One
of the things I miss most from the past, from my growing up days in Lucknow, is…
peace. Peace and quiet. I was born in Lucknow and spent a good 20 years in that
city before moving out to Bareilly. And in those 20 years, we lived in four
different houses, in different residentials areas across the city. And in all
those years, wherever we lived, I don’t remember ever being subjected to
loudspeakers. Not once. Sure, people still celebrated all festivals, happy new
years, birthdays, anniversaries and… whatever else there may have been to
celebrate. People celebrated with joy and enthusiasm and with a genuine sense
of neighbourhood camaraderie. But without the noise. Without massive
loudspeakers blaring out jarring music at earsplitting levels of volume. Without
the incessant noise, which today makes me want to get the hell out of Delhi-NCR
and move to some small, remote village somewhere up in the mountains of
Himachal.
For the last two decades, there’s been a disturbing trend that I’ve seen – one that’s widely prevalent in large housing societies across Delhi-NCR, but might well also be there in other cities. And that is, for every major and minor festive occasion, the people in charge – the ‘management committee’ as they choose to call themselves, in most housing societies – decide that the best way to celebrate would be to set up a bunch of high-powered, industrial-strength loudspeakers either in the society’s ‘clubhouse’ (how I hate those damned things!) or somewhere out in the park or near the swimming pool, and play music at full volume for a couple of hours. And if that wasn’t bad enough already, every once in a while someone or the other decides to pick up a mic and make random announcements in a grating, screechy voice or, worst of all, someone decides to show their incredible talent for singing to the world. The combined result of all of this is noise – horrible, eardrum-busting, soul-destroying noise – that is enough to wake up the dead.
Another weird trend I’ve seen, at least in housing societies here in Delhi-NCR, is that temples have been set up inside many housing societies, in very close proximity to apartments and/or row houses etc. And that, of course, is a perfect excuse for some people to play devotional music inside these temples at loud volumes in the morning and in the evening. Every single f***ing day, again completely destroying peace and quiet in what are supposed to be purely residential areas. People must, of course, be entirely free to pray all they want, to whichever god or goddess they choose. But shouldn’t prayer be in silence? Isn’t prayer a quiet, private dialog between the person offering those prayers, and god? Why indulge in exhibitionism? Do the devout really believe that if they play devotional music at loud volume, god will be able to hear them better? Or is it just the devout trying to outdo each other in trying to show just how devoted they are? I don’t know and I really don’t understand the need to have temples in every housing society, in the immediate vicinity of apartments where people live. Why can’t the devout – those who need loudspeakers to display the strength of their faith – walk or drive for a few minutes to go to an actual temple, one that’s hopefully at a reasonable distance away from houses and apartments? Otherwise, if housing societies insist on having temples inside society premises, at least ban the use of loudspeakers inside them!
I, for one, strongly believe that all loudspeaker use should be completely banned inside all housing societies. Sure, have temples if you must and pray all you want, but keep it quiet. Devotion certainly doesn’t require you to make noise. Have a clubhouse inside the society if you must and celebrate all you want, just without the loudspeakers. Unfortunately, many people in India do not have basic decency, courtesy, respect for others’ privacy and/or basic civic sense to understand that playing loud music or devotional songs etc., on commercial loudspeakers, in a living area that’s shared amongst hundreds of people, is a terrible idea. So, in the absence of self-restraint, it’s only fair that there should be laws prohibiting the use of loudspeakers in residential housing societies and other residential neighbourhoods. Yes, I understand some laws for this are already in place, but they need to be far more stringent and enforcement needs to be way, way better. For example, there should be one dedicated helpline number where people can report violation of noise-related rules and regulations, and the police should have team that should crack down immediately on such violations. It is, unfortunately, the only way loudspeaker-lovers can be reined in – the use of force, immediate and urgent.
For heaven's sake, let there be some peace and quiet, please!
For the last two decades, there’s been a disturbing trend that I’ve seen – one that’s widely prevalent in large housing societies across Delhi-NCR, but might well also be there in other cities. And that is, for every major and minor festive occasion, the people in charge – the ‘management committee’ as they choose to call themselves, in most housing societies – decide that the best way to celebrate would be to set up a bunch of high-powered, industrial-strength loudspeakers either in the society’s ‘clubhouse’ (how I hate those damned things!) or somewhere out in the park or near the swimming pool, and play music at full volume for a couple of hours. And if that wasn’t bad enough already, every once in a while someone or the other decides to pick up a mic and make random announcements in a grating, screechy voice or, worst of all, someone decides to show their incredible talent for singing to the world. The combined result of all of this is noise – horrible, eardrum-busting, soul-destroying noise – that is enough to wake up the dead.
Another weird trend I’ve seen, at least in housing societies here in Delhi-NCR, is that temples have been set up inside many housing societies, in very close proximity to apartments and/or row houses etc. And that, of course, is a perfect excuse for some people to play devotional music inside these temples at loud volumes in the morning and in the evening. Every single f***ing day, again completely destroying peace and quiet in what are supposed to be purely residential areas. People must, of course, be entirely free to pray all they want, to whichever god or goddess they choose. But shouldn’t prayer be in silence? Isn’t prayer a quiet, private dialog between the person offering those prayers, and god? Why indulge in exhibitionism? Do the devout really believe that if they play devotional music at loud volume, god will be able to hear them better? Or is it just the devout trying to outdo each other in trying to show just how devoted they are? I don’t know and I really don’t understand the need to have temples in every housing society, in the immediate vicinity of apartments where people live. Why can’t the devout – those who need loudspeakers to display the strength of their faith – walk or drive for a few minutes to go to an actual temple, one that’s hopefully at a reasonable distance away from houses and apartments? Otherwise, if housing societies insist on having temples inside society premises, at least ban the use of loudspeakers inside them!
I, for one, strongly believe that all loudspeaker use should be completely banned inside all housing societies. Sure, have temples if you must and pray all you want, but keep it quiet. Devotion certainly doesn’t require you to make noise. Have a clubhouse inside the society if you must and celebrate all you want, just without the loudspeakers. Unfortunately, many people in India do not have basic decency, courtesy, respect for others’ privacy and/or basic civic sense to understand that playing loud music or devotional songs etc., on commercial loudspeakers, in a living area that’s shared amongst hundreds of people, is a terrible idea. So, in the absence of self-restraint, it’s only fair that there should be laws prohibiting the use of loudspeakers in residential housing societies and other residential neighbourhoods. Yes, I understand some laws for this are already in place, but they need to be far more stringent and enforcement needs to be way, way better. For example, there should be one dedicated helpline number where people can report violation of noise-related rules and regulations, and the police should have team that should crack down immediately on such violations. It is, unfortunately, the only way loudspeaker-lovers can be reined in – the use of force, immediate and urgent.
For heaven's sake, let there be some peace and quiet, please!
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