a dozen or more places.

Last time the highways were under construction, but it’s all mostly complicated now.

Of course, there are these overloaded trucks, like buddies walking on the roads each occupying one of the two available lanes as if they are holding hands and walking in the park.

Truly painful when they struggle with a climb, and maintain the uniform 8 kms per hour speed.