This Raksha Bandhan, girls and women in Telangana and elsewhere would be giving a unique gift to their brothers. Besides adorning their brothers’ wrist with colourful Rakhis wishing them well, they would present them a helmet too.
It’s their way of sensitising their brothers and all others towards driving safe.
Nizamabad MP K. Kavitha is behind the innovative campaign that began on the social media.
A powerful message that she shared on the birthday of her brother and Minister K.T. Rama Rao, with Rakhi festival round the corner, has struck a chord with people. Ms. Kavitha, however, gives the credit to Vamsi, a short film maker.
“It’s his film on the anguish of a young girl on Rakhi day, once a happy occasion before she loses her brother in a road accident, that moved me. That’s when the idea of a comprehensive campaign came to my mind and ‘Sisters for Change- Gift a Helmet’ took shape,” Ms. Kavitha told The Hindu.
Sensitising people
“You can have any number of laws and have stringent enforcement. People will still find excuses not to wear helmets or seat belts. Some avoid wearing a helmet fearing that they may lose hair. But none realises that their very life is at stake. This is not a stand-alone issue. The campaign is to sensitise people towards traffic rules and to have a right attitude towards laws,” she affirmed. ‘Sisters for Change’ would soon have a website to promote several causes for public good, she said.
“With a large number of girls and women using two-wheelers, brothers too should be gifting helmets to their sisters. Safety has no gender bias,” she smiled.