Umbrella Escort Service

We’re well into the grueling summer, when venturing out in the daytime is dueling with the sun. The only people sensible enough to use umbrellas for sun protection are females of all ages, elderly males, and a handful of middle-aged males who have that guilty I’m-using-this-only-because-the-doctor-told-me-to look on their faces. No young male will use an umbrella against the sun; he would be labeled a sissy or worse by his peers. I have never used an umbrella against the sun up to now because it’s too much of a bother to lug around. Also, I tend to forget about it the moment I put it down somewhere. But this summer I’ve been carrying around that umbrella; maybe it’s just my advancing years, but summers seem to be growing in intensity every year. So the unexpected summer rain last week, thanks to a depression in the Arabian Sea, was a welcome relief from the unremitting heat. And what rain! It was like the monsoon at its wettest.

I happened to be passing Chennai Silks, the sprawling sari showroom, when I spotted the umbrella brigade. They were employed by the showroom and prowling the pavement outside, armed with giant umbrellas and looking grimly purposeful. I lingered, undeterred by the drops of rain getting past my umbrella, which suddenly looked tiny and wholly ineffective.

It was then that it became clear what they were up to. They were a personalized escort service, conducting showroom visitors safely to the entrance. Besides, they went beyond the call of duty, swooping down on the vehicles and bearing their charges to safety as though their lives depended on it. Some of this spirit comes through in the pics below. Great customer service, and it made for some interesting visuals.