Empty roads are nothing new for Chennai afternoons.
Considering the heat suffered by the Southern coast at this time of the day, it
would be criminal to walk about in the sun – except, of course, if you’re a
news reporter.
Even so, the roads of Chennai pre-March 16 and post-March 16
were completely different. Citizens seemed to have taken seriously the State
government announcement to close down public places until March 31 as a
precaution against the spread of Coronavirus.
It was odd walking around the city. Especially when I passed
by Phoenix Market City mall, one of Chennai’s most popular malls. The place was
empty. The long line of auto-drivers at the entrance had vanished.
Being from Mumbai, I had never really considered Chennai to
be a heavily-populated city but on seeing the mall, I could not help wondering
how these varied shutdowns across states would affect everyday life.
But perhaps my wonderings were pre-mature. The shores of
Chennai seemed unaffected by the infection as hundreds of people continued to
walk about Edward Elliot’s beach, munching on the spring potatoes and corn that
vendors offered. In the end, it seemed as if the people of India had done what
they always do; interpreted any State-sanctioned shutdown as a holiday.
It is both amusing and vexing how we citizens fail to follow
government procedures yet accuse the government of not taking care of us.
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