Friday, March 12, 2004

Make way for the DPM
On our way back to Naagarcoil from one shoot in Kanyakumari, we briefly became a threat to national security. Kaushal, our location sound engineer, and also a huge fan of NFS decided to take the wheel of the Maruti Omni. As we whizzed through the towns and villages of the district and entered the main highway lined with BJP flags and police constables, we developed a flat. Advani was to pass through any minute and there we were in the middle of the highway�stuck like a fat turtle on adhesive flypaper (that�s a Sidhuism). A nearby PC (police constable) rushed at us shouting like a madman. And we shouted back at him and told him to be a little more polite. After a while though, the cop turned a little mellow and bemoaned his unenviable job of providing bandobast standing day and night, and trying to protect the DPM�s convoy, only armed with wooden lathis. We quietened as well, and started to get the spare tyre in place. Meanwhile a DSP�s jeep rushed towards us to find out what the hell was happening. The IPS officer was disarmingly polite and even offered the service of a constable to help fix our flat. After 10 anxious moments for the cops, we calmly fixed the tyre and sped away. I only saw greater relief on the faces of the cops the next day when Advani finally left the district and crossed the border into Kerala.

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