When 9-year-old sends a poignant SOS to traffic brutes

Nagpur: Nine-year-old Sara Vasaya stood rock solid for several hours holding aloft a placard at a busy traffic junction in the peak evening hours — determined and unwavering in her commitment to send out a silent message to traffic violators. Her placard read: The key to your safety is in your hands.Barely three-foot tall, the unflagging energy of this young girl had a sobering influence on many unruly bikers, who were ready to jump the signal and zip away. Student of Class 4, Sara was not alone, she was accompanied by Rinaya and Sahir, barely five years old, along with 10 other elders, who zealously shuffled between the flow of traffic, from the zebra crossing to the pavement, to make themselves heard with slogans plastered on placards.The motley group of volunteers from Nagpur's Ismaili community were head-turners at Shankar Nagar Square, Old Katol Naka, RBI Square, Sitabuldi and Telephone Exchange, with DCP Traffic Archit Chandak joining in at each of these traffic junctions to be part of the innovative campaign to engage with people on traffic discipline — a movement launched by The Times of India to stop loss of lives on Nagpur streets.Along with ‘Ismaili Civic' volunteers, comprising housewives, children, teachers and businessmen, who took out time from their busy schedule for a greater cause, were members of Janakrosh, an NGO, which diligently educates citizens on road safety.Talking to TOI, Jasmine Ajani, president of the Ismaili community of Nagpur, said, "By diligently observing traffic rules, we can prevent accidents and fatalities and create a harmonious environment. So, we initiated a traffic awareness drive involving our enthusiastic students, experienced seniors, and community volunteers."Criss-crossing the city on Sunday to enforce street discipline, DCP Traffic Archit Chandak rued the spiralling death toll on Nagpur roads, while welcoming efforts by The Times of India and civil organizations like Ismaili Civic and Janakrosh in assisting police in generating awareness on traffic norms. "The best schooling starts at home. In fact, children are better teachers of traffic rules than their elders and they spread awareness. Improving traffic situation is not solely a police job," said Chandak, adding he would first prioritize rule compliance followed by enforcement and levying of penalty. To a query on missing cops at traffic junctions, he said, "I am focusing on increasing visibility of cops, who are being told to stay firm at strategic locations. We are issuing 2,500 challans everyday which means an estimated three out of five are being digitally caught," he said.Suleman Virani, president of Ismaili Council for Central, Northern and Eastern India, and Hussain Ajani, key member of Ismaili Civic, highlighted the importance of the initiative and said, small yet significant steps can save lives on Nagpur streets.