PATHANAMTHITTA: It was all in tune with the law!
A motor vehicle inspector known for stroking up an awesome beat was on his official beat in in Mallappally, Pathanamthitta, when he chanced upon an occasion to put his percussion skills to use -- as it turned out, to make a valuable pitch for road safety.
Ajith Andrews, with the Mallappally sub-regional transport office, was conducting a routine inspection when he flagged down a motorcycle for a traffic violation. That's when he noticed that the pillion rider, Sumesh Mallappally, was his long-time friend and companion at music recitals.
However, the well-known singer was not wearing a helmet. As it turned out, Sumesh was on his way to deliver a mridangam to a friend and had the instrument with him.
"When people around us heard the conversation about our shared musical interests, they insisted on an impromptu performance," Ajith said.
And what transpired was a short recital that some onlookers captured on their phones and shared on social media.
A video of the incident, which took place on March 19, went viral. The video's caption, "Carnatic musician caught by traffic inspector for not wearing a helmet in Kerala. As the inspector turned out to be a mridangam artist himself... watch what happened next!" perfectly captured the moment.
The clip shows Ajith on mridangam accompanying Sumesh's vocal.
But, the music didn't strain the MVI from his sense of duty -- Sumesh was still fined Rs 500 for not wearing a helmet and received an e-challan notification.
"I admit that it was a mistake on my part and I paid the fine," Sumesh said. According to Ajith. he was concerned about the safety of the friend. The MVD team also conducted a brief awareness session for Sumesh on the importance of wearing an helmet.
"There have seen several instances where we lost talented people to accidents. I want this interaction to remind people about the importance of safety on the road, especially two-wheeler riders," the MVI said.
Ajith had started to learn playing percussion instruments about six years ago, at the age of 45. He has been training on the mridangam for over a year and also has experience playing the chenda and the tabla. Sumesh is happy that the viral video has garnered his singing high praise.
All's well that ends well.