'Hell'met Mania

An unbelievable rush opposite thousand lights mosque, mob hysteria-like scene at Kodambakkam bridge, huge crowds near power house were some of the common sights witnessed on May 31^st 2007. Occasion – nothing. Reason – Helmets were made compulsory in Chennai from June 1^st. Get the picture?

It was a government order…on the premise that the city roads should, in theory, present a much safer proposition for two-wheeler riders and car passengers. Car passengers could disagree, as helmets would dent their cars more than bare heads, incase of an accident. Coming back to the government order, when have people really bothered to follow rules and orders? This is where the clause comes – “Failure to do so will attract penal provisions — Rs.100 for first-time offenders; Rs.300 for second-time offenders; and cancellation of license for repeated offenders.” (Courtesy – The Hindu). And Chennaites know much better about police, the above lines is merely a code, what you pay is a lot more.

It was a typical Chennai day on 1^st June…hot, humid, lots of traffic and yes loads of police at every corner, vigilant than ever. But to my surprise and ob to the disappointment of the police, there were countable heads without helmets(31 in a stretch of about 12 km - I did count !). Every man, woman and child were adorning their new shiny helmets with sponsorship from everyone staring SAP to Marlboro. Youngsters who have never burdened anything on their heads before, had something to burden now, Married men and woman now had another burden to add to their list, kids looked like aliens in B-rated Hollywood movies, teen girls switched from their pocket-size make-up kits to mini beauty parlors. But for veterans like me (with the helmet, I mean), it was amusing to notice people’s actions and reactions.

99% of Chennai’s population was wearing helmets. It was as if someone hypnotized the world when we were asleep. No wonder what people can do to save a few bucks? Now… Why am I being so negative? Why shouldn’t people obey rules? Why shouldn’t they care for safety and wear helmets? Well, this is what happened within 30 hours of imposition of the helmet rule – it was relaxed! Police were only allowed to warn travelers and not to impose a fine on anyone. Pillion riders (be it 2 or 3 or any number) can wear helmets as per their convenience and safety (this include tank riders also).

June 4^th … Chennai was back to normal, new helmets found their place in garages or showcases. People resorted to their normal selves, it was as if the spell was broken, no more amusement for us veterans, and we carry on. To young innovative entrepreneurs, it would have been a disappointment. Helmets as Shivaji merchandise could have been sold like hot cakes. Kid sized helmets with Harry Potter or Spiderman or any Disney characters would have made it easier for kids to look like kids with helmets and not as I had mentioned earlier. Helmets with built-in music players or cell phone holders would have captured the youth market. Helmets with 99 girly colors, matching their vehicles or even giving them free with the vehicle purchase would have probably started off the another one of ‘why should only boys wear helmets’ campaign.

Bottom line is helmets are for safety, be it a rule or no-rule, it’s up to every individual to think about it and care for the safety of themselves and their fellow riders. It might be difficult to wear a helmet in Chennai’s climate but then like Shahrukh khan says ‘Kuch Pane ke liye kuch khona padtha hain’ (to gain some, you lose some).

One thing is, making it an order and imposing it doesn’t work. Think about it. How can a Sikh wear a helmet? Do you need to have a helmet if you are asking for a lift? Can parents see their kids like aliens in B-rated Hollywood movies? Can teens compromise their 500 rupee beauty parlor hair-do? What would guys do at signals if all the girls are wearing helmets? How would a policeman make his ends meet?

Young entrepreneurs of India … think and make better user-friendly helmets. Make it a fashion and everyone will follow it. Make it a rule, consider yourself a fool.