India, Oct. 24 -- Today, noise is no longer merely pollution. It is harassment.

From blaring loudspeakers at religious events to morning walkers playing music on their phones; from irreverent honking to loud videos on trains, we are surrounded by people who think it is their right to make noise and everyone else's obligation to endure it.

The most aggravating offenders, however, are passengers who conduct telephone conversations on speaker mode or play Instagram reels at full volume in closed spaces.

Nothing raises the blood pressure quite like being involuntarily introduced to a stranger's family disputes, business deals and poor taste in Insta reels.

Indian Railways has begun addressing this nuisance through warnings and penalties f...