Mention KR Ramaswamy and it might not ring a bell with Chennaiites, as the city residents are more familiar with the moniker ‘Traffic’ Ramaswamy. The 82-year-old crusader for human rights spends his days regulating traffic and filing Public Interest Litigations. Having ruffled many feathers, especially those of government officials, including top IAS and IPS officers, he now goes about his work with an armed police official for his personal safety. Innumerable death threats have now forced him to live alone after voluntarily letting go of his family.
From my beginning as a mill worker to becoming a social activist, a lot of credit has to be given to the last Governor-General of India, C Rajagopalachari, says Ramaswamy. “It was Rajaji who identified the leader in me and pushed me to do something. Unofficially, I started regulating traffic in Chennai’s Parrys Corner. Soon, both the public and the police were pleased with my efforts and the cops even gave me an identity card,” reminisces Ramaswamy.
“People don’t understand the adverse effects of not obeying traffic rules. Recently, a person riding pillion paid the price when his friend, the rider, jumped the signal. He got hit by a State transport vehicle and was declared dead on arrival by doctors,” Ramaswamy laments.
On the question of why people don’t like to obey traffic rules, much to our surprise he finds fault with the administration and not the motorists. “It is largely due to the poor implementation of rules by the officials. Many a time I have caught Government officials skipping signals and other offences. I have brought many of them to book so that they learn that they need to set an example by obeying the rules they frame,” he says. Ramaswamy believes that nobody is above the law, and punishment has to be meted out for wrongdoing.
Ramaswamy’s fame is not only for the works he did that earned him his prefix. In 1971, along with his good friend Govindaswamynathan, a criminal lawyer, he started Tamil Nadu Home Guard, a voluntary organisation to provide civil protection. Now, it is in the hands of the Government and headed by K Ramanujam, IPS, Director General of Police, Tamil Nadu. Ramaswamy’s activism has resulted in the demolition of some illegally constructed buildings in Chennai, restrictions on motorised fish carts, de-congestion of major bus routes by banning auto rickshaws from them, and a review of lavish state funding for a feature film (arguing the money could be better used for development work).
In his fight for Chennai to be made a “livable and lovable” city, Ramaswamy is helped by his friends to file the PILs and to meet other expenses. He also saves every penny he can. “For the past 42 years, I have not been having much of solid food. I get through the day having milk, coffee, bananas and butter milk. On the advice of my doctors, once in a while, I have a few idlys. That is all,” he says.
On the resistance his work has faced over the years, he says, “There are lakhs of people who oppose me but I am doing this for a select few who are willing to change. And now, even the Police Commissioner of Chennai, if he knows that I am regulating traffic, makes sure he obeys the rules.”
Understandably, it hasn’t been hunky-dory for the activist. “In addition to the regular threats, there were about eight cases filed on me pressing false charges like extortion, kidnapping, etc. I am happy that all of them have been squashed,” he says.
Ramaswamy is a politician too. He floated his party, Makkal Pathukappu Kazhagam on January 14 this year. “I contested a couple of elections. But sadly none want to vote for me as I don’t offer them freebies like some politicians do. People should have self respect and realise that they are being treated as dogs by some of the political parties, who throw bones at the unsuspecting public only to loot taxpayers’ hard-earned money later,” he stresses.
Vouching to change the public’s general opinion on elections, Ramaswamy says he will continue to regulate traffic and work towards the service of his fellow beings, as long as he can.
shilpa.vasudevan@newindianexpress.com