Temples cleared for road widening

Over the years we have seen so many tiny shrines, maybe no more than a stone at the base of a tree, develop into full fledged temples - taking over the pavements, and quite often, a good part of the road as well. These temples keep growing, along with the number of worshipers and begin to hinder all the traffic in the area. Festival days make it impossible to even go near the place - with loud speakers blaring devotional songs and hundreds of people literally sitting on the street.

Usually no one wants to object to this for fear of offending people's sentiments. So, I was pleased when I found this article in the paper yesterday, and was very impressed that the Corporation braved the ire of the locals and devotees, and went ahead with the demolition of two temples in Velachery. Good for them!

I wonder whether some of the temples in my locality are in that list of 36. Are you affected by any in your neighbourhood? What do you think of this drive to demolish temples that encroach into the roads and pavements? Leave a comment or email me at childofchennai@gmail.com .