Whose Head Is This Anyway ?

Ever since I had put my leg in Pune, there has been a debate going on in Pune. It is about the helmets. To wear or not to wear.

Launching the crusade to make it a law were a group of students from Symbiosis College, while everyone else was against making the law. A litigation was filed, and the court ordered to make it a law. What followed next was the most bizarre reaction one could ever expect.

People came down on the roads. Reason sighted were like helmets exert pressure on spinal cord, some can't hear horns, others can't see sideways, many believe they would actually increase accidents. All sort of ridiculous answers one could imagine. And these answers were given by doctors, engineers, other professionals who are supposed to be rational and well educated. After all this the land of Tilak, Gokhle and Anandi Gopal.

They filed a counter in High Court and managed to get a stay.

I remember Rupam had an accident while coming to office. Luckily he was wearing a helmet, and it took the full impact. That resulted an ugly dent on it. Imagine the situation if it was his head instead of helmet.

Another incident happened with one of my close relatives. She was riding pillion with her cousin. Scooter met an accident and she got hurt in head. The very next day, when her uncle was taking her for dressing, she again met an accident. She got hurt on same spot in her head. She went into coma for three days. Even when she regained consciousness she would feel difficulty in understanding. Her memory turned very fragile. She suffered academically. Not only that, she started having migraine problems, which she still has till date.

So you can see what a head injury can do. It can kill immediately. Even if it doesn't kill, it can make life hell for rest of the life. Apart from physical problem, one also suffers emotionally. One may get crippled for life. That needs a lot of family support, which may not be always possible.

Now, my take on this. Don't enforce a law. Like suicide ceases to be a punishable offence, this should also be. After all when you can't stop people from smoking, where the individual is not only harming himself, one is also putting someone else's life in grave jeopardy; not wearing helmet is detrimental to his own cause.

All the silly logics given by them won't stand in any debate even for five minutes. If they are hell bent, their death wish should be granted. They would learn it hard way, and they might not even live to regret. After all it's their own head.