“Aye Bhai, Zara Dekh Ke Chalo,” the loudspeaker would blare. And from behind it would emerge a man clad in a loose white shirt with traffic advisories written on it — and a cap to go with.
Any regular commuter on the intersections near Spice Mall, Noida, knew him as Traffic Baba — an 81-year-old retired wing commander from Indian Air Force, who, for the past 14 years, had dedicated his time and soul to spreading awareness about traffic rules among commuters.
But it was the end of an era on Sunday, when Mukul Chandra Joshi breathed his last. The funeral took place on Monday at Lodhi Road in New Delhi. He was a resident of Jalvayu Vihar, in Sector 21, Noida, where he lived with his wife and son.
Layak Singh, traffic inspector of Noida, lauded his social work for the city. “He set an example for others. It feels unreal to think we will not see him managing traffic on the streets again,” he said.
“He would give away about 250 pamphlets every day to commuters, underlining traffic rules. And he would print them all at his own expense!” Singh reminisced.
RIP, Sir. Thank you for being a ray of hope in this crazy, traffic-riddled city.
