A Criminologist’s Dairy-25

Thiruvananthapuram (TVPM) means CHEATING multiplied by 4?

Getting out of the international airports in Singapore, UAE, USA or Canada, we may see many taxi-cars. Get into any one of them and they take you to the destination and normally, they charge you the fare shown in the meter. One who travels in the taxi is not worried whether or not he is taken to his destination via the direct route or through a curved way. He is not at all bothered about the quality of the meter too. It is taken for granted that the meter is O.K.

Getting out of the airports in Bangalore, Chennai, Mumbai or Delhi, we may see any number of taxi cabs, perhaps more than what we see in other international airports in the world. There are pre-paid taxi services and counters everywhere. Everybody is tensed until he reaches safely his destination. Why? Reasons are many and various. If the taxi is prepaid, then the meter will be alright. If not one doubts-

(1) Whether or not the meter is qualitatively correct?

(2) Whether or not he is taken through the direct route to the destination?

(3) Whether or not he is taken through a roundabout way to his destination?

(4) Whether or not he will have a fight with the driver at the destination?

(5) Whether or not he will be attacked on the way? And thus his questions are many or his suspicions are numerous. The answers are 'anxieties' and doubts.

I am from Thiruvananthapuram and I notice that there, the anxieties and tensions of the passengers are seen at the railway station too. I had them several times and I have been cheated by auto -rickshaw drivers, had to fight with them often, had to argue with them for the taxi fare and at times call my friends and people around to settle the issue…the police to take legal action etc. The police too give warnings and instructions to the passengers to be beware of cheatings. The same situation exists in other railway stations, bus stands and airports in other parts of the country.

For a tamasha, people in Thiruvananthapuram used to crack a joke. Thiruvananthapuram was earlier known as Trivandrum, the short form of which was TVM. When expanded, the TVM becomes in Malayalam language-THATTIPPU(a form of cheating),VETTIPPU( another form of cheating) and MOONCHIKKAL( a third form of cheating)[Out of them, the third word is a slang in some part of the State] Thus, Trivandrum means THREE CHEATINGS put together. When cheatings were multiplied and expanded to many other areas, as the tamasha goes, the old Trivandrum was renamed as Thiruvananthapuram and in reality, that was to keep up the history and tradition of the place. Anyway, the short form of the newly renamed Thiruvananthapuram thus became TVPM-i.e.,THATTIPU X VETTIPPU X PATTIPPU X MOONCHIKKAL.Out of them PATTIPPU means a fourth type of cheating. Thus Thiruvananthapuram ( TVPM) has become CHEATING multiplied by 4. Though the above narration or interpretation is a comedy or humour,it is to be taken seriously. A State contaminated by various types and forms of cheatings must find out ways and means to put down them as they are infamies. Administration and people must join together to fight against this malady- a curse in every sense.