The happening street.

A reformed rowdy was hacked to death on one of the busiest roads that abuts a slum, last night back in here .At Chennai slums are found in and around the busiest as well as in the poshest places.

I got to know about this ,though the act took place just a few furlongs away ,only in the morning next ,from Tamil TV channels .

I did hear a lot of wailing late at that night and saw a group of policemen pacifying an agitated crowd.I learnt later that no sooner did that incident take place all the shops in the vicinity downed their shutters and people scurried to the safety of their homes.

Though i did not know about the act that night i could detect a change in the atmosphere in this area ,a normally noisy place had become unnaturally quiet and that seemed oppressive and uneasy and i couldnt quite put my finger into it.

The next day morn [sunday] when all temples would normally dispense devotional songs at high decibel compelling every one to spare a thought to the almighty ,were all silent.
The roads were deserted and only those present were Khakhi clad young, very young and willowy policemen and women and their middle aged bosses.Some of them camped right in front of our flat ,near the gate ,as also inside, all alert but also bored.

I took some snaps and video of them and was repeatedly thwarted in my attempts to copy or upload them [as well as those on birds and tiny animals]
I wanted my hand ful viewers ,i have only a handful, mind you, to see the 'happening street ' and show off my videographic skills [newly acquired]but was deprived of this small pleasure by even smaller minds.

The funeral procession was over in the evening with a lot of noise, dancing, whistling, bursting of crackers to the heavy roll of thapatai's [drums]drowning the wails.

The night that followed is quiet too quiet . A deathly silence has enveloped the entire area with police vans parked every where.
The enforcement of law, as effectively as is warranted to cap and contain boiling emotions.

It reminded me of the curfew at Ranchi,but with a big difference.The trust i had then that all human beings are basically decent,is no more whole,it has several dents now.

A spin off ,of this gory incident [according to dailies due to prior enmity] is that a posse of policeman have displaced my z category security[imaginary or otherwise] overnight and my mind is no longer jammed.