MUMBAI (Rediff iland), April 19, 2008Mr. Krishnaraj Rao, Spokesman, Sahasi Padyatri reports:
Our quiet protest on April 12, met with great success. Thanks to the organizing efforts of the Dignity Foundation's Voice of Dignity, the Dada Dadi Park, Borivli Dahisar Jagrut Manch and other organizations.
Some 64 to 73 senior citizens participated in our pedestrian protest, wherein we demarcated a 6-foot pedestrian lane at the centre of Northwestern Mumbai's main trunk route, the SV Road, with white paint. Between 5 and 6.30 pm, a human chain was formed with a long strip of white cloth several hundred metres long. Around 30 pickets and placards were held to inform the passersby of their right to walk smoothly and safely on the road, and around 2,000 pamphlets in all languages -- Gujarati, Marathi, Hindi and English -- were distributed.
The pedestrian movement is rapidly growing, and that passersby on foot and in vehicles, overwhelmingly agree with us that the pedestrian is the most neglected part of this city. Many people phone and SMS us to voice their support, and to invite us to carry out peaceful protest in their own area. During our Satyagraha, a lot of passersby voluntarily join in our human chain, hold up placards and distribute pamphlets. We also get a lot of support from surrounding shopkeepers.
The rationale of seniors' silent protest
A road is a road, a footpath is a footpath, a shop is a shop, and a bazaar is a bazaar. Is this really so difficult to implement dedicated-use facilities for citizens?
The megacity has forgotten all norms and the municipal corporation deserts its sense of maryada, and wilfully refuses to distinguish between road, bazaar, shop, mosque, temple and footpath? What does one say when the policing system has deserted its responsibility to safeguard the boundaries between roads, footpaths and bazaars?
Maryada is a sense of limits and boundaries. It is also a sense of shame -- of feeling ashamed when wrongdoings are committed. Sad to say, our "city fathers" as they are called have lost all maryada in both senses of the word.
In these confused, directionless and amoral times, senior citizens are taking the lead to restore some order in public lives and public spaces to begin a return to maryada and an orderly, decent civic life.
Copyright © 2008 Rediff.com India Limited
