Tales of “Traffic”

Seen your reflection in Chennai’s Porus lake recently?
Thanked the helmet-god when you were saved from a brutal accident?
Heaved a sigh of relief on coming across wide roads?
Appreciated the lack of hawkers on the streets?
Rejoiced over congestion-free free pedestrian pathways?
If you have been a denizen of Chennai city and have had opportunity to exclaim upon any of the above mentioned situations then you have one person to thank – “Traffic” Ramaswamy. Directly or indirectly, the septuagenarian, since he first began in 1998, has managed to file PILs enough to shame the county into improving the traffic scene in Chennai.

Stoplights don’t deter him. Zebra crossings don’t slow him down. T-intersections just signal the start of another fight to be fought. He interprets all road signs as green. Red tape certainly does not limit his speed. Tunneling through the bureaucratic system he has created a subway of safe paths. He may have once stood upon crossroads of life, but there definitely seems to be no end junction to his works. Bypassing all comfort, he has lead a rollercoaster of a life. Plotting his day to day activities around roundabouts which halt the system from functioning properly, he has done what no traffic controller has done before – voluntarily controlled traffic.

You may be a pesky pedestrian or a tattling truck driver, his attitude towards you will always remain the same, of optimistic zeal. Jaywalking on touchy issues, the brave crusader has made a level crossing out of the complicated courtroom jargon. On friendly terms with the local police authorities, he doesn’t stop to consider how much it will cost him as long it’s a matter of right of way. Wielding his weapon of Public Interest Litigations, this new-age, very much real hero, certainly has what it takes- truckloads of enthusiasm and tons of energy. For him, it’s a one way ticket to impacting the public and there is no slowing down till he overtakes the judicial system. Cruising the highway to justice, he definitely doesn’t plan to quit anytime soon.