A desperate call for water

By Our Special Correspondent

CHENNAI, JULY 23. A desperate look-out for water in the scorching heat of already water-starved Chennai in the course of Sivaji Ganesan's funeral procession, brought to the fore how even the best of human intentions could threaten to run down the gravity of the occasion.

Initially, as the delayed procession moved very slowly through the narrow South Boag road amidst milling crowds from all sides, the heat growing by the hour left parched throats looking for water. The ``VIP mourners'' from the film world were no exception.

Already hung with grief and fatigue, one of their aides in the flower-bedecked truck carrying Sivaji's body, barely managed to communicate through a sign language that the others desperately needed water. But the crowd was so heavy that no willing helper could get anywhere near the vehicle. When the procession crossed Anna Salai near the Pasumponn Thevar statue and moved onto the broader Chamiers road,

a media vehicle, part of the cortege, overtook the main truck, which had stopped briefly near the Thevar statue.

Scores of mourners already atop that structure screamed to have a look of Sivaji, even as the good Samaritans among the media threw mineral water bottles onto the occupants of the main truck.

The water bottles flew one after another with some aides of the top film stars pressed into a catching session as it were. But one of the plastic bottles accidentally fell right on the glass casing in which Sivaji lay on his last journey.

Ram Kumar, seated very close to his father's body, threw up in a rage as it were and shouted, ``stop that thing now.''

The solemnity of the occasion was quickly restored as some others by then came running with two boxes of mineral water bottles for the mourners on the truck.

A large number of women artistes who had joined in the procession in a separate truck, initially insisted on walking the whole distance from Sivaji's T. Nagar residence to the Besant Nagar electric crematorium.

However, Sarath Kumar, seeing the surging crowds, quickly called up his wife, Radhika, over the cellphone and told her to prevail upon the woman artistes to get into the vehicle meant for them. That solved another delicate logistical problem.

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Section  : Southern States
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