The streets of Purasawalkam are normally deserted by 10 pm; all shops down shutters, share autos leave for their stands and except for the occasional drone of a car or a bike, the roads are still.
Two days before Deepavali, one could hardly recognise these streets. Flashy lights and banners beckoned people to the shops. The crowd in Saravana Stores spilled onto the Purasawalkam High Road even at 11 pm. Roadside vendors too made a killing. But it wasn’t just the major stores that kept their doors open for customers - the clothing stores in Mookathal Street and Tana Street too stayed open late to accommodate their mostly working young customers who dropped in to pick up new clothes. Traffic was slow-moving than usual, with extra traffic personnel required for regulation. Shoppers who parked their vehicles on the side lines had to pick up their rides from Vepery Police Station as they were taken away.