On my way back from Auroville, I came across an intriguing sight. A group of men standing next to a billboard with a photo of Sonia Gandhi on it. Turns out this is the Puducherry Auto-Rickshaw Drivers' Association, a political society, inaugurated on February 7, 2007. This BJP government sponsored club for auto-rickshaw drivers (auto-rickshaws are a type of Indian scooter-taxi) consists pretty much of the sign, under which drivers gather on the street corner in-between shifts to swap news and views of the day, and play endless games of Carrom (an Indian boardgame that's a mixture between billiards and checkers). The gentleman in the white, Sebastian, is the current reigning champ. These guys are a friendly bunch, and let me join in on their game which brought back fun memories. I used to play Carrom as a kid when I'd visit my granddad during those long-ago childhood summers.
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