CHENNAI: The mightiest cyclone in two decades seen by Chennai on Monday left the city ravaged with at least 500 trees (official figure, and the number will cross a few thousands) uprooted.
The uprooted trees blocked roads and disrupted traffic. However, as the cyclone was causing as much havoc to the city as off-spinner R Ashwin did to the England line-up a few hours ago, a bunch of 10 youngsters in Mandaveli in were seen playing
cricket
on a road where buses and heavy vehicles would otherwise ply.
Rain stopped around 2pm, the winds stopped gushing and the sun was out for a short-while. Most office-goers and school and college students preferred to stay back home. Grounds are soggy; but roads, especially freshly laid ones like Devanathan road, provide a hard surface for tennis ball-cricket. This is a key thoroughfare for all buses headed north and west of the city from the south.
These youngsters, employees at IT firms in Chennai and living in Mandaveli, played with gay abandon. They declined to share their names, fearing being recognised by their bosses, who assumed that they were working from home.
Remember, the pin-code of Mandaveli is Chennai-600028, also the title of a cult film on street-cricket in Chennai's lanes. No wonder the spirit is still alive.