No, no, not the film by the Tamil actor which ran into troubled waters in Karnataka, all because the man went and announced that ‘Tamil is the mother of Kannada’! Predictably, all self-respecting
Kannadigas, me included, went into a tizzy and denounced the man’s silly claim. The long and short of the whole saga was that his much-publicised film, Thug Life was banned in cinema theatres across Karnataka.

Last I heard, the actor was moving court against the ban, but I personally feel we in Karnataka are better off without that particular kind of thugs in our state. We don’t need them. We, especially in
Bengaluru have our own special breed of thugs! A newly emerging species of thugs hitherto quiet and submissive, but of late they are slowly rising … and how!

And our Bengaluru thugs are seen wielding, not the regular weapons of all violent south Indian films, knives, axes or machetes, but that most under rated of all things – the ordinary chappal. Yes, you
read right – the sandal, the slipper or whatever name the humble footwear rejoices under.

The chappal is humble no more!

It has been raised to a new status. By none other than some women species who have aced the game in putting the thing to its rightful use! Not simply on their feet, but as a weapon. A couple of recent viral videos have shown us just how powerful a weapon a mere chappal can be. There’s one video in which a girl can be seen vigorously wielding it on an auto driver. Left and right, back and
forth she went with her chappal, all the while screaming in shrill tones. And why? Allegedly, the auto scraped against her vehicle in the middle of a crowded Bangalore road. Ouch! In another incident,
yet another woman took off her chappal in a BMTC bus and apparently went at the bus driver like a kalaripayattu artiste. And pray why? Allegedly, because the hapless driver refused to stop the bus in the middle of a busy road just to let her down! Ouch, again!

While women have long been at the receiving end of slaps, kicks and more from drunken fathers, boyfriends, husbands et al, is this an indication of times to come? Of the weaker sex slowly emerging
out of her meek corner? And living the thug life?

While I am in no position to comment on the reasons, the methods or the justifications of this angry- bird attacks on the men, I do have questions of my own. For one, where and how did these women
get their hands, or rather their feet, on such sturdy footwear? Going by reports of the incidents, the chappals stood strong and tough through the entire one-sided battle and I am mighty impressed. If I
ever get to meet these women, I would love to ask them, madam please tell which brand? Which make? Which company?

And I’ll tell you why I want to know.

The other day, a life-threatening event happened in our residence. A cockroach wandered into our otherwise sanitised home, crawling in on its several legs, twirling its moustaches, ok, ok … I hear the
zoologists clamouring to correct me that they’re antennae and not moustaches. And my response – whatever!

But my response to the creepy, crawly threat was anything but whatever, and I acted typical to my character. I screamed and jumped onto the nearest chair and the cockroach paused midway in its crawling and looked at me, as if to say, what the???

A moment later, thoroughly ashamed of my cowardly behaviour, I gingerly stepped off the chair, grabbed a handy slipper and holding it firmly in my hand, I advanced and slapped the thing against the invader. The result of my brave attack? Not what I expected. There was a death that day, but not of the cockroach, but of my weapon! The sandal broke, the thing flew out of my hand and flew across the room, and the cockroach? It merely scurried away and disappeared.

Alas … my thug life ended before it even began! All because of a spineless weapon, and I urgently need to know where I can source better ones. Just in case!

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