And in the same vein, he explains the significance of the Sanskrit word sakshibhav, which implies one should neither be a fence-sitter nor a mute spectator, but should plunge into developments as they take place and contribute to it according to one's capacity and talents.

Being an FoP would allow him easy access to police and the additional advantage of a listening ear, both of which would help solve law and order cases, Kane says. ``If you see something evil or bad happening in front of you, try to stop it. But if you can't, at least condemn it''.

Ecologist Hasmukh Shah points out that though people in general wanted to cooperate with the police, especially in accident cases and the like, they avoided doing so because they were uncertain of the hassles involved. However, the FoP stamp would help one to render social service without any fear of harassment.``And that is why I accepted the FoP card'', he says, adding that the police response would be crucial for the future of the scheme.

Former mayor and health minister Thakorbhai Patel is more interested in assisting the police in tackling the complicated traffic problem of the city. ``A majority of vehicle drivers, in fact, obey the traffic rules more in breach than in compliance'', says Patel.

The veteran politician says he's upset to see even educated people accelerating their vehicles while approaching a road crossing or when the traffic signal has changed to yellow, indicating that one should slow down the speed. ``As an FoP, I would like to work in tandem with the traffic police to educate and make people aware of traffic rules make roads safer for its users'', Patel says.

Orthopaedic physician Mrugank Merchant says that if FoPs were acquainted with police officials of their area, it would help a lot in checking crime. FoPs could be especially helpful in informing the police about imposters like the ones who recently collected money in the name of a Gurudwara.

Social activist Gautam Majmudar says that when he recently objected to traffic violation by a local industrialist, the latter shot back ``Who are you to protest?''. Majmudar was non-plussed and the industrialist drove off laughing. ``Now, I can at least produce my FoP card'', he says.