Off the cuff: TNIE photographer chased by sand smugglers in Tirunelveli

New Indian Express

7 days ago

Call of duty denied
Step into this Fire and Rescue officer's office, and the first thing you'll get rid of is your phone. The senior officer in Coimbatore has turned his cabin into a mobile-free fortress, fearing covert recordings from every ringtone and notification beep. Staff, officers, visitors - no one's exempt (except, of course, the man himself). Phones are left like lost puppies on chairs outside his door, as the 'protocol' is enforced with the same seriousness as a fire drill. Sources say the officer is worried his words might come back to haunt him. Ironically, he seems unaware that tech these days can record even from your shoes!
R Kirubakaran
Occupational hazard
What started as a routine photo-op turned into an action thriller for TNIE's Tirunelveli lensman Karthik Alagu on Thursday. He had dropped by the Manur big tank to snap a few frames of fishing — fishy business, literally. But a group of 'gentlemen' at the tank weren't exactly angling for attention. The click of Karthik's camera had them rattled. Not because they were camera shy — but because they were busy scooping up sand (read: pilfering) with an excavator and loading it onto a truck. In a real-life 'Paiyaa' moment, the startled sand-lifters turned road-ragers and began pursuing Karthik, who zipped away on his two-wheeler like a seasoned hero. However, about eight men — some in a car bearing a political party flag, one on a bike — caught up with him on the Manur-Tirunelveli road and waylaid him. Tensions ran high until they checked his camera and realised it had no photos of the extraction. Instantly, they shifted lanes. The goons-turned-gentlemen began pacifying him, as if they'd only stopped him to ask for directions. Karthik left unharmed.
Thinakaran Rajamani
Aadi promotion alert
The Aadi Thiruvathirai festival preparations at Gangaikonda Cholapuram took a surprise political twist on Saturday when a BJP woman functionary welcomed party state president Nainar Nagenthran with grand fanfare — and an even grander title: 'Future Deputy Chief Minister.' Nagenthran, clearly not expecting a promotion mid-meeting, quickly waved it off, urging her not to make such declarations. The moment left cadres looking around in confusion, unsure whether to clap or quietly erase the comment from memory. The meeting, meant to focus on arrangements for PM Narendra Modi's expected visit on July 27, briefly turned into a prophecy session. Festival plans may be on track, but for now, the only unexpected twist was the accidental crowning of a deputy CM.
P Thiruselvam