So she stopped and decided to take a look, to see what is stuck in the drain.
What she saw made her jump -- an abandoned newborn with the umbilical cord still intact, wrapped around his neck, was inside the drain.
Within moments, Geeta knew what needed to be done.
She knelt down and first tugged at the newborn's foot with very mild force. When she was confident the baby could be pulled out safely, she took him out and gently untwined the cord as not to hurt the baby's neck.
She then asked for water from the curious onlookers who had gathered about her. Geeta gave a thorough washing to the newborn to remove the dirt before taking him to Chennai's Egmore Hospital. The newborn appeared to have difficulty in breathing initially.
Doctors at the hospital said he has recovered and is doing fine now.
"I am naming him Suthanthiram (freedom) since we found him on Independence Day. I am glad he got his freedom to live," Geeta said.
The police said they are investigating the matter. "A milkman alerted us following which we reached the spot immediately. Fortunately there was no water in the place where the infant was kept. The baby is fine. He is presently at the government children's hospital, Egmore. We will send him to a children's home later," a police officer told reporters.
The entire sequence, from the baby being found in the storm water drain, to being washed, taken to hospital and then wrapped in a blanket kit, has been recorded on camera and is now going viral.
People are asking how they can adopt or help the newborn. Geeta has also received tremendous appreciation from people in the city and across the country for her timely intervention.
The newborn was found abandoned despite government hospitals in Tamil Nadu having a cradle for unwanted babies to be placed so the state government could take care of them. This programme was launched by former chief minister J Jayalalithaa.
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