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(Image via www.newskarnataka.com)
Yes, it is true. And the research has been supported by none other than BBC in partnership with The Economist.
Speaking to The UnReal Times, BBC’s programming chief John Atherton said, “We were on one of our usual visits to commission documentaries about India. Not about the IT industry or the construction boom or stuff like that. Who has time for such things? We are more interested in the demonic Indian man, unclean environment, open defecation and stuff like that which people can easily relate to.
Our responsibility has increased since the Narendra Modi Government has taken over. Someone had done a study on how in BJP ruled states, divorce rates for minority communities is higher. This person happened to be in Bengaluru.
It is when we were driving around in the city, I came across an inexplicable phenomenon. Our cab would wait at the signal and before you realize, the driver will honk. I assumed that it is just in reaction to the light turning green. But after a while I couldn’t really tell which one happened first – the signal turning green or the driver honking. Some of them have gotten so used to it, that they start honking even when they are the first cab in line!
I spoke to my friend, who also is responsible for telecasting athletics. We used high speed cameras to track an average cab driver’s response time. After studying multiple videos, we found that it is 0.05 seconds. I was shocked to know that even Olympic level sprinters take more than 0.1 second to respond to the gun. So, the initial honking response of a Bengaluru cab driver is faster than that of the fastest human being! And their hand-eye coordination is better than Roger Federer!
When I said this to our cab driver Manjunath, he was not surprised. He said, ‘Sir, I am just an Innova driver. My friend Usman drives an Indica. He can react to not only the current signal, but even any other signal turning green within one kilometer and start honking. I am nothing when compared to him!’
We also then consulted people with the Nature magazine. They said that while evolution can take centuries, in Bengaluru it has evolved at the same rate of growth as the ITES industry.”
“So, are you going to telecast it as a scientific freak?” we asked.
“What do you think we are? National Geographic? Our angle is that uncontrolled business growth in India has resulted in evolutionary abnormalities, that have affected the minorities even more terribly. This was not the case, when the British left India. Caste system means that people with such talent are not making a living in the cash rich but morally corrupt IPL but earning a living driving taxis!”
