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VVIP convoys and crowds

Bamboo barricades erected by the roadside are a common sight in the city, as elsewhere, whenever there is a VVIP visit.

There was a time when such visits used to generate a lot of public interest.

People in large numbers would gather on either side of the route taken by the VVIP’s vehicle and wave out to the dignitaries. .

It is perhaps those memories and security protocol, too, that often dictate the erection of such fences along the route of a VVIP convoy.

The only difference is that there is virtually no one behind the fences these days, waving enthusiastically at the VVIP convoy.

The only ‘crowds’ are those that form at intersections when the police personnel hold up vehicles for a considerable period of time to enable a safe passage for the convoy.

Moreover, given the speed with which a VVIP convoy zips past, even the most committed of the ‘wavers’ will barely get a second or two for the task.

They will get still less time to find out whether the VVIP waved back, or even saw them at all.

G. Mahadevan

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