English

Pray tell me..

Clicked at the Old Airport – Bangalore

It was a early Bangalore morning. We were checking out of the old airport. And then this signboard was there. A gentleman who was alongside me, was clearly puzzled. His discomfiture was obvious. He was from Germany as it turned out. And when he read, auto-assistance, his imagination went to a automatic vending machine type of police force !!

It took me a while to help him understand that the auto in question was not ‘auto-maticIVRS type ‘If you find a thief press 1, if you find a hijacker press 2…’ monotone, but an auto that moves on three wheels !

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Clicked at Dindigul

I found this at a railway junction at Dindigul. ‘Non Vegetarian Tea Stall’. Please help me understand better, the finer contours of what a non-vegetarian tea stall could sell. A tea stall being non-vegetarian, and that too at a railway station..well, first time for me !
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clicked at Basavanagudi – Bangalore

I am not sure if the monsoon was raining water as much as it seems to be raining men !! Well, too much too soon i guess ! For all those who hopped ‘Mansoon to Mansoon‘ too soon, well they sure thought one did need a recharge with talk time !!

Well, well well..How much more real can it get ?!?

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clicked new Cantonment Station – Bangalore

This was the cherry o n the plum. Pray tell me, what is drive in a zigzag manner ! I am willing to bet my index finger, that this is ‘a one and only’ road sign.

What say ?

Meaning Matters. Part – II

This snap came via email from my brother. On a busy day, this provided relief. Brought back the smile to my lip and lifted some load off the heart. So, for this post, i am riding on someone else’s photograph !

Do take the time to read the banner. Such banners are marketing tools that you would find on nomadic tents, whose occupants peddle in herbal remedies. Claiming solutions to problems ranging from ‘Gas Trick‘ to ‘urine unable to come‘ to ‘all types of secret diseases‘ !!

As discussed earlier, the message must reach the receiver of the communication. And here, the message sure does. If the message didn’t, it perhaps is ‘because you are discourage‘ ! Or perhaps ‘stones are stored in your kidney‘ !

By the way, you get medicines on credit. If only you are in Government Service ! No wonder !! No wonder at all !!!!!

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Clicked from my phone Mumbai.
Seen everyday. Never frequented.

Here is a shop that i pass by quiet often. Its name board has been of intrigue ! It gets the message out too. In its own free spirited manner !

Yes Boss. We are like this only !

Meaning Matters. Only !

Here are a few snaps that rested on the hard drive. And looking at them, and thinking of the various meanings that they can surface in an individual, brought quite a few ruminations.

My mind seems to meander towards the fact, that the essence of communications lies in fulfilling its purpose. All else, including form, grammar, spacing et al, are frills. (My own ‘de-formed’ writing needs some solace). Obviously, essence lies in meaning !!

Problems arise, when form interferes with meaning ! Because of the way in which the communication is delivered ! When meaning and the core essence reaches the recipient differently !That’s at worst !

At their best, however, communication manages to serve its purpose (of communicating intended meaning to the recipient) in a form that may not be correct, culturally, grammatically, contextually etc. Now that can get a laughter or at least a smile. Ok. At least a few chuckles.

It can also perhaps be greeted by the click of a camera ! So, here are the results of a few. clicks. Feel free to share some more that you have come across !


Beware’ is not the same as ‘being aware’. Yes i am aware of that. But, the meaning is conveyed here is straight forward ! At least it is to me. There is Dog inside the house. Period. That is suffice ! It has been a long held belief that in such cases ‘awareness’ is suffice. Liking you or otherwise is the dog’s choice. Not yours. So !

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This was in the office canteen, where each day’s menu is written out. This was the menu for an evening snack. All i could understand was the ‘Samosa’ part ! ‘Coktal‘ i didnt get. I thought of ‘Cocktail’, but this was the office & things don’t add up. Nevertheless, if you do know, please do write in with the recipe of a cocktail somasa pls.

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I found this at the Hiranandani Construction site at Powai. I thought of it as an important message to workers, urging them to eschew the helmet ! I loved the picture, and the write up that came along with it, about a carpenter whose life was saved because of the helmet. If it was targeted at the workers, i wonder why it was in English ?!?

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This snap got me intrigued enough to make me look up ‘Households’ ! I was relieved that my understanding still held ground. ‘Households’ are people. Quite obviously ‘people’ didn’t figure in any of the items on sale! The meaning reaches. And perhaps along with the meaning came a devious smile to my lips. Complimenting my devious mind !

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This was clicked in Madurai. I think it was at the office of the District Forest Officer ! For sometime i couldn’t figureyahi hay rightchoice plantingatree’ meant ! Coming from the Forest Office, i thought it was about ‘hay’ ! And then I it connected to Pepsi’s famous ad ! OK, we could do with some more space between the letters. ( You can watch the Pepsi ad here, for nostalgia’s sake !)

I still wonder what this line can do to an average Madurai resident as he walks by !

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This was at the Ahmedabad airport. I couldn’t figure this for sometime. ‘Laptop comfort zone on backside’ !! After battling it for sometime, i walked to the rear of this hoarding, and found plug points for recharging your laptop. Ok. So that’s Laptop comfort zone. On the backside !

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Tirupati bus stand has an overdose of passengers. Perhaps there have been one too many a verbose complaint, that had elaborate & intimate inputs on the weather at Tirupati and such else ! So, the call to be precise. The ‘only’ is almost like an afterthought ! Almost like a threat that anything other than precise will not be read !!!

Reminds me of the Channel V ad, which went, ‘We are like this only !’ That became such an ‘essence’ for English the Indian way !

I had a tough time locating a few other classics that i had clicked sometime ago. Nevertheless, this post brought to me memories of those cities and the signs themselves evoked a chuckle !

What to do. I am like this only !

Its only words

Reproducing something that i recieved in my mail box as a forward ! Thoroughly enjoyed this ! Whats with this fasicination for words and their meanings ? Beats me !

This has got to be one of the most clever E-mails I’ve received in awhile. Someone out there either has too much spare time or is deadly at Scrabble. (Wait till you see the last one)!

DORMITORY:
When you rearrange the letters:
DIRTY ROOM

PRESBYTERIAN:
When you rearrange the letters:
BEST IN PRAYER

ASTRONOMER:
When you rearrange the letters:
MOON STARER

DESPERATION:
When you rearrange the letters:
A ROPE ENDS IT

THE EYES:
When you rearrange the letters:
THEY SEE

GEORGE BUSH:
When you rearrange the letters:
HE BUGS GORE

THE MORSE CODE :
When you rearrange the letters:
HERE COME DOTS

SLOT MACHINES:
When you rearrange the letters:
CASH LOST IN ME

ELECTION RESULTS:
When you rearrange the letters:
LIES – LET’S RECOUNT

A DECIMAL POINT:
When you rearrange the letters:
IM A DOT IN PLACE

THE EARTHQUAKES:
When you rearrange the letters:
THAT QUEER SHAKE

ELEVEN PLUS TWO:
When you rearrange the letters:
TWELVE PLUS ONE

AND FOR THE GRAND FINALE:

MOTHER-IN-LAW:
When you rearrange the letters:
WOMAN HITLER

That was a forward ok ? I didnt make up anything here. Any connection or seeming material link is all in your mind and is purely imaginary. If blame has to be apporitioned…well, blame it on language !

Thought of ‘words’…just a topical connection.