Drive around the roads in India and you will soon notice that one of the most non essential vehicle accessories is the rearview mirror.
It is even legal for a car not to have the passenger side rearview mirror.
Bike riders remove their rearview mirrors to make their bikes look cooler.
Even if the mirrors are there, drivers and riders seem to hardly use them. The primary purpose of the rearview mirror is to comb ones hair or apply lipstick. Cracked and broken mirrors are left unrepaired. Needless to say that there are plenty of accidents as a result of this lapse.
Ever wondered why Indians feel that they do not need to look at rearview mirrors? The reason is a complex interplay of genes, evolution and memory.
Thousands of years ago, people in the Indian continent were supposedly better evolved. One of the hallmarks was the presence of a rear eye in all Indians. The brain thus had a view of both the front and the back and could adjust accordingly. There was never a need to turn back. This was particularly true of wives who always knew what was happening behind them.
As lives became more hectic people were not interested in what was behind them as they became busier and only wanted to see what was in front of them as they quickly moved about places. Hence the rear eye underwent disuse atrophy and slowly became non functional. This hardly mattered at that time.
While the rear eye was non functional, people were unaware of this as they were so focused in looking forward and bulldozing their way through life. The genes coding for the rear-eye were still there, but the expression of the gene (the phenotype) was suppressed after a few generations. As the gene was still there, people felt that their rear eye was still functional.
Enter the era of motor vehicles and every country touted the rearview mirror as a useful tool while driving. Indians begged to disagree. They felt that their rear eyes could still see and if it saw nothing, then the coast was clear to turn, reverse or cut across lanes.
The driving license test could be passed without a mirror check when turning. Little did they realise that their rear eyes were no longer functional.
However the strong presence of the gene and the power of suggestion soon overpowered the power of reason and rearview mirrors were considered obsolete.
People did not wear helmets as it could potentially cover the rear eyes.
Next time you look at the back of the head, look to see the faint ridges and lines that once were the rear eye. There is no cornea, no pupils, no lens. Its just a faded reminder of the glorious past.
Maybe one day someone will publicly proclaim that rear-eyes are a sham and no-one has them anymore. Maybe someone will do a post mortem on someone who dies in an accident and find the lack of a rear-eye. Maybe someone will then examine people and find that no-one has a rear eye.
Till then when I drive, I will anticipate that the person driving in front will turn onto my lane without indicating - because he has 'seen' with his rear eye and his rear eye tells him I am not there. If I crash into him, it is my fault - as my front eyes did not anticipate it.
I'll do shoulder checks, mirror checks and indicate everytime I turn or switch lanes. People may call me less evolved as I dont trust my rear eye or cant see through it. But thats OK.
It is even legal for a car not to have the passenger side rearview mirror.
Bike riders remove their rearview mirrors to make their bikes look cooler.
Even if the mirrors are there, drivers and riders seem to hardly use them. The primary purpose of the rearview mirror is to comb ones hair or apply lipstick. Cracked and broken mirrors are left unrepaired. Needless to say that there are plenty of accidents as a result of this lapse.
Ever wondered why Indians feel that they do not need to look at rearview mirrors? The reason is a complex interplay of genes, evolution and memory.
Thousands of years ago, people in the Indian continent were supposedly better evolved. One of the hallmarks was the presence of a rear eye in all Indians. The brain thus had a view of both the front and the back and could adjust accordingly. There was never a need to turn back. This was particularly true of wives who always knew what was happening behind them.
As lives became more hectic people were not interested in what was behind them as they became busier and only wanted to see what was in front of them as they quickly moved about places. Hence the rear eye underwent disuse atrophy and slowly became non functional. This hardly mattered at that time.
While the rear eye was non functional, people were unaware of this as they were so focused in looking forward and bulldozing their way through life. The genes coding for the rear-eye were still there, but the expression of the gene (the phenotype) was suppressed after a few generations. As the gene was still there, people felt that their rear eye was still functional.
Enter the era of motor vehicles and every country touted the rearview mirror as a useful tool while driving. Indians begged to disagree. They felt that their rear eyes could still see and if it saw nothing, then the coast was clear to turn, reverse or cut across lanes.
The driving license test could be passed without a mirror check when turning. Little did they realise that their rear eyes were no longer functional.
However the strong presence of the gene and the power of suggestion soon overpowered the power of reason and rearview mirrors were considered obsolete.
People did not wear helmets as it could potentially cover the rear eyes.
Next time you look at the back of the head, look to see the faint ridges and lines that once were the rear eye. There is no cornea, no pupils, no lens. Its just a faded reminder of the glorious past.
Maybe one day someone will publicly proclaim that rear-eyes are a sham and no-one has them anymore. Maybe someone will do a post mortem on someone who dies in an accident and find the lack of a rear-eye. Maybe someone will then examine people and find that no-one has a rear eye.
Till then when I drive, I will anticipate that the person driving in front will turn onto my lane without indicating - because he has 'seen' with his rear eye and his rear eye tells him I am not there. If I crash into him, it is my fault - as my front eyes did not anticipate it.
I'll do shoulder checks, mirror checks and indicate everytime I turn or switch lanes. People may call me less evolved as I dont trust my rear eye or cant see through it. But thats OK.
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