States » SouthPosted at: Sep 21 2026 8:36PM


SPARSH takes aim at Bengaluru’s honking culture

Bengaluru, Sept 21 (UNI) In a city where traffic jams routinely trigger a chorus of horns, SPARSH Hospitals has launched the “Horn Don’t Maadi” campaign, turning Bengaluru’s everyday honking habit into a conversation about stress, noise pollution and heart health.
Launched to mark World Heart Day, the campaign urges motorists to think twice before honking unnecessarily, particularly when traffic is not moving and there is no immediate safety concern.
The campaign is built around a simple question — if honking cannot move the traffic, why keep honking?
SPARSH Hospitals said the initiative is aimed at addressing habitual honking arising from impatience, frustration and road rage, while making it clear that the horn remains an important safety tool when used appropriately.
“An occasional honk is not the concern. It is repeated exposure to unnecessary and stressful noise that can add to the body’s stress response,” Dr Ranjan Shetty, Lead Consultant, Cardiologist and Group Medical Director, SPARSH Hospitals, said.
He said the campaign seeks to bring attention to the cumulative impact of everyday stressors and encourage people to make small behavioural changes that can contribute to a healthier environment.
The initiative takes the heart-health message outside the hospital and onto Bengaluru’s roads, where honking has become an almost automatic response to congestion.
SPARSH Group of Hospitals founder and chairman Dr Sharan Shivaraj Patil said the campaign was designed around a behaviour that commuters encounter every day.
“If the traffic is not moving, another honk is unlikely to change it,” he said, urging motorists to pause before reaching for the horn unnecessarily.
The campaign will involve public engagement initiatives, radio and social media interventions, street vox pops, traffic polls and doctor-led conversations aimed at encouraging responsible use of vehicle horns.
It will also feature influencer-led content under the “Honk Not Okay Please” initiative to take the message to a wider audience.
The campaign comes amid growing concern over the health implications of chronic stress and exposure to urban noise. However, SPARSH Hospitals clarified that it was not claiming that an individual act of honking directly causes heart disease.
Cardiovascular health is influenced by multiple factors, including hypertension, diabetes, smoking, obesity, physical inactivity, lifestyle and chronic stress, the hospital said.
The “Horn Don’t Maadi” campaign therefore seeks to position responsible honking not merely as a traffic-discipline issue but as part of a broader conversation on creating a calmer urban environment.
For Bengaluru’s motorists, the message is straightforward: use the horn when safety requires it, but when the traffic is stuck, another honk may only add to the noise.
UNI BDN
Tags: #SPARSH takes aim at Bengaluru’s honking culture
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