Signs of Creativity

 Signs of CreativityA sweet young relative who stayed with us for a few days, asked me to help with her school work and I readily agreed. After all, it is not often that I get an opportunity to lecture somebody!

During the course of a conversation about understanding common expressions used, I asked her, “But haven’t you noticed this on the signboards?”

“Signboards? Who reads random signboards?” she asked as if I had said something stupid.

Sheepishly I could only say, “I do.”

And it brought a flood of memory of signboards, alive. Some of these though not seen by me, I have already shared with you. But today I am including mostly those which have been noticed by me or sent to me.

Seen at the food court on Yamuna Expressway

At a ‘tiffin centre’ in Bangalore selling idlis.

Looks like lovers of Bacchus have been filling themselves up with alcohol at this petrol station. No wonder then that the owner has put up a sign saying drinking is forbidden at the filling station. But to point out a technical issue, he has said it is forbidden to drink sitting here. Can somebody please drink while standing?

The sheer size of this photo should make it obvious to everyone that this auto rickshaw driver has my full sympathy. What I found worth appreciating was that the dear friend who sent this, also wrote his comment in the same style of English.

One of the signs I noticed on the New York subway during my recent visit and I liked it.

Bringing this photo all the way from Providence, RI, USA. Are some extraordinary, literate dogs being asked to close the gate?  

This is an old photo I took at a hotel swimming pool in Washington DC a few years ago and the precise instructions still look as impressive to me.

Why do signboards outside toilets get people creative? Is it the relief that brings their creativity to the fore?

On the doors of ramshackle toilets across the road from Zojila Memorial, Leh.

I am including this photo here not for the banner put up there which merely tells the date, time and name of the place where the toilet has been built as a part of the national Swachh Bharat Mission or National Clean India Mission. The question which pricked my mind was - how was it inaugurated? And why has this been put up like an exhibition as if the people do not know what a lavatory is?Does this one serve as a symbol/ model/example or is it supposed to be used- a public toilet in true sense!

Really? How do they preserve all the samples for testing?

Meanwhile, the top photo sent by a friend was also mentioned by the Free Press Journal https://www.freepressjournal.in/bizarre-news/pasted-outside-public-toilet-kbc-10s-poster-with-kab-tak-rokoge-tagline-gets-a-hilarious-twist

It is the advertisement of the popular TV game show Kaun Banega Crorepati pasted on the wall of a public toilet. The question asked on it is for how long can you control! Appropriate, I must say.

I also ask to be excused from posting anything for the next two Saturdays because I have to have cataract surgery. For those of you who have had this experience or have someone in the family had it, would understand that it gets  very difficult to work on the computer monitor with one ‘good’ eye or with one eye watering endlessly. So fingers crossed, I shall meet you on the 12^th of March here at this same space. Who knows if my way of looking at things improves, I might be able to share this experience too in future.

                                                                                      - Anupama S Mani