Bus Day and Pickpocket Day: A Satirical Civic Chronicle of Chennai's Festival of Vices
Bus Day — When College Reopens and Chaos Climbs the Roof The Scene: It's June. The monsoon hasn't quite arrived, but something else has—thousands of college students, fresh from summer break, bursting with pent-up energy and questionable judgment. Welcome to Bus Day , Chennai's unofficial festival of vehicular anarchy. The Ritual: Picture this: an MTC bus, meant for 40 seated passengers, now carrying 80—half of them on the outside . Students cling to window bars like primates reclaiming their ancestral trees. Others perch atop the roof, waving college flags as if they've conquered Everest. The bus lurches forward, honking helplessly, driven by a conductor who's long given up on fare collection and now just prays for survival. The Participants: Pachaiyappa's and Presidency students are the usual suspects, though every college sends its delegates. Freshmen prove their mettle by dangling from footboards. Seniors orchestrate the chaos from strategic va...