Prison chief to pen a novel

CHENNAI:  He may spend his time handling tough convicts and have a hectic schedule of monotonous office work controlling prison activities. Yet the gaol administration work has done nothing to blunt his creative instinct. S K Dogra, Director of Prisons, is penning a novel about traffic accidents and the devastating effect they have on victims’ families.Dogra presided over the concluding day’s function of Traffic Safety Week (April 24-30) and spoke to members of the Mother Teresa Auto Drivers’ Welfare Association, Nungambakkam, Chennai on Monday. Cautioning the public about the hazards of reckless driving, he branded a traffic accident an unmotivated crime, one that had a deeper impact than other crimes. Traffic tragedies could easily be prevented by sticking to safety norms, he exhorted. Drivers of all vehicles ought to be cautioned and be aware of the loss caused by an accident to the victim’s family. With the soaring population in metro cities, the traffic flow on the roads is getting cumbersome. Sensitisation, awareness, planning and empathy for victims are factors that can prevent traffic mishaps, he said.As an awareness-raising measure, Dogra is drafting a Tamil novel titled Praayachitham (Atonement). The story opens with a traffic accident and goes on to detail its detrimental effect on the victim’s family. The entire work will go online soon, he stated. The Mother Teresa Auto Drivers’ Welfare Association functions under the aegis of the Mother Teresa Charitable Trust instituted in 1997. It has held a traffic awareness campaign each year since its inception. This year the association distributed leaflets, pasted black labels on headlights and tutored 1,500 auto drivers in safety rules. Dr A Devaraj, senior faculty of Loyola College, stated that the auto drivers had been given lessons in courtesy, etiquette and safety rules.The welfare association renders social service under the leadership of G K Das, managing trustee, and Dr Noel, the trustee, and gets support from Rev Dr B Jayaraj, Principal of Loyola College, Chennai.