From India to Japan: Decoding the two cultures through the universal symbol of Zebra Crossing.
.”When you see a zebra crossing, you gotta look to your left, you gotta look to your right, till all is clear in sight, Don’t you skip, don’t you hop, that’s what it’s all about” The Zebra Crossing, with its black and white stripes across the road, serves as a symbolic crossroads between vertical and horizontal movement. Let’s journey through the bustling streets of India and Japan to understand how these crossings reflect deeper cultural nuances.
Chaotic Crossing of the Indian Cultural Context
In India, zebra crossing embodies a navigational tension between speed and caution, wheels and feet. The vehicles come to a screeching halt, while some speed their way across the red light without giving a care. The pedestrian waits for the green light to turn red to cross to the other side of the road, while some daring ones dive in and navigate their way through the vertically moving traffic as if crossing a river! Though the zebra crossing is black and white in color, it signals a ‘red’ alert—an intersection point between discipline and rashness, symbolizing the chaotic sensibility of crossing a zebra crossing in India.
From India, I travel to Japan. At every point of engagement, the Japanese culture was a revelation.
