This Ravana fights to protect bikers

Ravana, the demon king in the epic Ramayana, had ten heads. Still he fell to the magical arrow of Lord Rama. We have just one head, so we had better take good care of it by using a helmet when riding.

That's the simple message Thane traffic cops gave bikers on the occasion of Dassera. In a novel initiative, a policeman dressed in the outfit of the mythological character – complete in the colourful dress and a ten-head mask – roamed the streets, stopping at prominent places to educate bikers.

Naturally, he attracted the attention of passersby. Many of them stopped to find out what the drama was about. Ravana also stopped some who were riding a bike but were not wearing a helmet.

"I was in a hurry and forgot to carry my helmet. When the policeman stopped me I prepared to pay the fine. But I was surprised that instead of penalizing me, the cop described the consequences of not wearing a helmet, requested me not to disregard the rule and let me go," said Rohan Shetty, a resident of Kapurbawdi.

Shetty was so taken up by the appeal that he called his family right away and got them to bring him the helmet. The special initiative started early and continued till late in the evening.

S Sondhe, traffic police inspector, explained: "We took this initiative to underline the importance of wearing a helmet. The idea came from deputy commissioner R Karandikar."

He said that the cops had registered 450 cases against those riding without a helmet. On Friday also they fined those who seemed to take the warning lightly. "The exercise was largely successful. Some people even congratulated us for the effort," Sondhe said.