Dancing cop who makes people smile

Kolkata, June 13

Commuters look out in surprise from windows of cars and buses. Some passersby occasionally stop to click pictures. The subject of their interest is a man who literally makes managing busy traffic on a bustling east Kolkata road a song and a dance.

Braving the heat, Ashok Gupta, 59, in a fluorescent orange jacket and helmet, shows off his innovative dance steps while directing vehicles near Gate No. 4 at Rajarhat’s Eco Tourism Park for 12 hours a day, six days a week — managing to draw a smile or two from passing commuters.

A resident of Dankuni, Gupta is not a traffic cop. He has been appointed by a private security company that has been outsourced the job of flagging through heavy vehicles supplying material for the ongoing Garia-Airport Metro project.

Gupta said people’s smiles keep him going, notwithstanding the hectic nature of his job against a meagre pay cheque. “Some people ask me why I do it. In today’s busy life, people often don’t get enough time or reason to smile. So I’m trying to make people smile through my dance steps,” he said. “The more I see people smiling and appreciating (what I do), the more I feel encouraged.” — IANS