There are two faces of the Marina at pandemic time. The first that is barricaded from the Light House end, northwards. The second runs along the Marina Loop Road which is alive and abuzz pre-dawn to late night.
Not just because one section of the Loop Road has the fish hawkers stalls that draws hundreds of people, not just because hundreds of fishers and others reside in the colonies fronting the sea. But because a different kind of life goes on here and even pandemic-time regulations, save for police patrolled sections don’t exist or can be executed here.
On Saturday evening, there were hundreds of people buying fish at the stalls.
At an Amman Temple on the south side, music blared to greet visitors. On Sunday, women will bring in 108 milk pots to offer as abishekham to the deity. Expect a big crowd and celebrations too.
Further up, at a shrine for Mother Mary, cooks were readying a rice-based feast as the penultimate day of the feast got underway. Many, many residents were expected to be served dinner after 7 p.m.
Midway, all kinds of snacks stalls greeted beach-goers. In the shadow of the Light House, these snacks carts – chips, bajjis, snacks on offer – crowded both sides of the road where cars honked and sneaked in and out.
Beach-goers do wear masks, not all do it properly. But there’s no social distancing at busy fresh fish sales or snacks stalls.
The police just cannot handle this kind of a neighbourhood. They will perhaps barricade it on Sunday to disallow cars and bikes into the fish sales zone.
- File photo used here.
Is this Indian version of the Wuhan virus? Though now discarded, a theory suggested that wuhan virus emanated from wet markets of Wuhan in China.
The lab leaked virus had found enough hosts to multiply on and then find its way to the guts of wet meat lovers.
Its now third feared and expected Third wave of highly transmissible and infections Delta mutant has entered…. hospitals across India are getting ready to receive surge of patients. Elsewhere special places ear marked for cremating many willing and responsible naysayers….
In this and many other places in Chennai and in India as a whole ,many have forgotten the deadly nightmarish second wave, The taste of dead beings is such a delight that everything else is ignored. I really think, if the police become bit more stringent, threatening people with dire consequences and wielding lathis and shooting ,people will surely stay away. But it should just be a threat and done as fiercely as the real beatings. They should spare no one, men women, kids and elders.
If police plead inability, then the pandemic will collapse medical systems, medical folks will fall sick and we will lose those precious fighters.
No… am not being pessimistic. Just that all the work of government has made me highly responsible. Avoiding crowded places, wearing two masks when I happen to be in markets, buses where crowds gather,
Buses may become another source…. the conductor asks people to stand closer. People sitting in twos. Not wearing masks. Sometimes I get off such buses as there is no responsibility on part of the staff.