His name, according to the painting, is M. Selvam (a generic kind of name -- selvam just means a man [wrong! -- see update below]), and from the garland surrounding him, I would guess that he is dead. And now he has disappeared behind a layer of white-wash. I meant to ask someone who he was, but I didn't. The open shirt looks like that of a working man, perhaps a driver. The luxuriant moustache is old-fashioned and countrified. It is mainly worn, at least here in the city, by policemen.
Here, a block away, is the Tamil film star Sharatkumar:
As I was taking this, a man beckoned to me from around the corner. He wanted me to photograph him with his dog. So I asked him to sit in front of a sign for an autorickshaw stand.
The bench is for the drivers to rest on, and Lord Ganesh protects them on the right. (As soon as I took the picture, he held out his hand for it. I said, "It doesn't come instantly. But I'll give it to you when it's ready." And I did, and he saluted me, and gave me the most beautiful smile.)
Update: I am really grateful when people correct me -- I know that I'm bound to make mistakes. So, thanks to Ravages, of Selective Amnesia, who tells me that "Selvam, in Tamil means wealth, prosperity and cattle, depending on the context. Parents sometimes name their first born male child Selvam."
Update 2: Tormented by the thought that M. Selvam might actually be Nakeeran Gopal, as suggested by Ramnath, I belatedly rushed to the site, and put the question to a couple of gents who were squatting on the footpath. They told me that M. Selvam was an autorickshaw driver -- there's an auto stand nearby -- who was killed. This was a memorial to him. And they also gave me the good news that the picture will be renewed shortly. So that's all right. (And while I was out I dropped in at Sangeetha for bonda / sambar / chutney and Kumbakonam coffee. So that was all right, too.)
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