Is there anything worse than the sound of happy children?
There is an unwritten rule in Chakravarthy Layout, 1st Cross. It is a rule so bizarre that you'll probably want to read it twice to make sure you got it right. Children living on this lane are not allowed to play, lest the sounds of innocent joy and unbridled happiness disturb one of the lane's residents.
In fact the young ones aren't even allowed to congregate in groups or play with the affectionate community dogs. And no this is not Kabul in the 90s, this is Bangalore
The irate resident in question is MK Shetty, an advocate, who has lodged a complaint with the police, which prompted the cops to make several trips to the lane and asking parents for a written undertaking that their children would not play on the street.
The lane is lined by 10 houses and is tucked away behind Opus Lounge, sheltered from the chaos of Palace Cross road. And while the tranquillity is enjoyed by residents, it's shattering is causing quite a furore. The parents, however, are left at their wits' end.
"Where is the time for children these days to play daily? They have so much to study. Only during weekends and holidays do they come out on to the road to play, but that has also been stopped now. There is a rule that children should not play football, cricket or badminton or the road. If they do Hoysala patrol vehicle will end up in the layout. And since my son is the youngest, I am always standing outside when the kids are playing. They have not damaged any property or caused anyone any harm,’’ says Prabha Ashwin, a mother of two and a long-time resident of 1st Cross.
Shetty on the other hand, just in case his paranoia was in doubt, has installed
"Is there any law that bans children from playing on the road?" asks Sowmya, another resident and Shetty’s immediate neighbour. "He has threatened to file a case against the children and their mothers for disturbing the neighbourhood," she adds Following a notice issued by Shetty to Prabha’s father-in-law and a complaint to the
The street's two canine sentinels haven't escaped the fray either. The two strays, Bubbles and Curious, who have been 'adopted' by the children are not supposed to be entertained any more.
``The kids sometimes play with the dogs, which has now been banned. There is no playground nearby and since our road is away from the main road, there is also no threat of accidents,’’ says another resident Anju.
An official from the High Grounds police station acknowledged that they keep receiving complaints from "a certain advocate from Chakravarthy Layout about noise made by children who play on the road". ``When there is a complaint, we are bound to visit the spot. We have gone to the lane several times thinking that there is an issue. We have dealt with complaints of late night parties with loud music. But a complaint about a handful of children playing for a few minutes, should not be stretched too far,’’ an official added.
Though Shetty was unavailable for comment, his son Satyajith spoke to Bangalore Mirror. ``My father is travelling and is busy. I am aware of the issue,’’ he said.
Acknowledging that the issue has gone too far, to the extent of filing a police complaint, Satyajith said: ``Kids create a lot of noise and sometimes crosses certain limits. Some 10 to 15 children play till late in the night at times and police had to intervene. It is not just the kids, but also the arrogance of the parents who support them and say the road is not private property and where should the children play? The lane also has senior citizens who get disturbed. Initially my father would return the ball if it came into our compound but the situation has become worse and it needed some action.’’
