A ‘dry’ intro that drew smiles
Ramanathapuram collector had the IAS officers’ conference at the secretariat in splits with his opening remark. As the first officer to make a presentation, he introduced himself with a witty observation. “I am the collector of Ramanathapuram. While bureaucrats often refer to so-called punishment postings as ‘thanniyillatha kaadu’ (a waterless wilderness), my district is actually a water-scarce region,” he said. The remark drew smiles from the gathering, including Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay, who briefly looked up from his notes before the presentations resumed. A dry joke, from a district known for its dry spells.
-Prabhakar Tamilarasu
Road to luxury hits a bump
Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay’s review meeting with transport department officials took an unexpected detour. Officials said Vijay played a video of a plush air-conditioned bus gliding through a foreign country and wondered aloud why Tamil Nadu could not send similar buses to its villages. Officials said the question prompted a few puzzled looks before they began explaining the economics. They pointed to the cost of procuring such buses and the practical challenges of operating them on rural routes, where roads, passenger demand and maintenance needs are unlikely to match the luxury on display.
-Prabhakar Tamilarasu
Singappen sings off-key in DMK
A scheme meant to empower women ended up exposing political fault lines at the Cuddalore Corporation Council. Trouble began when DMK councillor A Parvathi of Ward 5 praised the state government’s Singappen scheme, calling it a welcome initiative. Her party colleagues were quick to ask how a DMK member could applaud a TVK-led government’s programme. Parvathi stood her ground, saying she supported the scheme as a woman because it focused on women’s safety, not politics. The explanation failed to convince fellow councillors, who kept up the protests. Incidentally, her son A Rajasekar had contested the Assembly polls on a TVK ticket.
-Bagalavan Perier B