When politicians light up your life

Less than 200 metres from the Ayyappan Temple (refer previous post), shops were shut not because it was a Sunday but because there was a public meeting going on. And, you are right, addressed by members of a political outfit. The loud whirring of a generator could be heard yards away, but was one generator enough to light up all those lights and bulbs, I wondered! For, not only were strobe lights used to light up the stage and roundabouts, but on the roads adjoining, tube lights at intervals of 20 feet ran for more than a kilometer. With the state government and the Tamil Nadu Electricity Board trying to spread the message about energy conservation, what was being practiced was quite something else. The roads were fairly well lit, so were scores of tube lights needed to show the VIPs the way?

Pictures show views of the main road near the meeting spot, with tube lights strung on both sides, political visitors squeezed together on stage and others jockeying for space, and the general buzz around the scene of the meeting.