The Tamilnadu government has banned video piracy and those caught pirating will be booked under the Goondas Act. The law must be pretty effective, I guess. The fancy shop opposite my apartment which was renting out DVDs & CDs on the sly, has stopped this side business. The owner tells me that after the “cool off period” is over, he will start renting out DVDs but only to known people.

This pirary act seemed to have absolutely no effect on the book piraters. Right outside Spencers Plaza, which houses Chennai’s biggest bookstore, a man sells pirated bestsellers with absolutely no worry at all.