
Matter of space
The newly-built fish market at Loop Road is proving to be a ‘catch’ of a different kind. Despite crores of rupees spent by the GCC, vendors are far from hooked to the design. The stalls are not spacious, creating a perfect recipe for sales to flop. So, what do vendors do? Take over the parking lot, of course. When asked why they weren’t sent back to their stalls, one vendor quipped, “The officials said, ‘Do anything inside, just don’t spill out onto the road!’” Seems GCC’s real concern is not the market’s success, but keeping its fishy chaos behind closed doors.
Muted minds
Anna University’s response to the recent sexual assault incident has been twofold: beefed-up security and an eyebrow-raising gag order. Faculty have been told not to speak to mediapersons or share even academic updates without approval. The catch? There’s no one to grant it. With the vice-chancellor’s chair vacant and the registrar missing in action, the directive is a dead end. Frustrated faculty are left navigating this strange silence. Safety measures are welcome, but a communication freeze? That’s hardly reassuring for an institution that should be setting the bar for accountability and openness.
Honour recycled
Last November, during the grama sabha at Pachal Panchayat at Jolarpet in Tirupattur, 50 sanitation workers were honoured with what appeared to be an award ceremony—until the twist was revealed. Only five shawls were available to honour all 50. The process was elegantly simple: drape a worker in a shawl, give a round of applause, and voila!—the shawl was whisked away to grace the next worker. The media had a field day, capturing the recycling in action. It’s clear: Pachal’s honours are like its shawls—recycled, budget-friendly, and just a tad awkward. Talk about sustainable recognition!
Men on stage, women off
In Tirunelveli, DMK functionaries staged a protest against TN Governor R N Ravi’s walkout from the assembly. The highlight? A truck trailer doubling as a stage for 20 male leaders, from youth to seniors, including former speaker Avudaiappan and ex-minister Mohideen Khan. Meanwhile, female functionaries, including former MP Vijila Sathyanath, were left standing below, silent and sidelined. Not a single woman spoke, leaving them wondering if this was a protest or a show of hierarchy.
(Contributed by Binita Jaiswal, Dheepthi O J, Praveena S A and Thinakaran Rajamani; compiled by Dinesh Jefferson E)