I cursed to myself all the way to Nungambakkam High Road, and so overshot my turn, and had to go back to Gemini Circle and start again. When I did turn into the narrow side road - a two-lane street with parking on both sides - I got stuck behind a truck heaped with 25-litre plastic bottles of mineral water. As long as the jam continued, the water people unloaded one bottle after another, delivering them to offices and houses on the road. Like ants carrying pupae away from a hill under threat. And I was late for my appointment. Grrr...
(The last time I drove on that narrow road was six months ago. Because of the monsoon's onset the side-roads were flooded. As I rounded the corner I passed an Electricity Board substation, burning and sparking where loose twists of cable were soaking in brown water. The smoke was white and acrid, it hung in the humid air. I had just passed a man carrying a brass tray piled with strings of jasmine, which he was selling from house to house. I imagined that he would step into the water and the smoke and be electrocuted, and fall backward with the flowers on his chest, like Ophelia.)
And another thing!... A big Grrr for today, when I have to go to the High Court, to a Lok Adalat (People's Court). Lok Adalats are set up periodically to address grievances against government services. This one is a Property Tax Lok Adalat. I have to try to convince them that our latest house tax assessment is too high.
I once went to lunch in the chambers of a previous Chief Justice of the High Court. The Court's main buildings are in the Indo-Saracenic style. The CJ's enormous chambers led off from his private courtroom, which was ornate, but badly maintained. The ceiling was covered with beautiful and elaborate wooden patterns, but in between were unfortunate pseudo-Mughal paintings. The plaster-of-Paris designs on the walls had been highlighted with silver paint. The original stained glass windows and ornate grills were terrific, though.
The CJ disrobed down to shirt and trousers for lunch, so I was able to see his costume partly deconstructed: underneath the short black cape was a natty fitted waist-length black jacket, with black piping on the sleeves and black covered buttons. It would have made a nice lady's evening jacket.
The guests were taken on a walk around the Court buildings, and had a good lunch, brought from home in large tiffin carriers by Mrs. CJ and served by white-uniformed bearers.
Sigh. The Lok Adalat will not be held in such pleasant and interesting surroundings. I wish I could be a memsahib more often!
The High Court stamp is from a page of Indian stamps.