The Greater Chennai Corporation’s poster for Kuppai Thiruvizha has drawn flak, not for its intent but its imagery. The three-day solid waste campaign features a multi-armed woman sweeping and segregating trash, reviving an old trope that links cleaning chores to women. Critics argue waste segregation is a shared civic duty, not a gendered chore. As GCC seeks behavioural change, they say the messaging needs a tidy rethink too, with more inclusive visuals, less stereotype, and a clearer stress on collective responsibility. The row underscores how symbolism matters as much as slogans in campaigns.

Praveena SA

Farewell that didn’t fare well

When even the farewell invite needed a send-off, the Tamil Nadu Police found itself in an awkward spot. A joint farewell was planned for two DGPs, though one had retired last year, and a WhatsApp invite duly went out naming both officers. The message did not go down well with the retired DGP who, sources say, declined to share the dais with the other, citing past allegations that were later dismissed. A revised invite followed swiftly, reducing the exercise to little more than procedural courtesy.

Rajalakshmi Sampath

A Bush close to home

The Hague, after all this time? No, just Villivakkam. In a case that raised eyebrows for its name alone, a city sessions court sentenced a 32-year-old Chennai resident to life imprisonment for murdering his father over a property dispute. The accused, who bludgeoned his father to death at their home in April last year, is named George Bush. A few weeks ago, the court found Bush guilty and handed down the sentence. Rajamangalam police personnel earned praise from senior officials for securing the conviction in a grim domestic crime that briefly felt global in name, if not in scale.

Nirupama Viswanathan

Compiled by Dinesh Jefferson E