BENGALURU: Picture this: A junction with relentless traffic flowing from three directions; loud horns and impatient drivers jumping signals; add edgy pedestrians and push-carts to the mix and you have a definition for chaos.At the busy city market junction, no less, such snarls are kept under control by a 66-yearold blowing a whistle and wielding a stick at motorists and pedestrians.G Nagaraj spent 35 years serving as an editorial assistant in a major publication house in Bengaluru . When he retired, over nine years ago, an uneventful, sedentary life was something he found difficult to get used to.“One April morning in 2006, I went to the City Market for regular purchases and I saw a huge traffic jam -vehicles were randomly crisscrossing each other, pedestrians were walking in the middle of heavy traffic and there was chaos,“ he said. “I just dropped all my belongings and directed the traffic until everything was under control.“With a new sense of purpose, Nagaraj approached the traffic department and volunteered to manage traffic at the junction.“I was prepared to go there every morning when vehicular and pedestrian movement is at its peak,“ he said, adding that the officials were more than eager to have him on board and encouraged him in every manner possible.That day onward, Nagaraj -armed with a stick and a whistle -has left his Kengeri home at 8 every morning, reached the market at 9 am and stayed put till 2 PM. “I have followed this ritual everyday from Monday to Saturday for the past nine years. Even ill-health has never deterred me from turning up.“GA Jagadeesh, ACP Traffic (West), told ET that Nagaraj was known for sincerity in service and his attitude towards people. “We even offered to make him a traffic warden and pay him a remuneration for his services but he never looked at this as another job. He wanted to serve the department and the people as a civilian.“Jagadeesh said Nagaraj would handle the nastiest snarls with composure, help women, children and senior citizens cross the busy road and not even expect money for tea or snacks from the department. “He gets satisfaction helping people and this attitude rubs off on our staff.“Nagaraj said that while he would mark a decade of services next year, he planned to continue for a long time. “I have four grown-up children who are not dependent on me. So, my only aim is to make myself useful to others in whatever way I can.“