In a twist of fate fit for a puppet show called “The Loud and the Serene”, Canadian social media influencer Caleb Friesen has become India’s surprise traffic sage equipped with nothing but his ears, a mobile phone, and the patience of a Zen monk residing in Mizoram.
In his now-famous Instagram video, Caleb unleashed what can best be termed the Battle of the Beeps. The video begins with Bengaluru’s fabled 7 PM orchestra: a battle-hardened horn, honk, and heroic rev ensemble that could awaken sleeping dinosaurs. “Indians need to do better for themselves,” Caleb intones gravely, before cutting to a second clip that could almost be a meditation tune: Aizawl streets at the same time unnervingly quiet, reminiscent of a post-apocalyptic Netflix show, but with more order.
“It’s where I live,” he says, standing serenely in the streets that are traffic-free, honk-free. “No honking. Not on purpose. It’s a law here. And guess what? The police enforce it. Imagine that.”
The Aizawlians, as it happens, are traffic Zen masters. Their roads are hilly and narrow and twisty enough to defy a mountain goat, and still, their drivers queue, don’t honk, don’t high-beam your soul out of your body, and by no means act like Mario Kart extras. It’s like some alternate universe where road rage is exchanged for road respect.
Caleb’s self-deprecating “just-an-observation” video turned into an Internet sermon, particularly for Bengaluru residents whose ears have been irretrievably damaged from decibel attacks. “The only quiet spot in Bengaluru is a muffled WhatsApp group,” one of the users sarcastically observed.
Even Indians commenting, typically ever-ready to pounce on any “gora gyaan”, all bowed their heads in assent. “This is the sort of criticism we NEED,” wrote one. Another suggested, “This isn’t racism, this is realism. Aizawl should get a Nobel Peace Prize.”
Others even suggested a spiritual detox retreat for honk-happy drivers in Mizoram. Others want a new school subject: Mizo Traffic Philosophy 101.
Whether this Canadian gentleman can initiate a nationwide no-honking movement is uncertain, but one thing is certain: in the war of chaos versus calm, Aizawl just beeped Bengaluru off the stage silently.”.
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