Strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from an indomitable will.

~Mahatma Gandhi

I don't know when and in what context did the great Indian leader say this but, yes, I have had a few opportunities to witness some people show this indomitable will, most recently when I was being driven back home from my office.

We Indians seriously lack self discipline. When always need someone to police us, that's the only way we can be made to follow rules. When there is no big brother watching us, we find no harm in jumping queues, entering a one-way street from the wrong side, not wearing helmets, leave seat belts unfastened and jump traffic lights.

When it gets dark and the traffic cops don't man traffic lights, the roads become wild sanctuaries of traffic offenders. No one really cares about the traffic light that has just gone red. All drivers, whether behind the steering wheel in luxury cars, call center cabs or auto rickshaws, will be in a hurry. They will blare horns and ignore the red light.

What does it take to stop diligently at each and every red signal glowing in the darkness of the night on your way while every other vehicle in the capital of the country maintains its momentum and goes past you? Don't you feel stupid to see others flouting the rules as if it was the right thing to do? How do you resist the temptation to follow others and speed towards your destination ignoring the red light?

I really appreciated the cab driver for his strength in standing with conviction to follow the traffic rules when every other vehicle passed him. I kept wondering how did he manage to stand there alone on the red signal while watching tail lamps of other vehicles disappear in the darkness of the night? Didn't he feel that others might be laughing at him? I guess that's what Gandhi was talking about when he said that strength came from "indomitable will". Was the driver a Gandhian? I didn't ask him. Nor did I express my appreciation for his strength; yes, I did admire him.

Next time onwards, I would also try to match the strength displayed by the cab driver. Maybe you should also join in. What if the entire ocean on the roads is dirty? Even a few drops of crystal clear water can act as a catalyst for change and then the entire ocean may be cleaned of its dirt, one drop at a time.