On our way to the hotel, we passed by some men in a truck waving a flag and holding a large photo of a man. Our driver said it was for an actor. He pointed out that most of the businesses were closed – that seemed strange, as it wasn’t a holiday. When we arrived at the hotel, we found out that a famous local actor had suddenly died, and the whole city was in mourning. Some got out of hand and began rioting. Buses were favorite targets, many of which had their windows broken. A McDonald’s (thankfully not the one we had just visited) received similar treatment. One fan even tried to immolate himself; another attempted suicide with the rescuer dying. Businesses were told to close in honor of the actor, as well as for safety. We were advised by the receptionist not to go outside – so much for sightseeing! On TV all of the news stations showed Vishnuvardhan the actor, through live updates, events that had occurred, some clips of his movies, people going up to his glass coffin, and that evening, the funeral pyre. Stations called it “the most important event of 2009.”
No comments:
Post a Comment