Road Safety - direct from New Zealand to Uttar Pradesh

Road Safety Policy Released

Uttar Pradesh has become the first state of India to introduce a Road Safety Policy. The policy talks of strict penalties the moment someone breaks road safety laws. The government has also constituted a Highway Police for the execution of the policy.

The move by the government is worth appreciation. We also hope that the policy will be implemented in its true spirit, sparing no one - be it a bureaucrat or a politician or a common man/woman.

Nonetheless, if policies and laws were able to tame the human behaviour and put everything or anything in order in society, there would not have been any dowry deaths, sex selective abortions, road rage deaths, child labour, harassment of women, domestic violence and the rest. The list of such crimes is exhaustive! Ironically, there is either a policy or a law against all such criminal acts but how many people face the legal action! 

In Uttar Pradesh, at least 30,000 people die in road accidents, every year. This means at least 80-85 people are becoming prey to untimely and tragic death every day. Unfortunately, the people involved in these casualties are mostly those who are young! The government aims to curtail the situation by launching this Road Safety Policy.   

The New Zealand police force is training the Uttar Pradesh police the tactics of taming the traffic. Acording to Grahame Morton, the New Zealand Ambassador to India, their force is teaching the Uttar Pradesh police about their three-pronged strategy - road design, vehicle safety and driving ethics.

These three points make it mandatory to take a stock of the situation on the roads of Uttar Pradesh.  

A few of the following points emerge instantly:

**  People in Uttar Pradesh do not wear seat belts in their four wheelers and similarly those riding two wheelers are averse to wearing helmets. According to them, these are just another decorative features in their vehicles and the associated law is useless. Therefore, they just hold the seat belt across their bodies or put the helmet on their heads when approaching any crossing with cops around.

**  People in Uttar Pradesh think that 'speed limit' is just another fancy of traffic police. They love speed and therefore never  follow the speed limit signs. They zoom fast, be in a shopping area or on a congested road or even if there are school children crossing the road.

**  People in Uttar Pradesh have a special liking for horns in their vehicles and they honk even in 'silent zones'. The more shrill and ear deafening the horn is the better for them. The first thing they do after starting the ignition is to put their hands on the horn and toot even if the road is empty or even if they are passing next to a hospital.

**  People in Uttar Pradesh enjoy overtaking and for that they cross even the straight double lines in the middle of the road which denote 'no overtaking'. Most of the times these 'speedy people' can be seen driving on the other side of the road blocking the way for people coming from the other side and also making it dangerous for other commuters.  

**  People of Uttar Pradesh do not believe in 'one way' signs. You cannot find even a single one way in the state which does not have vehicles coming from both sides. 

**  People in Uttar Pradesh feel that the roads are meant only for big SUVs and MUVs and the small cars should find their way at the sides of the road. Also, these small cars must allow the big vehicles to overtake them, irrespective of traffic conditions. In a case otherwise, the owners of small cars are sneered at or sometime beaten as well, if the big vehicle owner is a powerful one and in most cases he is. 

**  People in Uttar Pradesh prefer to drive their vehicles on high beam - that too the brighter the better. Either they are not aware of the low beam facility in their vehicles or they just do not care that their glaring light blinds people and is dangerous even for them.   

**  People in Uttar Pradesh do not like to go around a roundabout (too cumbersome for them), no matter if it causes traffic snarls or puts the lives of other people in danger.  

**  In Uttar Pradesh all laws relating to traffic are meant for the common mortals, and the category does not include politicians, their goons and henchmen, as well as bureaucrats. They are never taken in the purview of traffic rules. They can park their vehicles anywhere with no fear of it being towed away. Traffic police confront these government drivers at their own peril, knowing well that they can be abused, manhandled or beaten up by these 'all mighty' drivers! 

These are just a few observations regarding 'road design, vehicle safety and road ethics, which anyone who has ever walked on any of the roads in Uttar Pradesh, would have noticed. 

Now, going back to the original topic of road safety policy, it is pertinent to quote here that the people who cause fatal accidents are mostly the drivers of some influential person. 

The reasons why they are undeterred and arrogant on the road is because no one dares to penalise them when they break any traffic law or do not follow road safety measure or forgo their road ethics! 

In such circumstances how much will this Road Safety Policy help, its an issue of concern. There is only one way the government can underline its seriousness and sincerity to the issue is by ensuring that the new policy covers all and sundry and its implementation does not spare anyone, irrespective how big and influential the law breaker is!

Lets make our own Malalas!

A young woman Ramlali, from a Lucknow village, works in a local school where she cooks Mid-Day Meal for children. In the same school her two daughters study. Her relatives who are against sending daughters to school attacked Ramlali and beat her badly fracturing her hand. In the past also, they had beaten the mother and daughters only because they did not want Ramlali to work and send her daughters to school. Last attacks were also so violent that Ramlali had to be admitted in a Trauma Centre. The anti-education brigade had tore the school books and had also beaten the girls. 

Ramlali had lodged complaints with the police, twice but to no avail. The third time was so distressing and demoralising that the woman had to fled from the village along with her daughters. Now, she cannot continue with her work because of threats as well as her physical condition. The family has come to the city seeking some help and justice. The daughters cannot resume their studies till the issue is sorted.

The story of this woman appeared in one of the Hindi newspapers today and it made me think how Malala Yousafzais are made. Just like Malala of Pakistan, Ramlali was also adamant to educate her daughters and make them capable enough to make their own decisions in life. The daughters too are good in studies and were doing their mother proud. 

However, when Malala Yousafzai was attacked for promoting girls' education, the world acknowledged her efforts and since then she has been globe trotting as an ambassador for girls education. She is spreading the message and inspiring others to push the issue of girls' education. 

Ramlali is only a humble version of Malala in the making!

  

Incidentally, when Ramlali was facing the wrath of male chauvinists who opposed her determination to educate her daughters, there was a high level meeting, headed by the Chief Secretary of the Uttar Pradesh government, was being held. 

The Chief Secretary, holding the highest office of bureaucracy in any state government) was reviewing the status of literacy campaign in the state capital. The meeting had the representation of all the who's who working in the field of education in government as well as private sector.

I hope anyone of those stalwarts attending the meeting has read the story and is already contemplating to act for Ramlali and  her daughters. It is time for them to convert their words and commitments into action. It is the most opportune time to create our own Malalas, who are emerging from the remote rural corners of the nation, and advocate for girls education through them.  

Naturally speaking

Every time there is a debate on Hindi, it leaves me miffed!

Hindi is our natural language. We have one of the biggest film industry churning out dozens of movies every year which are linked not only by our neighbours, such as Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Nepal as well, and mind you - none of them is solely a Hindi speaking nation.

Then why Indians, at least once a year, have this debate and discussion on 'State or status of Hindi'???

The fact is that we do not need to see the problem elsewhere when the culprit is amongst us. It is one us who demeans Hindi or puts it at an inferior place to other languages, especially English.

The only problem or obstruction in Hindi is the pseudo elite class which finds it below their dignity to understand or speak in Hindi. Many of you, like me, must have witnessed these pseudo elites, who are invited to important conferences and seminars as specialists. They start their address with an apology for their lack of knowledge of Hindi or for their bad spoken Hindi. Starting with their bad spoken Hindi, they take no time to switch over to complete English, ignoring the fact that the majority of audience or participants, for whom the event has been organised in the first place, cannot understand a word of English.  However, these intellectuals carry on unabated without realising the fact that the audience has either lost interest or has started communication amongst themselves.

Same people, who do not find themselves comfortable with Hindi, go home after the seminar or conference and watch Hindi serials. They are also spotted watching and also relishing Hindi movies.

I feel Hindi comes to Indian as naturally as Mandarin to any Chinese. The only difference is that Chinese do not find it demeaning to speak in Mandarin whereas in India many of us find it below our status to speak in Hindi.

Hindustan, Hidustani, Hindu, Hindi... all these words are coined from one word. They all underline broad heartedness and a readiness to assimilate and accept different religions, isms, lifestyles and also vocabularies from different languages. This is the reason why Hindi is getting enriched with every passing day.

Although there are people who cry hoarse for the distortion of Hindi as it has assimilated words from English, Persian, Urdu and also Arabic. But, in my view, this has enriched the language. This new, versatile and dynamic face of Hindi has increased its comprehensibility and has popularised it even amongst those who do not have Hindi as their native language.

A language can survive only if it changes with time.

Kudos to Indian film and television industry for not only keeping Hindi alive but helping it grow younger and more attractive day by day!!!