Chennai: The middle class has up till now been known for being self-serving, with little appetite for taking risks, especially if it does not impact them directly.
But K R Ramaswamy is one man in Chennai who has broken out of this mould.
At an age in life where most men would like to be retired and at home, spending time with their family, Ramaswamy doesn't exactly stay with them.
Home for Traffic Ramaswamy, as he's fondly known, is his friend's place and company is no more than a bodyguard who accompanies him day and night. It’s a tough price to pay for his first love - the city of Chennai.
"Due to the situation in country nothing can be done without going to court. So I started filing Public Interest Litigations (PIL). They say ‘Don't go, sit and sleep. You cannot change the world.’ I don't want to be idle even if they don’t feel happy with me. I feel happy," says Ramaswamy.
“He got a lot of threatening calls that’s why we are scared for him. So for the past one year he has been living away from home, which we think is better for him,” says Ramaswamy's brother, Sunderajan.
Traffic at 73 is the largest filer of PILs in the Madras High Court and he's battled everything from restoring two-way traffic on the Chennai streets, to banning motorised fish carts.
This even cost him an eye, but didn't slow him down. His latest effort is to raise down illegal buildings. He does all this with money he uses from his own retirement fund.
“I'm one of the lowest middle class persons. I have no money with me but I'm living,” he says.
Over the years Traffic Ramaswamy may have made a few enemies, but he's also the beloved of many Chennai residents. To his family, though, he remains a liability.
“We are afraid. We told him ‘Why do this, why interfer ?’ For us, social activity means volunteering in temples. We're family-oriented,” says Ramaswamy's sister, Vijiya.
For many like Ramaswamy, taking on an activist's life often means having to break out of the middle-class mould.
Not to mention tangible problems like managing funds. Sometimes it also means a threat to one's life. Whatever the cause, for a majority of Indians, the path of activism and social work isn't a smooth one.
(With inputs from Anu Jogesh)
Sir,
ReplyDeleteHATS OFF TO THIS LIVING MAHATMA.NONE OF US MIGHT BE WILLING TO RISK ONES LIFE EVEN FOR A PERSONAL CAUSE.BUT THINK OVER AN AGED PERSON COURAGEOUSLY FIGHTING BOTH THE GOVERNMENTS FOR ITS WRONGFUL ACTS .IS THERE ANY NGO IN INDIA ?
SOUNDAR
Posted by D.SOUNDARARAJAN
pray to God that give me the same strength so that I can also do something for the upliftment of Indian Society which is full of filth, ignorance, uncommitted.
ReplyDeleteBrahma Mehrotra
Posted by Brahma Mehrotra
Posted by Abhijit Selukar at 07:00 PM, Jan 23, 2007
ReplyDeleteHi Salute you sir.
I salute you from the nook and corner of my heart.
It is very inspiring to see people like you doing this work. Wish I could do something like this in my life.
Thanks to IBN for showing this. I salute you also.
But I must emphasize, unless and until every person in INDIA does not follow traffic rules, it will be a tough job for any number of people. I URGE all the people who will see this and read this to follow traffic rules and encourage at least your relatives and friends.
Remember, together we can and we will change INDIA.
Posted by rohit at 04:25 PM, Jan 23, 2007
ReplyDeletePIL is the indigenous invention of Indian judiciary to make the people more vocal against the corruption and aware them about their basic rights. r ramaswamy is truly the grand old man of India fighting against corruption single handedly is not the simple job but this man has shown the courage to become the whistle blower so a common man can feel happy. It is an irony in India that only middle class people takes the initiative and the higher class group person watched all the happening from the safe distance.infact a kind of status quo they want to maintain that encourage these Mafiosi and corrupt people to involve in the unholy practices. PIL is the tool in the hand of common man to counter the unscrupulous tendency but hardly people used this against the corruption. The flourishing shopping malls and income generation through the information technology is making the person towards consumerisms that in turn a kind of protected 'enclave' for these neo rich has established which subsequently cut them off from the civil society. Hardly right to information used by them against the corruption. The 'individualism' is rapidly replacing the 'collectivism' hence a gap between poor and rich is also widening despite the globalization.On the other side
Posted by Kishan at 03:02 PM, Jan 23, 2007
ReplyDeleteTRUE CITIZEN..........
The people(we) and the media should focus their cameras on this sort of issues and not on doing hour long programs on film celebrities who earn for their sake and we stand for them, just useless.
Posted by sanjay at 02:47 PM, Jan 23, 2007
ReplyDeleteGreat Man! but people in India don't appreciate such real heros. They are only after reel heros.
Posted by Venkat at 02:45 PM, Jan 23, 2007
ReplyDeleteGreat man..Thanks to CNN-IBN for publishing this story !!!
Posted by Rajesh at 02:30 PM, Jan 23, 2007
ReplyDeleteNow here is what we call a HERO!!!
I request IBN CNN to actually highlight such heroes more than the Big Bs the Small Bs etc etc etc... they do what they do just for themselves. This is inspiring to one and all.
It's not about if this HERO actually wins the PIL or not, but they way he is doing it, it's an inspiration to our generation.
Request again to give this a prime time coverage.
Posted by Phani Raj at 02:20 PM, Jan 23, 2007
ReplyDeleteHe is rendering extraordinary service to the residents of Chennai,He is an amazing personality. Hope we have one like him in every city.
Posted by Vinay at 02:18 PM, Jan 23, 2007
ReplyDeleteVery Inspiring story especially for the youth.. who think we cannot change the world..