Chennai: A seven-year-old boy resorted to a novel protest opposite a Tasmac shop at Padur village off OMR on Wednesday, the place that hit the headlines for its anti-Tasmac agitations. With a placard ‘Kudiye Vidu, Padike Vidu’, (Quit liquor, allow to study) seven-year-old A. Aakash, a class 3 student of PSBB, reached the wine shop at 11.45am, after walking a km from his residence in Padur. He began studying there.
When police personnel and Kancheepuram district administration asked him to leave the spot, he said, “Why should not I study here? People drink everywhere, but why are we not allowed to study?” he questioned. “I have read in the news about a drunk man who killed his wife and slept next to the corpse. That’s when I decided to fight against liquor,” the kid told Deccan Chronicle, after giving a brief thought.
Cops and Kancheepuram district officials promised to close the shop, besides relocating it. The Tasmac shop is set up close to a women’s public toilet and a water pump. It may be recalled that Aakash had also campaigned on the importance of wearing a helmet in the city two years ago. “He sat there for three hours and studied environmental science. Only after officials assured to relocate the Tasmac shop, he withdrew the protest,” said Chengai Anandan, the father.
