Pune activist Vidyanand Bapat has been campaigning against the use of DJs, loudspeakers, and dhol-tashas during Ganeshotsav and other public celebrations and recently stepped up his calls for tighter restrictions on noise levels during festivals.Last week, Bapat, 37, was allegedly assaulted as he was speaking to a news channel about his campaign, with footage showing the assailant confronting him before hitting him.Bapat spoke to The Indian Express a few days after the attack on him about how he plans to take the movement ahead.Bapat: No, not at all. Because even before that, during a live TV debate and in person, many people advised me to seek police protection. But I haven’t asked for it because of my Left-leaning ideology; I don’t want a dedicated police officer as a common citizen.This battle against noise pollution should be fought with crusader spirit. A crusader will say that if you die while fighting for a cause, you will go to heaven. And if you win, you will achieve your purpose in this life.Q. Why didn’t you speak out last year or during other religions’ festivals? Many are asking: why did you choose to speak out only during the Ganesh festival?Bapat: This question was posed even when Dr Narendra Dabholkar was alive, and he gave the same answer about eradicating superstition. If you look at the demographic statistical distribution of India, the population which is called Hindu or which celebrates Hindu festivals is some 80 per cent, which means four-fifths of the entire population of India.Story continues below this adAlso Read | How Vidyanand Bapat forced Pune to talk on Ganpati noise pollutionIt is very natural that the criticism will be centred on those festivals because the noise levels of those festivals will certainly be much larger than those of the minority religion. Otherwise, in principle, we have opposition to all kinds of public discomfort, not just happening under the religious festivals of other religions, but even under any other pretext, such as political or electoral propaganda.Q. Do you have a concrete model that you can suggest?Bapat: Yes, we are offering a win-win solution. We are not advocating a total ban on festival celebrations or even public celebrations of festivals. Our objection concerns only public festivals, not those celebrated in households or family life, such as Ganesh Festival, Dahi Handi, and Navratri.Festival enthusiasts should ensure they avoid noise pollution and traffic obstruction. To do so, they can celebrate inside an enclosed auditorium or any similar enclosed, soundproof facility, for which MPCB certification is now mandatory.Story continues below this adOnce you celebrate it inside such a facility, the noise which gets created, whether by playing drums, tom-toms, or any other musical instruments or by playing a loudspeaker, will remain confined only to those who want to celebrate or who want to watch that festival celebration. It will not leak outside, and it will not disturb others nearby.Q. What if the prescribed decibel limits are followed? Would you still have an issue?Bapat: The prescribed limits are very difficult to follow. We believe the law should be followed in spirit, not just by letter.These decibel limits can be applied to equipment that is not meant for sound amplification, but due to the very large scale of operation, they emit some type of noise, like, say, a generator, pneumatic drills or a railway engine. These noise decibel limits are the cap, meaning the maximum noise allowed in a particular area.Story continues below this adIt doesn’t mean that you can make noise up to that limit. You should maintain silence as much as possible. But if this noise is being emitted due to some factors beyond your control, like a very large scale of operation in the case of generators, then it should not exceed this limit.For instruments such as a loudspeaker, whose sole purpose is sound amplification, they should be used only inside an enclosed, soundproof auditorium, so there is a win-win situation.Q. Are you part of any organisation that is working for a ban on noise pollution?Bapat: I have not been part of any organisation working exclusively against noise pollution. A few organisations are working on the issue. I was noticed because I spoke publicly about it in the meeting to discuss this year’s Ganesh festival celebration.Story continues below this adMany organisations share the same objectives, and we are on the verge of forming a formal group to address noise pollution and work to resolve it. After its formation, our organisation would take up the noise pollution issue beyond the Ganesh festival and pursue it at the legislative or judicial level.Q. Have you reached out to political leaders over the issue?Bapat: I wrote a letter to the city MP and Union Minister Murlidhar Mohol. An acknowledgement has been received. The city MP said he opposes any noise pollution caused by religious celebrations.Others, including Rajya Sabha MP Medha Kulkarni and legislator Siddharth Shirole, have expressed concern over increasing noise pollution. We will reach out to political parties and seek an amendment to the law to ban music that causes noise pollution during any festival, irrespective of religion.Story continues below this adQ. Two protests took place against DJs in the city. But you skipped both. This is strange, especially when you have become the leading voice against sound pollution. Do you want to run a campaign on your own, in isolation?Bapat: Regarding the first protest, I was told that it had been cancelled, but it was not. I could not make it to the second protest because I was not well. In future, I will make it a point to participate in the protests.Also Read | Pune DJ music ban demand: Residents rally against loud music, Bapat stays awayQ. You seem to be very well-read on these topics, and there is a lot of appreciation of your vocabulary on social media as well. Can you recommend any books?Bapat: I can recommend Ek Zunj Gongatashee by Dr Y T Oke.Story continues below this adQ. Do you expect this year’s Ganeshotsav in Pune will be without DJs? A few other cities in the state have taken this decision.Bapat: Yes. The festival is still 8-9 days away. For now, we are requesting and urging bureaucrats and the government to exercise their discretion in favour of citizens rather than festivals. But at a larger scale, we want to fix that loophole.Also Read | Latur police, Nanded admin take steps to curb DJ music, amplification systems on Ganesh ChaturthiWe want to remove the discretionary power that bureaucrats and the government have to grant permission for loudspeakers. So that even if festival enthusiasts ask for permission to use loudspeakers in the open air or even their musical instruments, they won’t be able to allow them because they won’t have any authority.We are trying to get it at both levels. It can also be done through the legislature and judiciary.Q. Has your activism affected your work?Story continues below this adBapat: I recently left my job, and I am looking for another. I had to leave for different reasons even before this began. I haven’t thought seriously about working as a full-fledged social activist. I want to do my regular job.Q. How did your parents react to the attack on you?Bapat: They called me and asked if I am okay. They live in Ratnagiri. I have been getting so many calls and messages that I have not been able to speak to them much.