Spit-free zone

How does one react when one spits in public places?

Tough to swallow: Spitting should be a strict no-no. Photo: K.V. Srinivasan

Is spitting in public places a crime? It should be. “Complain to the police,” said one man, when a security guard asked him not to spit. “ Kudutha velaya mattum paaru (do the job assigned to you).” He was well-dressed and decent-looking. My jaw hit the floor when I heard this exchange. Tempers rose and I stood there staring. When I was about to leave, he called someone and went on about the watchman’s misconduct. He talked as if the watchman had committed some crime! I cursed under my breath, and left the place.

On my way home, I realised that I should have talked some sense into that man. But then I wondered, what would I have told him? It may have escalated into a meaningless argument. God only knows how to handle such people.

Hari is a Final year Civil Engineering student at Meenakshi Sundararajan Engineering College.