Judge meets little big man campaigning for helmets
The family witnessed a road accident a year ago where a young man died on the spot
By : srikkanth dhasarathy
Update: 2015-06-14 06:21 GMT
Chennai: A. Akash looks puny —not surprising for a five-year-old. But, the task, which he had taken up for the past one year, outsizes the robust frames human souls can fit into. A relentless campaigner advocating the cause of wearing helmets, Akash says he felt happiest the day Justice N. Kirubakaran ordered that two-wheeler riders should compulsorily wear helmets from July 1.
On Saturday, the child campaigner met the Madras High Court judge at his Greenways Road residence. “Thank you (for the judgment),” muttered the boy as they shook hands. “You have been advocating this even before the judgment, so thank you!” replied the judge. The story had been written about many a time, but it was the judge’s turn to hear from Akash’s parents personally on why the boy does what he does. The family witnessed a road accident a year ago where a young man died on the spot.
“The youth died and it got engrained in my son’s mind that people die if they don’t wear helmets,” says V. Anandan, his father. Like children of his age, Akash put it bluntly to guests who visit his home afterwards, “If you don’t wear helmets, you will die.” The parents counselled Akash not to be blunt and gifted him pamphlets on his birthday (August 6) last year since when he started distributing them at traffic signals and at several places in Chennai and nearby districts.
“A hundred kids like you and society is in safe hands,” said the judge while observing that a child campaigning for a cause would strike better with the public than a grown-up. The child’s father also agrees saying that a woman called them saying she gifted her husband a helmet on his birthday and people have volunteered for the cause after seeing the boy.
But, like any cause, Akash’s endeavours have also drawn criticism — people have commented that the child is being put to hardship and have derided the parents. However, the class 1 student at PSBB, Siruseri, has not missed a day at school, says Anandan. Akash has been awarded and congratulated by top police officials, social activists in the past year for his work and the judge who ruled (once again) making helmets compulsory congratulating him is only the icing on the cake.
Agreeing that strict enforcement is necessary, Justice Kirubakaran hoped that motorists strictly adhere to the rule. That would be the first step in bringing down the morbid statistics (death by accidents), which the state notoriously has been topping for a decade now, the judge added.