After struggling for years against unemployment, A. Mani of Agravaram village near Tiruppatur, Vellore, decided to stage a spectacular public protest by walking backwards in the nude. ‘Back Mani’ has been walking all over the state since 1991, to spread the message of peace and catch the attention of the Guinness Book of World Records. However, recently, when he decided to shed his clothes and walk backwards all the way to the US consulate in Chennai to protest against the invasion and occupation of Iraq, things took a nasty turn—‘Back Naked Mani’ was booked under Section 294 of the IPC.