Untruth is stating the correct answer to the wrong question

Well, the dictionary definition of “untruth” may not be very easy to understand and hence, I am coming up with this one page document, which with the example quoted inside, should help one understand what the meaning of “untruth” is all about. 

Two days ago, I was headed to the Upanayanam of the son of a close friend of mine. I could have easily missed the function and he wouldn't have complained. But, there was no way I was going to miss a function arranged by him, because his aasthaana caterer is one phenomenal cook. 

I was also informed in advance that the first pandhi would be served at 9 AM, to help the office goers take an early brunch so that they can sleep easily in the office; assuming of course that they didn't sleep while driving to work and cause even bigger traffic snarls than usual. 

So my friend Raghu and I had decided to target that first batch, despite the lack of requirement of physically having to go to office. We could sleep at home right? Anyway, on the ordained day of eating, I was slightly delayed while starting. It looked like our aim of being part of the first pandhi may not really materialize. Also, the later it started getting, the traffic build-up would be higher and I was afraid that the caterer maama would run low on payasam. 

And like I guessed, the traffic on Adyar bridge was quite heavy, so much so that it was a standstill towards the north end; the very direction I was headed to. All along, I had been updating Raghu about my position, so that he we wouldn't waste time in waiting for him to reach the predefined pickup spot. The updates were being sent via Whatsapp messages. 

But I wasn't typing while driving, since I know that it is dangerous. So, I had started using the Google feature of giving it instructions, including the dictation of message to be sent via Whatsapp. I followed the same modus operandi on Friday and in hindsight, maybe sharing my Google location would have been a more effective input. 

Anyways, to give instructions to Google, one has to hold the phone on hand and as bad luck would have it, an “Uncle” spotted this. He pulled me over after I crossed the signal. If you know Andhra Mahila Sabha signal, you will also recollect what a busy junction it is and that most of State Govt ministers ply along that route. Now, I somehow understood that my phone usage was the issue and quickly let it off my hand and let it reside in one of the cubby holes of the car. 

The uncle didn't come to talk and I found that a senior uncle was asking him what was going on. And all these uncles were on walkie talkie, so presumably, some Minister was on the move and these folks were a little jittery. The junior one told his senior that I was talking on the phone. So my suspicion was correct and I was cursing myself for being so naive in using the phone such that someone could spot it! The senior uncle had by then come near my car and told the junior that it was someone else. The junior reiterated that it was me. The senior guy looked at me and asked if I was talking on the phone. 

Now we get to the place in the climax of the story line, where one reveals the title. I basically said an untruth by nodding my head in the negative to the senior cop and said “No”. The senior simply waved me away and I went off. 

So why was my statement not a lie but an untruth? It is because one has to understand what was asked. The question to me was if I was talking on the phone. The implication was that he was checking if I was on a phone call with someone. My answer was “No” and it was the right one because, I wasn't on a phone call. I was not “talking to someone on the phone” and was in fact, talking "to the phone”. 

If the cop had asked if I was using the phone, I would have confirmed it and would have been booked for “rash driving” as was the case sometime in 2015. But here, my answer was a perfectly correct statement for the question that was asked, though in wholistic terms it was not true. This, my dear audience, is what an Untruth is.

P.S.: The food was as amazing as ever.

The Anniversary that coincides with India’s Republic Day

Today, on the 12th Anniversary of a great event in my life, the time has now come for me to officially document it in this blog. Some of you have heard me narrate the story and for the benefit of the few who haven’t, here is that very interesting event.

We first rewind to India’s first Republic Day of the new millennium – 26-Jan-2000. I was well into my 2nd year at work and it was also just more than a month since my family had purchased our first car – a Cyprus Blue coloured Maruti Suzuki 800 DX. I hadn’t gotten my permanent driving license as yet and was still on my learner’s license. Also, my car driving experience by itself was only 2 weeks more than my car owning experience. Given this situation, I used to drive the car at every opportunity, within my neighbourhood, to gain more experience and confidence.

On the date indicated above, two of my friends from school had dropped home. We then decided to go to the beach. Though the beach is barely 300 metres from home, I opted to take the car. And for reasons I just don’t remember or fathom, those two guys decided to take the bike and not come with me by car.

For such a short distance, it is always faster by bike and those two reached the beach first. I tried to get a parking spot near where they were standing, but couldn’t find one. So I had to drive down a little further, take a U-Turn and park on the other side of the road. When I reached the other side, I was driving slowly, looking for a parking spot. Also, I had my windows rolled down, probably because I didn’t want to use the AC for such a short distance.

Even as I was looking for a spot, some 2-3 guys ran across the road into the lane and appeared to be headed towards my car. One of them reached my car faster than his friends and punched my face! I just had no clue what was happening. Then they all asked me to step out of the car. I did and in a completely disoriented and nervous state, was asking them why there were hitting me. One of those guys was holding me by the scruff of my shirt/t-shirt and another one gave me one more slap.

I was barely aware of what was happening, when a crowd gathered around us. The 2-3 guys were hurling abuses at me and primarily accusing me of trying to run over them! I tried reasoning with them, but I think my voice box refused to pass on to the world, the words that my brain was sending to it.

All this while, the crowd around us was just enjoying their free entertainment for the Holiday. Thankfully, mobile phones especially those with cameras weren’t sold for dime a dozen, else, I would by now be on You Tube.

Anyways, out of the blue, two policemen, on a TVS Champ, came towards this gathering. The crowd finally swung into some action and dispersed. The 2-3 guys also ran away. Being the major சமத்து (innocent) guy that I am, I suddenly got worried that the cops would ask me for my license and on seeing my learner’s license, would probably take me into custody. So, I ended up doing a non-innocent act and fled the scene in my car. 

While you may be engrossed in the narration, feeling sorry for me (or more likely be ROFL), your attention should now be directed towards the two friends of mine, who have been absent from the narrative for the past 2000 words. They now make a re-entry.

When I reached home, I stopped a few meters short my gate, primarily to examine the damage to my face. Just then, my two friends came nearby on their bike and asked me what happened. They patiently heard me narrate the incident. With their support, it was now easier for me to enter my home. My parents obviously got the shock of their life seeing their son with a big blue patch around the right eye and a completely reddened face. We went over the story once again and that is where, I found out more about what happened.

Apparently, after I crossed my friends at the beach, they saw some 2-3 guys walking near the road in a very inebriated condition. A blue coloured car had gone past them and they were miffed by the proximity it had with them. These guys had seen the car go further down, couldn’t track where it really went and when they suddenly saw a similar (similar; not same) coloured car (mine) in the opposite direction, the alcohol in their blood stream made them decide that it was me who had almost run them over.

You would still be wondering why my friends didn’t come over to help. Basically, they first saw me go by; then saw this near-accident and then, they were just chatting and looking elsewhere (at someone I suspect). They saw the crowd gathering a few seconds/minutes later and had no clue that I was there in middle. In fact, they seemed to be looking out for me in some other direction. Only when they saw the crowd disperse and spotted my car also speeding away, did they realise that I too had something to do with that gathering!

Needless to say, they were continuously chuckling while narrating their side of the story.
I was then taken to the Doctor, who gave me some medicines and did some basic cleaning of the external wounds. My colleagues at work had a tough time in accepting that someone as innocent as me could get such beatings, though my boss strongly suspected (in front of my colleagues) that I got whacked by a girl’s sandals.

So there it is; Yours Truly has been a victim of a public beating also known as தர்ம அடி. 

Do you know why traffic signal lights have an Amber/Yellow light?

Well, that was a question I was asked by a Traffic Policeman on 30th September 2010. The location was near Thoraippakkam on OMR and was roundabouts of here. The reason why that Traffic Policeman asked me that question was because, he "caught" me skipping a signal in that area.

This is what happened. I was returning home with my friend a little early that day. That day also happened to be the date when the verdict of the Ayodha Case (pertaining to ownership of land) was supposed to be announced and my office had asked all employees to leave by 3 PM. I usually return home by ECR whenever I go to the office closer home. But to avoid few sensitive pockets there, I opted to take the OMR.

When I was nearing the aforementioned signal on OMR, the green changed to amber/yellow. I was slightly distracted by a car readying to take U-turn from the opposite side and opted to not stop my car. I increased the speed and when I crossed the Stop Line, the signal turned Red. I could obviously not stop at that stage and drove on, only to be stopped by a Traffic Policeman.

Unlike my previous experience being stopped by a Traffic Policeman, this guy didn't come around waving any stick. The road was empty and I was also at a relatively slower speed of 50-55 KmPH. So, he basically just wandered into my lane and directed me to pull over.

After I stopped my vehicle, he came over and asked me the question "Signal-la yellow light yaen pottirukku theriyuma? Slow down pannarthukku. Fast-a varathukku illa. Vaanga, vandhu fine kattitu poanga". I responded that I couldn't slow down since I was at 40 and that was why I crossed it. The guy didn't buy it and said that they have timed the Amber/Yellow such that everyone can stop peacefully after seeing it!

I got down from my car and went up to the Police jeep, where to my satisfaction, I saw 5 others talking with the Policemen there. I saw the Police fill out challans to 2 of them and collecting Rs.300/- each. These both were car drivers. There were 3 others who were trying to argue with the Policeman who stopped me, but he was clear that people had violated the signal. And he was not willing to accept any deals and simply asked them all to pay up the Rs.300/- and collect the challan.

Meanwhile, the challan preparing Policeman and his partner, asked me for my license and started writing down details. I asked the partner Policeman if this was a spot fine and he responded in the affirmative. I then told him to see if there was an option whereby he could just write me a challan or ticket and we could settle this in court.

The guy, who till then didn't even make eye-contact with me, finally looked up and asked why I wanted to do it. I told him that I wanted to contest this booking and so, wanted only a court summons and not a spot fine. He asked me why I wanted to go to the court and what would be my plea? Would I argue that I hadn't skipped the signal?

I told him that I wasn't going to refute the fact that I skipped the signal. However, I was going to explain to the court that since I was at the upper limit of the permitted speed on that road, I didn't have enough time to stop when I saw the amber. That, if I had still halted, I would have done so with a major screech and could very well have made the vehicle following me, bump into me. And furthermore, I would have definitely crossed the Stop Line and would have stopped in the middle of the road and become an obstruction to traffic. Also, the same Policemen would have then fined me for stopping after the Stop Line.

All of this, I told him in a very firm yet non-argumentative tone. I was also surprisingly not nervous about the whole deal (probably because it was my second interaction with the Highway Patrol folks in 12 months) and so, had a very confident looking body language as well. I definitely think that all those soft-skill training sessions I took in my formative years in the Corporate World, finally paid their due.

The Policeman then took a very advisory tone and told me that I may very well be a very big Officer in my company, but that I had to respect the Traffic Rules. I told him that I always do and just that, due to reasons given earlier, I couldn't stop after seeing the Amber/Yellow. He then took a pause and told the challan-writer to make the fine for only Rs.100/- since I was giving out so many valid points! He turned to me and said that, that was all he could do.

I thanked him and returned to my car. After I came home, I handed over the ticket to my father. Since my mother was quite engrossed with the media coverage of the verdict, we didn't tell her about it. I then had a quick look at the back-side of the challan and found that the rates for all Spot Fines were listed there.

And for skipping signals, the fine amount was only Rs.50, whereas I had paid Rs.100 after I'd argued myself from a Rs.300 demand. So my advice to all of you folks who are pulled up to pay Spot Fines, is to (1) talk to them in a firm tone without sounding aggressive or offensive and (2) indicate that you wont mind going to court and (3) tell them that Spot Fines are always only Rs.50.

And finally, if you still don't know why traffic signal lights change from green to amber/yellow, it is to apparently to caution the drivers to slow down!

It was not just the tree that killed Pavit Singh

On the evening/night of 2nd May 2010, an accident took place at 3rd Avenue Besant Nagar. The stretch of the road is also referred to as the Besant Avenue. The accident spot is just off the curve around the Besant Scout Camp, when you travelling from Adyar towards Besant Nagar.

The accident was quite gruesome and involved a car crashing into a tree. The driver of the car, Pavit Singh, 21 years old, died on the spot. I express my heart-felt condolences to his near and dear.

I am not writing this post as a eulogy to the dead man, because, I just don't know who he is. I am writing this because, I am not happy with the outcome of this tragic event.

What was the outcome? Well, the Police and much of the public have arrived at the conclusion that the accident took place because of the tree that was in the middle of the road and the fatality ensued because the driver wasn’t wearing a seat belt. And the Police have gone ahead and cut down the trees. But, I beg to differ. The reason in my firm opinion is rash driving.

I have been travelling on that road for practically my entire life. I have been driving quite regularly too on that road. And if you drive with discipline, it is one of the most pleasurable drives you can get in the city, what with the smooth surface and dense foliage in the form of old trees. Even in the day time during peak summers, one can find a distinct difference in the temperature there.

However, the youth have been known to drive very indiscriminately on that stretch. The bikers are especially the worst of the lot. With the improving economy in the last few years, more cars have also joined the list.

The other fact is that, a lot of these drivers and riders are new to the stretch. They generally see a pretty wide stretch of good road with not much of traffic. That somehow triggers them to show off their speeding capabilities. And they naturally miss out the continuous warning signs placed on the road. The warning signs basically ask the motorists not to speed and also warn them about the presence of trees.

But once you are into speeding, you don't care about the signs. How can you care when you don't read them right? And adding to the thrill is the presence of a pretty good curve on the road near the Scout Camp. And the issue comes up right there.

Once you round the curve, the experienced (those who use that road regularly) motorists tend to keep to the middle of the road, because there are 2 big trees that are away from the “platform” and pretty much on the road. One of them in fact has a 2 feet gap between the platform and its trunk.

I have often seen the inexperienced drivers try to overtake other vehicles on the curve, from the left. They invariably head straight into the tree and then swerve right, into the regular lane to avoid it. This obviously causes trouble to the vehicle that is already there to the right.

Now coming back to this case, Pavit Singh is reported to have been driving a car with at least 4 others in his car. Some reports in fact suggest that there were 6. I heard from my friend that he was driving a new Maruti Ritz (he saw the damaged car near the Besant Nagar Police Station). And most of the passengers in the car were girls. And the average age of everyone in the car was 21 or 22. The accident took place late on Sunday night, because the reports appeared only on Tuesday in the local newspapers.

To me, that clearly says that the driver wouldn’t have been driving in a disciplined state, because, as a long term resident of the area (his house was in Indra Nagar and did his schooling in Adyar), he would be well aware of the tree. I am not alluding that he was under the influence of alcohol, but going by the other data available, I am willing to conclude that he was just showing off his driving skills to his buddies.

The tree just didn’t spring up when he took the curve. So don't blame the tree as being the cause of the accident. He wasn’t wearing a seat-belt and yes, that would have ensured the fatality. But, why wasn’t he wearing one? Do you know that Seat-belts are mandatory for the front occupants of the car and this is a rule ratified by the Supreme Court more than 10 years ago? So, why weren’t the Police booking people for not wearing their seat-belt?

And now everyone’s launching a campaign for educating people about wearing seat-belt. Why educate I ask? Just enforce the law!

I said earlier that this is not a eulogy for Pavit Singh. But after reading this rant, you may well think that this is a tirade against him. No, that is not my intent either. I have used this case of Pavit Singh, though it can very well be applied in toto to countless Amits, Rajendrans, Bashas and Daniels who drive badly.

My target audience for the rant is the Police who acted swiftly in ensuring that the trees in contention were cut off. If at all they were so concerned all these years, why did they not cut the tree earlier? If there were cases stopping them from cutting it, have they acted in contempt of court now? If there were protests to protect the trees, why didn’t they increase the patrolling on that stretch? Why didn’t they ensure that there was no speeding on that road? Why didn’t they put up speed-breakers on either side of the curve on both lanes? And why didn’t they put additional speed-breakers in the middle of that curve? Did they simply decide that the trees had to go and were waiting for a fatal accident to happen?

I will tell you this. Now that the trees are not there, more moronic motorists are going to be speeding up faster on that stretch. Mark my words, the next fatal accident is only around the corner – pun unintended.

P.S: You can read about the accident and the follow-up actions in these websites.

http://www.hindu.com/2010/05/04/stories/2010050460460300.htm

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chennai/Dont-miss-the-tree-for-the-road/articleshow/5887902.cms

http://lite.epaper.timesofindia.com/getpage.aspx?pageid=2&pagesize=&edid=&edlabel=TOICH&mydateHid=04-05-2010&pubname=&edname=&publabel=TOI

http://lite.epaper.timesofindia.com/getpage.aspx?pageid=2&pagesize=&edid=&edlabel=TOICH&mydateHid=05-05-2010&pubname=&edname=&publabel=TOI

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chennai/Victims-kin-plan-road-safety-drive/articleshow/5904939.cms

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Pavit-Singh-SeatBelt-Campaign/119780684713527

A thief entered my parents' bedroom

On Tuesday, the 21st of April, a thief gained entry into my parents' bedroom. We are not very sure as to when he actually came in. But, the fact of the matter is that he was lying down under the bed, right below the side where my mother sleeps.

She had gone to sleep around just after 10:30 PM and within 5 minutes or so, she felt something move below the cot. She got up and looked underneath the bed expecting to see a squirrel or even a rat. But she ended up making eye-contact with a man stretched out in a supine position.

She immediately raised an alarm. I was downstairs at that time and by the time I understood that it was my mother calling for me, I also hear some footsteps from the floor above. I still thought that perhaps it was my mother having some kind of health related issue and ran upstairs.

On reaching the first floor, my first thought was to go towards her bedroom. But I saw her on the floor near the main door of the hall and she was shouting that a thief ran away towards the balcony. I rushed out to the balcony, but found no one there.

I gave a general "daei" shout from there. Then called the watchmen on duty in the house diagonally opposite ours. My mother joined me in the balcony by then and told me that a thief ran away from under her bed and out of the balcony.

She was, quite naturally, in a total state of shock. I was mildly shocked myself and checked with her if she had been hurt. She had tripped on her own when she tried to follow the thief on his way out and a tooth had moved out of its place and cut the lip. There was some minor bleeding.

The watchmen who were now at my gates kept asking as to what happened. I gave them a brief narration and asked them to look around the compound to see if anyone was there. After their quick search, I asked them to wait and went downstairs with my parents (my father was also in the ground floor when my mother shouted for help, but he was in the loo and joined us upstairs a minute or two later).

I let the watchmen inside. I left my mother with my father and went with the watchmen to the first floor. We looked around the house. All rooms. Shelves. Cupboards. Lofts. Just to ensure that there was no one else. After they gave us the "all clear" signal, we decided to call the Police.

My next door neighbor Mahesh who also came in by then, insisted that we inform the Police. I called up 100 and passed on this information. But it was almost 11:20 by the time I made this call and so a Patrol van came by around 11:35.

A lady S.I and a constable came in. We narrated the incident. Took them to the scene and gave a detailed narration there too. They asked us to relax and gave us a lot of assurance. The lady was especially very supportive. She gave us her mobile number and asked us to call her for anything anytime.

After all this dust settled, we all retired back to the confines of my room where all of us have been sleeping since that night (Thursday night is going to be third straight night).

I have just narrated the incident so far. The impact it has left on our collective psyche is unimaginable. My mother is very much in a state of shock/fear and so is my father. I want to write a lot of things, but I first need to calm myself. I thought it would be easy for me to write it, but I got goose pimples while typing some of the lines here.

It is just the prayers and good karma that has helped us come through this incident without any loss or impact, except the psychological one of course. We can only thank the almighty for saving us in this time and also my gratitude to all our friends and neighbors who have dropped in from last evening, once the news spread through the local grapevine.

Fined on the spot for over-speeding

It was around 5.30 PM on Wednesday the 17th of September 2008. I was returning home from office with a couple of friends in my car. I have been working out of the office closer home for the past couple of months and that day was one of those days.

So, there I was, happily coasting along the ECR at my usual speed of 80 KmPH in the stretch near Hot Kitchen restaurant. Suddenly in the middle of my lane, there appeared an apparition dressed in white shirt and khaki trousers and waving a big stick at me. I started braking and found out the apparition to be a real traffic constable.

He pointed me to the edge of the road using that big stick. When I pulled over, he came up to my window. I rolled it down and with my heart beating a little faster than normal, I asked him what was the matter. He responded by asking me why I was going so fast.

He confirmed my fear that I was pulled over for going faster than the posted speed limit. He then came closer to our car and said:
"400 rupees fine sir".
Me: "How much?"
TP (Traffic Police; abbreviation should not bring any other explanation to your mind): "400 rupees sir".
Me: "Ok, I am willing to pay the fine".
I then got out of my car.
TP: "Or you can pay 300 rupees fine and collect the challan."
Me: "Ok sir. Whatever is the fine, let me know and I will pay it. No problem."
TP: "Then it is 300 rupees sir."
Me: "Ok. Where do I pay?"
TP: "First give me your license"
I handed it over. He checked it. Then, he escorted me a few steps behind to where a patrol jeep was standing. He told a policeman standing in front of the jeep to prepare a spot fine challan for 300 rupees.
He then went off to the main road and I saw him do a similar waving gesture at a WagonR that was also coming at a good speed in that stretch. After successfully stopping that car, this dude came over to the patrol jeep. The policeman preparing the spot fine ticket and the receipt for the fine was quite busy with his paperwork. By then we were joined by another policeman, who looked a Sergeant-ish type. The gesticulating TP then came near his senior and said "sir, he accepted to pay whatever the fine was sir. he is a gentleman sir". I was instantly reminded of the famous Enna romba nallavannu sollittaan ma statement of Vadivelu!

Anyways, I never intended to bribe these policemen in the first place and even if the fine had been of much higher proportions, I would have paid it or at least collected the ticket to contest it in court.

My license was then handed back to me along with the spot fine ticket and the receipt. I paid the 300 rupees and before leaving the scene, I asked the gesticulating TP what the speed limit was in that area. He told that one could go up to 60 but I was going at 79! I assumed that he did track me on a radar or better still, he was able to guess my speed quite perfectly.

Ever since, my friends have been strongly cautioning me when I near that stretch, to go slow. However this does not come anywhere close to the warnings my parents were giving me while we were all in the USA and I got a speeding ticket right in front of them!

And please, do not jump to the conclusion that I am some speeding maniac on the road. Those of you who have travelled with me know full well that I don't drive that fast except on stretches that are really empty and the road is quite straight.

There is another bit of irony to this episode. It was only that same morning, that I was talking to a couple of team members that I don't drive that fast!!!

Just garbage

Note: This posting was in my draft for quite some time and I forgot to publish it. So its slightly outdated, but at least reflects what I was going on in my mind a couple of weeks back.

************************************************************************************


If you and your parents ever had a conversation in Tamizh, during the time you were a teenager, the phrase "nee kuppai kotta kooda laayakku illai" must have entered the scene at least one out of three times.

That phrase, my friends is applicable to the Chennai Corporation, the Mayor of Chennai, the Local Administration Minister of TN and also the Chief Minister of TN.

Collectively this motley group of morons, have ensured that come pockets of Chennai become "Stink-aara Chennai" a moniker far removed from the Utopian dream of "Singaara Chennai".

What steps had been taken by the Coprporation to actually inspect the new agency's capability to take over from the first guy? Going by the evidence that is visible even to a blind life-form on Mars, the Corporation has not done any such inspection.

A simple check would have shown them that the new agency didn't have the basic understanding of replacing the Garbage bins that the previous agency had. They might give a million reasons about delays in procurement or the vehicle that was transporting the bins getting lost in the Bermuda Triangle. But the onus was surely on Chennai Corporation to ensure that things were in place.

And after seeing (and obviously smelling) all the garbage piled up in the city, our Government took the great step of having the Policemen come and clear up the garbage. If only the officials in-charge of taking this decision had some exposure to senior managers of an IT company, they would have very well gone ahead and said any/all of the following:
1. they optimised the availability of people
2. they ensured that things went smoothly
3. they proactively took steps to minimise further damage
4. they feel they can start looking at this as a new business model

But as usual, I digress. Having Policemen clear garbage? That's so ridiculous. The Corporation could have very well deployed thousands of daily wage laborers for this. They could have gone back to Onyx right away and worked out a deal for a few days. But asking Policemen to clear garbage was a typically idiotic move that this Government is capable of.

As it is, the motivation of the force is quite low. Most of them join the force not by choice, but due to lack of other options. Agreed a whole lot of them act as stooges of the political party that is in power, but there must some good percentage of cops who are genuinely interested and deeply proud and passionate about being a Policeman.

Isn't the Government reducing the sanctity of the job by asking them to pick up the mountains of piled up garbage? One might argue that the Armed Forces are quite often called in for help whenever there is a natural calamity. That's a whole different challenge and definitely requires extensive planning and lot of courageous souls to participate in rescue operations. Not the case, while allu-fying kuppai.

Things have definitely improved now and the new company has started its operations. But I still cannot forgive this Government and Chennai Corporation for making my neighborhood such a big cess-pool.

Who will police the Police?

Article in The Hindu today. The print edition had this awesome picture.
And as the saying goes, Words speak a Thousand Pictures or vice versa.