Canadian compares loud traffic in Bengaluru with this Indian city, video leaves internet stunned
A Canadian content creator in India shared a viral video contrasting traffic noise in Bengaluru and Aizawl.
A Canadian content creator living in India has sparked conversation online after sharing a viral video that highlights the stark difference in noise pollution between two Indian cities during peak traffic hours. Caleb Friesen, who currently resides in Mizoram’s capital Aizawl, recorded audio clips of rush hour traffic at 7 pm in both Bengaluru and Aizawl to showcase the contrast.
“Indians deserve better from each other. Just listen to this. Okay, now listen to this,” Friesen says in the video, as the first clip plays the deafening chaos of Bengaluru’s traffic with horns blaring nonstop and engines roaring.
He then switches to a scene from Aizawl: the same time of day, but a completely different atmosphere. There’s no honking, just the hum of vehicles and the occasional squeak of brakes as vehicles move calmly and in order.
"This is actually where I live by the way. Notice how there's no honking and that's actually because they've implemented a no honking policy here in Aizawl. And the police actually do issue fines for people who disturb the peace with noise pollution and honking," he said.
Take a look at the video here:
While the two cities have widely different volume of traffic, he explained that the no honking rule is Aizawl is a cultural behaviour adopted to reduce noise pollution even though the city has worse roads than any metro city due to being on a hilly terrain.
"A lot of people don't realize that most of the roads here usually are just one lane wide. It's because the entire city is built on a hill and so there's just no space for roads. And also there's a ton of buses and trucks but still people wait their turn in traffic. They queue up and even if there's space to overtake and skip the line to get to the front. They don't do that and they also don't honk," he said, adding that drivers in Aizawl also dim their lights for approaching vehicles so they don't end up blinding their drivers.
Internet reacts
The content creator said that the commuters in Aizawl have learned that honking does more harm than good and have more respect for each other. "People just understand that they have respect for each other. And I think the rest of the world has figured this out too a long time ago, right? But I think it's time for India to figure it out, too," he stated.
The post earned praise from Indians who called for better traffic management and noise pollution initiatives. "Everytime a white guy pops up on my social media talking about India, I prepare for unadulterated racism. But this was just constructive criticism. Love that for you," said one of them.
Another wrote, "I'm an Indian and I agree & support your criticism and some food for thought for people."
