The first thing I saw when the cloud of dust had subsided was an evil looking face peering at me through the window of the Santro I was driving. The sound of the crash was still ringing in my ears and the greedy smile, like bone showing through an open wound, made me fear the worst.
Villagers can be noble savages.
Noble at times and savage when they have you at their mercy. I muttered a string of unprintable adjectives to myself as I visualised the next few days in hospitals and police stations facing heavy demands for compensation. What a way to begin a holiday. After the heat and dust of Delhi, my wife and I had been looking forward to an escape to the cool hills and clear skies of the Kumaun hills. I had been driving fast on the National Highway where fast driving is allowed and thoroughly enjoying the responsive little Santro.