Horn 'NOT OK' please!
Ask any outsider what they think about India. The answers range from dirty, traffic, crowded and noisy. Noise is actually the first thing that hits any outsider when they come outside almost every airport in India. Noise, of people, of chaos and of the honking of vehicles.
Anti-noise activists are trying to change this image about India. The task of persuading Indians to stop honking is a daunting task. After all, be it a person driving a Mercedes, a Maruti 800 or an auto rickshaw driver; honking is a necessity while driving on our roads. Recently, an anti-noise activist based in Delhi formed a crew of social workers, students and corporate volunteers to target the drivers of Delhi 2-3 times in a month and paste stickers on car bumpers. The stickers read ‘Do not honk!’ , ‘For God’s sake stop honking!’ amongst others.
They have even sought official permission to make January 1st as ‘No Honking Day.’ This noble campaign will take years, even decades but at least it is a start and sometimes that is what matters.