'Meesey' Thimmaiah, the man who became Bengaluru Traffic Police's mascot

Thimmaiah and his proud whiskers are in some ways a reminder of 'old Bangalore', besides being a great emblematic representation for the city's police force

A  few days ago, when Bengaluru’s traffic police department tweeted a picture of their new mascot, a citizen remarked that he had a “nice name”. The department had introduced the mascot as “Meesey” Thimmaiah. While Thimmaiah is a familiar name in Karnataka, meesey is Kannada for moustache: the mascot’s most distinguishable feature is his full-bodied handlebar. 

Donning the white slouch hat, white shirt and khaki trousers that identify the men and women manning traffic in Bengaluru, hoardings featuring Thimmaiah are also cropping up across the city. In one of these, Thimmaiah is seen advocating seat belts; in another, he’s discouraging talking