India of My Dreams — Episode 3: Accountability
Hi… I am Ayaan. And this is a story about something we don't notice anymore — because we've gotten used to it. I was at a signal. Not late. Not in a hurry. Just there. The light was red. The road was clear. And one by one, vehicles started moving. Not fast. Not aggressively. Just casually. Like the signal was more of a suggestion than a rule. No one honked. No one reacted. No one even looked surprised. And that's when it hit me. It wasn't the rule being broken that felt strange. It was how normal it felt. I stood there a few seconds longer than I needed to. Just watching. Watching how easily we move past things that are supposed to matter. And somewhere between that signal and the road ahead, I imagined something different. Not perfect. Just accountable. In that version, rules weren't followed out of fear. They were followed because they meant something. If someone broke them, something happened. Not dramatic. Not harsh. Just clear. No argument...
