Raju Bai, Tiger and Parattai.

 This is the story of how I got a handle bar changed for my two wheeler from a supposedly notorious locality in chennai.

Pudhupettai, is a name that will ring a bell to most vehicle owners in chennai. This place is known to stock the a to z of vehicle spares, new and used but mostly used. Movies and word of mouth don't paint a great picture of the place. The idea that Pudhupettai is dangerous and infested with criminals probably stems from the fact that the place once used to be notorious for dismantling stolen vehicles for it spares. I dont know, it probably still is.

It was you know one of those days that you really want to be alone, but dont know what to do when you are alone.

I took my two wheeler to Pudhupettai, wanting to explore the place and I had no idea of shopping from the place, I was just curious. The road is a single strech, with branching streets that are narrow, really narrow. I scaled the strech thrice and the first impressions were not great. I would be lying if I said I was comfortable. Most men were soiled, unkempt and dark.

I had long wanted to change my two wheelers handle bar to mimic those cruisers/choppers you see in the movies(ala The Terminator). I stopped at a shop that displayed one of those tall handles. The price was very low and I decided to change the handle bar on my vehicle.

I enquired at the nearest mechanic shop which was 'Anif's'. Selvam who attended to my vehicle, was one eyed; The other eye was simply there, the eye ball wouldn't move. Now Selvam said, the clutch and the brake cables were too short for the tall handle bar that I had selected and that I had to get longer cables.

The one eyed Selvam Bhai, I dont know why but everyone called everyone bhai, wanted me to get the cables from Raju bhai's shop around the corner.

Now the way to Raju bhais shop could well be a locale for the latest Hobbit movie. It was dark, dirty and narrow. This narrow path, had atleast twenty shops cramped in to a strech of not more than 100 feet and of about 5 feet width. The shops had everything from small bolts to engines, all used of course.

I was being stared at by atleast 10 men on the way to Raju Bhais shop which was the last one on the strech. Raju Bhai was a bald, old men who must be in his 50s. He was sitting in his at most 5 feet by 5 feet shop working on an old motor. He had all the cables I needed and some advice on installing the cables for a paltry sum.

I breathed hard on the way out of the strech, I was probably releived.

When I came back Selvam was talking to a old man who I think wore rags. The face was creased and the nerves stuck out, he had a hammer in his hand; his hand looked strong, hard and old. I was introduced to this old man Puli or Tiger. Puli was a scrap collector, all day he sat breaking down unusable spares for the metal. The nick name was for his stares, which I could swear was almost a tiger's.

I bought tea for Puli and selvam and Parattai joined us begging me for a glass of tea. Short, balding, dark, dirty with huge scar on his face, Parattai looked like the last man you would want to have trouble with.

Parattai was a self employed mechanic who worked on the road. He had no place and worked on the roads when he wanted money(How I wish). Looking around I saw a few more parratais with only a set of tools in their hands looking for the odd job.

Parattai thanked me and left to continue replacing the head lamps on a new Royal Enfield. For the few hours I was there, I never saw parattai without a cigerette on his lips.

Now my job at the shop was almost over, for a two hour job I thought I paid very little, but selvam seemed to be happy with the money I gave him.

May be this isnt the place that people make it out to be, I thought as I left Pudhupettai and that hard smell of fuel.