‘Yama’ storms junction, spreads word on helmets

June 30, 2015 12:00 am | Updated November 16, 2021 04:55 pm IST - MADURAI:

Headgear:Artistes performing a skit on road safety to create awareness of the need to wear helmets, in Madurai on Monday.— Photo: S. James

Headgear:Artistes performing a skit on road safety to create awareness of the need to wear helmets, in Madurai on Monday.— Photo: S. James

It was an unusually hot morning on Monday. For the two-wheeler riders, stopping their vehicles at the Goripalayam junction for the green signal was adding to the irritation owing to the sultry weather.

Even as the motorists noticed a two-wheeler skidding on the junction, a tall man with a big moustache, carrying a ‘gatha’ and a black rope appeared near the fallen motorbike.

As the road users wondered what was ‘Yama,’ the lord of death, doing there, he went closer to the rider and his pillion, who were writhing in pain.

While the rider was wearing a helmet, the pillion did not have one.

“You still have many more years of life,” said Yama to the pillion rider and added, “this time, I allow you to be on this earth. But, be careful to wear a helmet hereafter.”

The mini skit was organised by the JCI, the city traffic police and the Tamil Nadu Police Traffic Wardens to spread awareness of the importance of helmets in saving lives during accidents.

A chartered accountant by profession, T. Thavamani, donned the role of the lord of death. The Yama went around the traffic junction carrying a helmet in hand. “I love people those who don’t wear helmets and take their life with me,” he shouted.

Mr. Thavamani said the skit was to create awareness among the two-wheeler riders that accidents can happen to anyone.

A traffic warden himself, Mr. Thavamani said that people often think that accident occurs only to others and not to them and ignore helmets. “But, when they meet with an accident, they then regret their mistake, which often becomes too late. We just wanted to send this message across,” he said.

The Deputy Commissioner of Police (Traffic), A.G. Babu, Assistant Commissioner of Police (Tallakulam), Tirumalaikumar, were present.

Top News Today

Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.