HORN ROKIYE PLEASE – AN ANTI HONKING INITIATIVE
With a view to create awareness as well as to curb the increasing menace of
excessive and pointless honking on the streets of Mumbai, an “Anti-Honking”
initiative was undertaken by the third year students from the mass media course
of RD National College named “Horn Rokiye Please” which included a number
of online and offline activities between 1st and 8th September.
As part of their campaign, the students went around the city and interacted with
a number of taxi and auto-rickshaw drivers explaining and talking to them on a
personal level about the ill effects of honking. They were handed out posters and
stickers, which they stuck on their vehicles in order to show their support and
wholehearted co-operation.
Horn Rokiye Please teamed up with an NGO street school “Asha Kiran” in
Juhu and together they helped monitor the honking on the main road for 3
hours. The little children marched and stood on the main road with posters and
slogans related to anti-honking to draw the attention of the vehicle drivers and
pedestrians towards this cause. Posters were given out by the volunteers to
many drivers who indulged in unnecessary honking.
Horn Rokiye Please also organized a rally on Carter Road. This rally was
conducted from R.D. National College to Carter Road with many cars covered
with posters saying ‘Horn Rokiye Please’. This action was a conscious effort to
make people realize that honking can have serious effects on people’s health.
People walked to Carter Road holding posters and banners with various
slogans saying ‘Live in peace. Let them too. Please don’t honk’; they got some
positive reactions from all kinds of people, be it taxi drivers, the common man, a
chaiwala, etc.
The eateries like Wah Bollywood, Froyo and Yogurt bay and a tattoo parlour,
Tattoo Star supported this cause by putting up posters of “Horn Rokiye
Please”.
Also supporting Horn Rokiye Please’s initiative was Movie Time- Suburbia, a
popular theatre in Bandra as they put up standees and posters of Horn Rokiye
Please inside and outside the premises of the theatre.
The online activities included 3 short viral videos with a linear storyline
uploaded on YouTube which garnered tremendous response going by the
increasing number of hits and likes on the videos. These videos were extremely
successful in generating hype and interest among the viewers about the
campaign. The students also posted several pictures of their activities online, on
their interactive Facebook Page.
The overall response to the campaign has been extremely encouraging.
Honking not only affects the health of the people but is also a source of irritation,
distress, anxiety and anger. This campaign is an earnest appeal on part of the
students to the citizens to stop unnecessary honking with immediate effect.
