Noise pollution can lead to a variety of ailments.
| Photo Credit: Getty Images
I live in Coimbatore and love almost everything about this place from its geographic status to the suave people who live around me.
Last month, I went to the airport to pick up my son who was on his yearly visit from Sweden. As a mother, I was understandably excited to meet him as soon as he would land. Hence, I arrived at the airport much in advance. As soon as I entered the airport, I realised that some VIP was about to land by one of the flights at that time. There was extra police personnel and an array of reporters and photographers with their tripods and cameras.
As senior citizens, my partner and I were there almost half an hour before my son’s plane would land. After a cup of filter coffee at the shop in the arrival gate, we started looking at the board for the countdown for that flight. It would be an understatement if I say I was all ears! When an offspring arrives home after a year, you are all ears and heart to hear his voice as soon as he lands.
Some 10 minutes before the arrival of his flight, I saw a group of people place themselves at the entrance close to the police vehicle standing there and take out their drums and other percussion instruments and started beating them with all the vigour they could muster. No need to say all those who were present at the airport were totally jolted. What followed for the next 20 minutes I was there was total cacophony.
Soon after landing, my son called me and I could not hear a single word of what he was uttering, Immediately I typed my message to him about the total noise pollution happening at the airport arrival entrance. He messaged me back with a smiley. While I was waiting for him to collect his baggage and come out, I saw an young mother with a toddler in her buggy come out and standing there wide eyed as if she can’t believe this is happening at an airport1 Her baby was quite understandably disturbed out of his sleep and started crying non-stop. An old couple coming out of the arrival gate were almost in tears — they were trying talk to their cab driver but could not hear a single word. Maybe, they were coming to the city for the first time.
As soon as we spotted our son, with no hugs or hellos, we dragged him to the car and sped away. We all heaved a sigh of relief once we were away from that drumbeat and harsh noise.
This set me thinking. Does not a public place such as an airport or a railway station belong to the common man? If so, why are we put to face such unnatural behaviour from a bunch of loud people? Why is noise pollution not taken seriously in our society? Why aren’t our people educated to follow strict civic rules in public places?
I know we have a culture of hero worship from time immemorial. A cricketer, a movie star or a favourite politician in India commands more fan following than anywhere else in the world. But does those give us a right to disrupt peace of a public place? Why is that the police standing right there had nothing to say on the matter?
Now coming to the dangers associated with listening to prolonged exposure to high levels of noise. They include significant hearing impairment, hypertension, physical and psychological stress, cardiovascular disease and sleep disorders, to name only a few. Worship your matinee idol or political idol or sports idol as much as you want to. Carry a bouquet or a garland to greet them at a public place. Please don’t bring in those drums and the loud noise it creates. Please understand that the annoyance that a senior citizen would express is connected to his or her health issues. Nobody has a right to annoy anyone in a public place.
The drum beating at the Coimbatore airport was nothing less than sheer annoyance. Will not our so-called heroes instruct their followers to abstain from such gimmicks in a public place such as an airport? Last but not the least, will not our police force take immediate action when they come across such hooliganism in a public place and not look the other way?
vijinarayan57@gmail.com
