Saturday, January 06, 2007

Anti-terrorism campaign by Mumbai Police

Most around the world are concerned with the rising terrorism. And Governments are taking various measures to stop terrorism. However, the latest ad campaign by Mumbai Police to create public awareness about teroorism, fails to fulfil its objective.

In this campaign, various advertises (by Lintas. Since joining JB, I always pay attention to this kind of stuff!) are put up in buses, trains to make commuters aware that the next terrorist can be right next to you. Some of the posters go like this



  • The bag next to you may not belong to everyday commuter

  • Don't be ashamed to check below your seat

  • Don't look outside. Check the person next to you instead for any suspicious actions

I found these slogans really really ridiculous, especially the last one. I mean, you have boarded the bus and enjoying the scenery outside (though we don't get much of that in Mumbai), then suddenly you see this slogan. Does it mean that we should not enjoy life, instead look at each and every person around you with suspicion. This is India, a democracy, and not any dictatorial country. This kind of things used to happen in communist Russia, where every person used to spy each other. Isn't it the responsibility of the Police and Government to look after the safety of the citizens. Agreed that there must be some citizen awarenss, but it should not precede the basic right of the citizens' basic right to live.

This kind of thing creates paranoia among public, decreasing their confidence. But such things are becoming more and more pervasive around the world. People look after each other with suspicion, which is not the sign of healthy society.

Thus, this campaign is not serving its purpose. Advertising Agency is also to blame to an extent in my opinion. The message can be conveyed in more effective manner. Citizens can be made to participate actively without creating this paranoia.

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posted by ninad @ 11:18 am 5 comments