Will the pompous of India now get car-beacons in non-red colours?

It is entirely fitting that India’s Supreme Court once again reiterated that all self-important functionaries cannot go about with red lights flashing from their vehicles’ roofs on the very day that the world bid farewell to a man who was a beacon of our times. After all, Nelson Mandela’s life and work demonstrated that no red lights or bandobastare needed to proclaim relevance or importance. However, since most of these red-beaconed worthies have no idea who Mandela was, such allusions may not shed much light on the SC’s unkind decision to deprive them of what essentially has been their ingenious solution to traffic jams and parking problems in our overcrowded urban areas. These beacons were also the perfect way to bypass toll payments and other hindrances to free movement. Without them, there may be chaos on the roads as people long unaccustomed to adhering to traffic rules will have to fall in line.

A point to be considered is, of course, whether this deprived lot will get themselves beacons in non-proscribed colours, say orange, yellow or green, and still get the same benefits, thanks to some secret ‘understanding’ with the appropriate authorities. To save itself the trouble of adjudicating again on the issue, the SC may consider making it an all-colour beacon ban, barring blue for emergency vehicles.