<p>If someone were to look at me – a middle-aged, balding man – I’m sure they would say that I am a mild and model citizen, and I would fully agree with them. However, I wasn’t always like this. In fact, during my heyday, I had a few (unpleasant) encounters with the police!</p>.<p>My first confrontation waχs when my friends and I went to a late-night movie on our bicycles. It must have been about midnight when we started back. The roads were empty and we decided to play a game of following the leader. Each of us would take turns riding in the lead and the others would have to follow wherever the leader went. Naturally, the game included shouting and screaming and given the vacant roads we rode really fast!</p>.<p>The game ended abruptly when a couple of beat cops stopped and took us to the police station. Disturbing peace was the charge. We were locked up and there we stayed all night until my friend’s father came the next morning, expressed regret for our behavior and got us released. What a relief it was to see daylight again!</p>.<p>The next encounter was in Chennai. A rich pal had taken us to a hotel and we drank more than what was good for us. On the ride back, we came across a vehicle on the wrong side with its headlamps on full-beam. Seeing this, my pillion shouted a rather terrible insult loudly.</p>.<p>Immediately, the vehicle did a quick U-turn, chased and stopped us. It was a police jeep! Constables burst out and caught the two of us. Once again, we were taken to the station and thrown into a cell.</p>.<p>Both of us were in tears but there was no forgiveness as the cops were really angry with the insult my friend had hurled at them. We stayed in the cell till the morning when my friend came, apologised and got us free. I returned home a sober and much-changed man. Yet, that was not the end.</p>.<p>The last instance was a few years later. Three of us bachelors decided to have a party one weekend and invited a whole host of friends. There was of course lots of loud music. The neighbours complained at first to us and then to the police– who arrived swiftly, shut the party down and warned us very sternly.</p>.<p>That, dear readers, made me swear never to get on the wrong side of the law again. And here I am – the wrong side of forty – still keeping my promise. </p>
<p>If someone were to look at me – a middle-aged, balding man – I’m sure they would say that I am a mild and model citizen, and I would fully agree with them. However, I wasn’t always like this. In fact, during my heyday, I had a few (unpleasant) encounters with the police!</p>.<p>My first confrontation waχs when my friends and I went to a late-night movie on our bicycles. It must have been about midnight when we started back. The roads were empty and we decided to play a game of following the leader. Each of us would take turns riding in the lead and the others would have to follow wherever the leader went. Naturally, the game included shouting and screaming and given the vacant roads we rode really fast!</p>.<p>The game ended abruptly when a couple of beat cops stopped and took us to the police station. Disturbing peace was the charge. We were locked up and there we stayed all night until my friend’s father came the next morning, expressed regret for our behavior and got us released. What a relief it was to see daylight again!</p>.<p>The next encounter was in Chennai. A rich pal had taken us to a hotel and we drank more than what was good for us. On the ride back, we came across a vehicle on the wrong side with its headlamps on full-beam. Seeing this, my pillion shouted a rather terrible insult loudly.</p>.<p>Immediately, the vehicle did a quick U-turn, chased and stopped us. It was a police jeep! Constables burst out and caught the two of us. Once again, we were taken to the station and thrown into a cell.</p>.<p>Both of us were in tears but there was no forgiveness as the cops were really angry with the insult my friend had hurled at them. We stayed in the cell till the morning when my friend came, apologised and got us free. I returned home a sober and much-changed man. Yet, that was not the end.</p>.<p>The last instance was a few years later. Three of us bachelors decided to have a party one weekend and invited a whole host of friends. There was of course lots of loud music. The neighbours complained at first to us and then to the police– who arrived swiftly, shut the party down and warned us very sternly.</p>.<p>That, dear readers, made me swear never to get on the wrong side of the law again. And here I am – the wrong side of forty – still keeping my promise. </p>