Oh Lord, it's Yamraj

Road safety is among the major concerns of the city’s traffic police. Time and again, the police has come out with campaigns on road safety. Yet, from the list of the many initiatives, this new one is surely the most creative idea yet! In lieu of the Road Safety Week, the Bengaluru Traffic Police recently ideated on a campaign that aims to educate road users and motorists on the importance of road safety. And it is helmed by the “Yamraj” himself!

With statistics showing that 7,506 accidents took place in 2016 and of them, 754 were fatal, safety is a cause of concern. The year 2017 saw 5,064 accidents, and this year, there have been 2,336 accidents (till June-end). The campaign purports, the next time you find yourself on a bike without a helmet, you will meet the Lord of Death, Yamraj. The gadha-holding avatar of Lord Yamraj is at traffic light across the city, and will stop you, offer a rose, and appeal that you follow traffic rules, all in broad daylight! Yes, a man dressed in the finery of the Lord Yamraj is helming traffic rules for ooru folk! The traffic police came up with this initiative as a creative way to educate people on the many fatalities that occur if rules are not followed.

A novel idea, and one that immediately grabbed attention, city-based people go deeper into this campaign.

Shambu Linga, a student and motorcycle rider says, “Although this is a great way to get people to follow traffic rules, personally I don’t think it will work. When a person is stopped by someone who is impersonating Yamraj, he might listen for the sake of listening but later on, will get back to the same old habits. I feel following traffic rules should come from the heart.”

But in a society that is very religious, Prithvi Dhondaley feels, “The idea is great for people who are very religious. It sends them a positive message that that if one doesn’t wear a helmet, they will have to face the consequences. For people who know who Yamraj is, it’s great. But for those who don’t know of him and the mythology behind him, it will be a man in a funny costume. It will be that portion of people who know him and what he represents that will follow rules.”

Another rider, Kaushik S Raghavan shares, “For those who know about Hindu mythology, seeing a person dressed like Yamraj is sure to drive them to their wits end. This will be because of everything Yamraj represents. It is a very creative campaign that the traffic police have done to try and appeal to people to follow rules. Having said this, whether it will get people to follow rules is very subjective on whether they believe in him or not.”

R. Hitendra, additional commissioner of traffic explains, “There has always been a criticism that the traffic police only book, they don’t do anything else. In answer to these criticisms, these kind of campaigns have been introduced. The main reason behind coming up with this campaign is to make people aware of the safety aspects of using a helmet. Although there were a lot of characters to choose from, Yamraj, we felt gave a people a better understanding, and awareness.”