It is 10 years ago that Aru’s promising life was cut short abruptly. There is not a moment that goes by without reminding us of her absence.
This is an excerpt from a poem that Aru wrote when she was 17 years old. It echoes our emotions and sentiments.
A Freedom We Miss!
As India celebrates its 78th Independence Day, a day of immense pride and reflection, it’s essential to evaluate not just the progress we’ve made as a nation but also the challenges that persist. Our track record on road safety stands out as alarmingly poor. India holds the dubious distinction of having the worst road safety record in the world, accounting for nearly 11% of global road accident deaths, despite having only 1% of the world’s vehicles. In 2023 alone, 168,000 lives were lost in road crashes across the country—a stark reminder that while we have achieved political freedom, the fight for safety and security on our roads is far from over.
The Human Cost
These numbers are not just statistics; they represent families torn apart, dreams shattered, and lives cut short prematurely. Every road accident has a human story behind it, and the cost of these accidents goes beyond the immediate loss of life. Families lose breadwinners, children are orphaned, and survivors often face long-term physical and psychological trauma. The economic impact is also significant, with road accidents costing the Indian economy an estimated 3% of its GDP annually. This is a substantial burden for a developing nation striving to lift millions out of poverty.
Roadblocks to Safety
Several factors contribute to this grim scenario. Poor infrastructure, including inadequate road design, lack of pedestrian pathways, insufficient traffic signals, and poor road conditions, plays a significant role. The rapid growth in the number of vehicles on the roads has not been matched by corresponding improvements in road infrastructure, creating dangerous conditions for pedestrians, cyclists, drivers, and passengers.
Driver behaviour is another critical issue. The disregard for traffic rules, over-speeding, drunk driving, and distracted driving are rampant across the country. The enforcement of traffic laws is often lax, and penalties for violations are not stringent enough to deter dangerous behaviour. Moreover, the lack of adequate training for drivers exacerbates the problem.
The government has taken some steps in this direction, such as the introduction of the Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Act in 2019, which aims to improve road safety through stricter penalties for traffic violations and better enforcement of laws. However, much more needs to be done. Public awareness campaigns, better infrastructure planning, and stricter enforcement of traffic laws are essential. Additionally, road safety education should be integrated into school curriculums to instill safe driving habits from a young age. Improving public transport will also help alleviate the stress on roads.
Individual Responsibility
The freedom to move safely on our roads is a right that every Indian should enjoy. But this freedom comes with responsibility. Regardless of road conditions, traffic, or weather, a good driver always prioritizes safety and takes responsibility for safe travel. This requires focus and anticipatory alertness. The main reasons for conflict on the road are invariably related to hurry, an underestimation of risk, and ignorance. I urge each of us to commit to following the key tenets of proactive driving:
The Road Ahead
True freedom is not just about political sovereignty but also about the freedom to live and move safely in our own country. Road safety is a fundamental aspect of this freedom, and improving it should be a national priority.
It is not just a policy issue; it’s a social responsibility requiring a collective effort from the government, civil society, and each of us. As citizens, we must promote a culture of safety on our roads. Let us pledge to first take responsibility ourselves, to walk, ride, or drive safely, and to be role models for our near and dear ones.
Only when every Indian enjoys the freedom to move safely on our roads can we truly say that we are a free and secure nation.
Jul 22, 2024 : We had the good fortune to visit Dhempe College of Arts and Science, Panaji, Goa, where Shubhangi and I had completed our higher secondary education.
The newly appointed principal of Dhempe College, Dr Ramu Murthy, is an old childhood friend. I took the opportunity to congratulate him in person, and then requested him to organize my talk on Road Safety. Ramu readily agreed, and he set it up very nicely, as the opening event of this year’s National Social Service program. The lamp was lit by Dr Ramakrishna Dhume who was a professor of Chemistry at the same college for many years, and also led the NSS activities there.
This is the first time we addressed a college audience – students of BSc and BA. We had about 120 people in the room.
As usual, I refined my talk a bit. Goa has a very high incidence of road crashes (almost 3000 in 2023) and over 60% of them involve 2 wheelers. Hence, I put a greater emphasis on safe riding on 2 wheelers. To illustrate risks from blind spots, reduced collision avoidance space, wrong side driving, mobile usage, I picked video clips involving 2 wheelers.
We want the students to understand that there is science behind the safety principles. Hence, I show how the laws of physics govern what happens on our roads.
And Shubhangi appeals to the heart, urging everyone to think of their parents, their siblings. When she talks about our own horrific experience, it is to let people know that statistics do not matter, the loss for families cannot be measured. She urged the students to be advocates, and influence their parents. She also makes a specific appeal. This time, she had noticed that many people in Goa do not wear seat belts in the rear. The buckles are hidden inside the seat covers! So she urged everyone to make it a point to check the rear seat belts in their cars, and use them.
It was wonderful when all the people in the auditorium stood up and took the Safety Pledge in one voice.
One of the compliments we received after the talk was from the Vice Principal, Dr Swati Pawar, who said that she had never heard anyone bring forth the science behind safety. It was heartening to receive the feedback from the students, many of them have noted down 4-5 key points they took away from the session. Blind Spots and Collision Avoidance Space were new concepts for most of the students.
Thank you, dear Ramu and all the NSS volunteers for this opportunity. Let’s continue to show a positivie attitude and commitment to safety. Drive Safely!
Sometimes, life surprises you with a special moment that leaves an indelible mark on your memory. We experienced such a moment recently at the University of Michigan.
Our son’s graduation ceremony was held at the Crisler Center, the university’s basketball stadium. He was decked out in his regalia, and as we made our way there, strangers would stop to wish him “Congratulations!” . Cars honked, and drivers leaned out to shout their good wishes. It was heartwarming to see so many strangers cheering for a young person’s achievement.
After the ceremony, we hopped onto the university bus to head home. The bus was filled with other students and their families. Once everyone was on board, the driver stood up. He was an imposing, tall, and broad African American man whose head nearly touched the ceiling. He commanded our attention with his booming voice.
“Congratulations to all the new graduates!” he announced. Then he invited the graduates to come to the front of the bus. About nine or ten students made their way up and faced us. He asked them to share their names and departments, which they did one by one.
“Ladies and Gentlemen,” the driver proclaimed, “I present to you, the graduates of the University of Michigan!” The bus erupted in joyful applause at this impromptu celebration.
As the students beamed and returned to their seats, he continued,
“Wherever you go, remember that you are the best among the best. But you don’t need to say so — let your work speak for itself. This is the U of M way: we come, we do the job quietly, and we do it well.
I am sure that U of M has made you better people. But I want you to know that you make U of M better, you make us better. And for that, I want to thank you all.
Remember, you will always be part of the U of M family. Wherever you go, when you see the big M, you know that you are home!
Congratulations, and I wish you all the best! Go Blue!”
We were completely blown away by his speech. It made a bigger impact than any of the formal addresses by accomplished speakers at the commencement. It was a reflection of the work ethic that values quiet excellence, an expression of gratitude and service. It was genuine and heartfelt, and it spoke volumes about the attitude this bus driver brought to his job, the pride he felt in his institution and its people. Whether it is the American culture, or the UofM culture, or just the individual ethos, this is simply outstanding. Every person, no matter their role, has the power to make a meaningful impact. It is not the person’s status or wealth or education or any such parameter, but this work ethic and genuine concern for people that makes the difference.
We don’t know his name, and we didn’t take any pictures or videos, but the memory is crystal clear in my mind’s eye. It touched us to our core and made the moment truly special. In fact, this is probably the highlight of our trip.
Apr 22, 2024
It was very heartening when we got the feedback about the positive impact of our training!
Today, about 160 employees of Pine Labs joined us for a Webinar on Proactive Driving (Defensive Driving). These are the field staff who are frequently out on the roads meeting customers or prospects, and also attending to service issues. A majority of them use 2 wheelers, so I tweaked the content accordingly.
I got feedback from a couple of them :
* Amit shared that he had learned about blind spots about a year ago, during my previous program, and has been very conscious of checking his blind spots before lane change.
* Vivek shared how the use of helmet saved him when he met with an accident at night due to poor visibility.
It is heartening not just to get this positive feedback, but also to know that people do listen, internalize, and apply the learning. It may be a small percentage, but every single person counts! And this gives us the energy and reason to persevere!
I took the opportunity to revise my content. Based on some of the insights I have seen on X (Twitter), particularly from @TopDriverIndia and @DriveSmart_IN, I incorporated some changes for
* Keeping the 2-sec distance ( 3 sec if speed > 70 kmph )
* CAS = collision avoidance space, especially in the context of clusters
* MSM = Mirror Signal Manoeuvre technique when changing lanes
Thanks to Nandini Jha and Pine Labs for prioritising road safety and organising this session.
Raghav Chakravarthy, the co-founder of QShala, recently shared this personal experience with us. We choked with emotion to see the positive effect of Safety Quest programs. This Stop-Drop-Roll technique has been internalised by Raghav, and it helped him when it mattered!
Read on …
***
I’m Raghav, co-founder of QShala, a curiosity platform that fosters engagement through quizzes and quests. For over five years, we’ve been conducting the Safety Quest quiz in collaboration with the Arundhati Foundation. This quiz is dedicated to promoting safety awareness among school children. Through this initiative, participants learn various aspects of safety, including its scientific principles, effective emergency responses, preventive measures, and innovative safety solutions. Little did I know that one key safety procedure I learned as a quizmaster would end up saving my life.
On February 25th, 2024, we hosted the State Finals of the Ambedkar Memorial Constitution Quiz, organized by the Government of Karnataka, Department of Social Welfare, at the Palace Grounds in Bangalore. Prior to this, school-level, district, and regional rounds had been conducted over the preceding three weeks. The event went smoothly, and after the quiz, I was distributing certificates to various department officials who had supported us in executing the quiz effectively.
As I handed out certificates, I noticed large LED screens and laser beam lights in the background. Suddenly, I felt a wave of heat behind me. When I turned, I was shocked to see that my kurta had caught fire, flames licking at my back. Some officials nearby began shouting, “Fire! Fire! Fire!” Without hesitation, I remembered the crucial lesson from the Safety Quest quiz: “Stop – Drop – Roll.” I immediately halted what I was doing, dropped to the ground, and rolled vigorously until the fire was extinguished. If it weren’t for this life-saving technique ingrained in me through the quiz, the outcome could have been catastrophic had I panicked and fled the stage.
Thankfully, only my kurta was burnt, and I escaped without any significant burns. In conclusion, I urge everyone to exercise caution around laser lights on stages. If you notice excessive heat or any safety concerns, inform the organizers to take appropriate action, such as replacing or turning off the lights. Always remember the three-word mantra to extinguish fires: “Stop – Drop – Roll.” I am deeply indebted to Mrs. Shubhangi Tambwekar and Mr. Sanjay Tambwekar, whose guidance and support have made the Safety Quest quiz possible for many years. Without the knowledge and training I gained from this quiz, I doubt I would have had the presence of mind to respond as I did.
– Raghav Chakravarthy
After our event at the Government Model School Amruthahalli, Mr. Suryanarayana Gowda, Principal of the school, took the initiative and reached out to us. The school has a strength of 900 students, and the school community faced difficulties in crossing two roads next to the school because of fast-moving vehicles and blind spots.
This is the picture of the roads
We joined hands with PotHoleRaja to conduct a comprehensive ground-level assessment. Two main interventions were identified for safety :
PotHoleRaja took the lead and with Mr. Gowda, approached BBMP and the Traffic Police to get the required permissions to go ahead. PotHoleRaja completed the installation of the HRPC and the painting. The students joined in the installation of the road signs and cat’s eyes.
This is the picture after the installation
These interventions have led to an improvement in road safety around the school. The students, their parents, teachers and staff now cross the road with greater confidence and safety. There have been no reported incidents since the implementation of these safety measures. The engagement has also raised the awareness of road safety amongst the students and staff.
Thank You!
We appreciate the initiative taken by Mr. Suryanarayana Gowda and his drive to make the roads safe for his students.
Thanks to Surya Bhatt of PotHoleRaja who led the entire effort. He calls it the “Minimum Intervention and Maximum Impact” project.
Our sincere thanks to the Bangalore Traffic Police and BBMP, for recognising the positive impact, and supporting the project.
This collaboration successfully demonstrates the effectiveness of community involvement in making our communities safer and more secure.
This year, the winner of The Dr Arundhati Tambwekar Award For Excellence in Pathology at CMC, Vellore, is Dr. Janani P.
Dr. Janani grew up in Kancheepuram. She was a NTS scholar in school, and was awarded Rajya Puraskar Award for Scouts and Guides in 2010. She joined Government Medical College, Vellore, for her MBBS. After finishing her internship in 2018, she worked at CMC, Vellore in the Dept of Rheumatology and Immunology. The next year, she enrolled for MD in Pathology at CMC, Vellore. She is currently a senior resident at JIPMER, Pondicherry, and wants to further pursue a DM in Hematopathology or Clinical Hematology in the near future.
Dr. Janani nurtures other interests outside the field of medicine. She likes to listen to Carnatic music, reading fiction (historical and sci-fi), and loves gardening and cooking.
Congratulations, Dr. Janani ! We wish you the very best ahead in your pursuit of excellence.
This year’s Safety Quest was held online on November 26, 2023.
If you haven’t experienced it, I encourage you to go through the quiz here : Safety Quest 2023 on Kahoot
Each Question and Answer is followed by additional information that we hope will help in developing a healthy respect and positive attitude towards safety and safety science. I am sure it will improve your Safety Quotient!
We had 374 students attending from various places : Mumbai, Thane, Pune, Goa, Udipi, Mangalore, Bangalore, Ernakulam, Coimbatore, Chennai, Hyderabad, Brahmapur, Kolkata, Varanasi, Gurgaon, Delhi. It was quite fantastic to see this pan-India participation, especially from some of the smaller cities! And we also had a few participants from abroad!
We also have a pretty even distribution across grades 5 to 9. This is also heartening because the sooner the children develop a positive attitude towards safety, the better it is!
This time, we incorporated a few statistics into the quiz to sensitise the students. For example, after the question on seatbelts and helmets, these charts were used to emphasise that the use of these devices makes a very big difference.
We also try to make the questions relatable to the children. As an example, rather than teach the children about class F fires and the type of fire extinguisher that is suitable, we had a question on kitchen fires triggered by overheated oil in a frying pan. And we aimed to teach them what they could rely on and could be found right in the kitchen: Salt, Baking Soda, A lid to smother the fire!
Interspersed in the quiz were examples of how young school children have taken initiative or provided inspiring ideas to improve safety.
Winners
All participants were actively engaged in the quiz, and the top 5 were from Bengaluru
Congratulations to the winners!
Winning Caption
Prior to the Safety Quest, we also ran a small Caption contest on Instagram.
There were several interesting captions, and the winner was Sukrit Shivaprasad who combined wordplay with a strong message on safety.
This is his caption.
Feedback
This word cloud has inputs from participants capturing what they learnt
And here is specific feedback from participants:
Aditya Rajiv Ratnam: 3rd time I am participating. It is always educational and very inspirational about how tragedy can be transformed to help others. Thank you and thanks to the Arundathi Foundation
Manasvi Rai: It was fun and educational
Rishita Patra: It was really good for us. Thank you
Atharva Tripathi: it was very informative quest thank you for informing us about saftey measures
Sion Fernandes: It was a good session tbh. Along with the quiz, I got some knowledge of some safety things:)
Nida Maryam Aqhila : it was a great way to make us know about the different safety guidelines. Thank you Arundhati foundation and qshala for such a great quiz!
Tanuja Kumari: We really enjoyed and learnt
Thahiya Hanan: Thank you so much it was absolutely lovely
Aadit Sharma: thanks to the team for a great quiz
Afiya: It was a lovely quiz for me
Aditya Thakur: It was a pleasure to join and learn. Really a fantastic session.
Sharv Dhume: Very nice session of Safety Quest. Truly enjoyed it. Learnt many new things.
Aarav Dhume: Loved the Safety Quiz. I learnt a lot from it.
Atharv Faldessai: It was a very nice quiz to learn safety, and it was enjoyable too.
Thank You!
Thanks to all the students whose active participation always makes the difference.
We are extremely grateful for the fantastic support provided by QShala. Komal did a fabulous job with the overall planning and program management, Akshath and Vrukshi developed and fine tuned the content, Hakim created the graphics, Shilpa and team did a superb outreach, and Quizmaster Raghav who pitched in to compere.
A few screenshots
This is an update on our campaign with the Safety Ambassadors of the Mallya Aditi International School who helped us raise funds for hearing impaired children.
We joined hands with Hearfon Systems Pvt Ltd and Sheila Kothavala Institute for the Deaf in Bangalore. Three children were chosen by the school : 2 of them are from grade IX and one form grade I. All of them have been fitted with hearing aids and provided with the kit and training to take care of the instruments. The Hearfon team will review the usage after 2 weeks and fine tune the hearing aids if required. They will also monitor the usage and instruments at regular intervals.
We are grateful to all who contributed to make this campaign a success.
