I know from my previous travels to India that the honking of car, bus, motorbike, and rickshaw horns is a ubiquitous sound no matter the city. The honking is pretty constant because in addition to the way horns are used in the U.S. (e.g., to let someone know you’re unhappy with their driving) they are also used here to essentially say “Here I am!”–whether to the vehicles constantly encroaching into your lane, or the car you’re getting ready to squeeze in front of (when there really isn’t room), or to pedestrians walking along the street (similar to the way someone on a bike at home might offer an “On your left” to someone they were coming up behind).

So honking here is more of a constant high-pitched flurry of enthusiastic chit-chat among drivers as opposed to the occasional angry shout. And since the lanes painted on the asphalt roadways seem to be merely suggestions (i.e., you will often see vehicles four- or five-wide on what is meant to be a two-lane street), the horn becomes a primary tool for avoiding accidents.

Pune has tried to reduce the incessant honking in recent years, going so far as to hold a “No Honking Day” each December and labeling honking as a “menace” to health. This may have been successful as it doesn’t (to my ear anyway) sound that bad.

Here’s a clip from one of my recent walks along a medium-busy street to give you an idea (click the image to play the video).