Gurugram, better follow traffic rules warna Gabbar aa jayega

‘Yahan se pachas pachas kos door gaon mein ... jab bachcha raat ko rota hai, toh maa kehti hai bete soo ja ... soo ja nahi toh Gabbar Singh aa jayega’ Remember this iconic dialogue from Amitabh Bachchan and Dharmendra-starrer film Sholay (1975)? Cut to Gurugram, in 2019, a Gabbar pointed his gun to a traffic violaters’ head at Huda City Centre intersection, and says, “Allowed do, aur aadmi chaar... Bahut na insaafi hai! Tum kya soche? Sardaar khush hoga, shabaashi dega? Jab tak woh nahin sudhrenge, kuch nahin sudhar sakta.” To this, Sambha, added, “Gabbar se bachna hain toh helmet pehen ke chalna.”

Last Wednesday wasn’t a regular day for Gurugrammers. They were challaned for driving on the wrong side, talking on the phone while driving, and for not wearing helmets. However, the offenders were given road safety lessons by students in the inimitable style of the iconic characters, Gabbar and Samba.

This drive was organised by Gurugram Traffic Police and Road Safety Organisation (RSO). While some commuters laughed off the intimidation, some promised to follow rules in the future. ACP Jai Singh (Law and Order, Traffic), said, “They are giving a message to society by urging people to drive safely. And not creating fear or terror. We are trying to aware the people, not to park their vehicles in unauthorised areas. ”

Deepak Bajaj, a 24-year-old student , who donned the role of Gabbar, said, “We are trying to create awareness among people. Road Safety Officers have been standing here [at the intersections] 365 days. They are trying to do their work, but people aren’t listening. So, we tried to come up with creative solutions and newer ideas so that people connect with them and stop violating traffic rules.”

“We are trying to convey that apki jaan zyada important hai (Your life is more important). We created the dialogues together. Logon ke dimaag mein sirf itni baat jaayegi, it’s so difficult for police to keep the violations in check, adds, Nitin Singh, who dressed up as Sambha, during the drive. A shopkeeper, Mukesh Yadav, who was stopped for not wearing a helmet, was impressed with this new drive and said, “This is very interesting. I’ll wear a helmet next time.”

However, this isn’t the first time that such drives have taken place in Gurugram. Traffic cops along with RSO’s have earlier conveyed road safety messages to traffic violators by becoming Yamraj, Rama, Ravana, and Santa among others. Would these drives yield results? One needs to wait and watch.

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