Traffic cop brings laughter and calm to city’s busy streets with ‘moonwalk’
HE is inspired by Bollywood and has a Freddie Mercury-style moustache – but it is the Michael Jackson dance moves of traffic cop Ranjeet Singh that grab attention on India’s chaotic streets.
Heads turn and drivers cannot fail to notice when the 38-year-old “moonwalks” across busy intersections, avoiding rickshaws and trucks in the centre of Indore, a city of two million people.
“I have been a Michael Jackson fan for years and copied his moonwalk step to halt traffic 12 years ago,” Singh said after another tiring day of seemingly gliding backwards across the street.
He has nearly 50 000 people following his activities on Facebook.
Singh claims the number of traffic violations at the high court intersection where he spends most days has fallen over the years.
An Indian university is studying his methods to see whether he has cut traffic jams, too.
On India’s gridlocked city streets, drivers, already battling crater-pocked roads and faulty traffic signals, often take out their anger on police trying to keep cars moving and pedestrians safe.
Singh said he had helped to pick up the bodies of more than 40 young drivers after crashes, and that he was motivated to keep drivers safe.
He said he now gave moonwalking lessons to fellow officers, many of whom were initially apprehensive about his dance moves.
“My parents are very proud of me for doing my job with extreme passion and with [a] twist that includes Michael Jackson’s step.”