FRANK AND FUNNY

What is intriguing about signboards from Pune (Puneri Patya) is that they are so explicit! If there is something that can make people laugh it’s the absolute truth told in no uncertain terms. But one cannot help wondering if these signs actually work!

Take a look at this signboard for instance. It says:

THE BUNGALOW IS EMPTY
THERE IS NOTHING WORTH STEALING HERE. DO NOT UNNECESSARILY TAKE THE TROUBLE

And this one says:

YOU CAN ONLY WASH YOUR HANDS AND RINSE YOUR MOUTH HERE AND WHILE DOING SO PLEASE ENSURE THAT YOU DO NOT MAKE ANY SOUNDS.

There are people who use the toilets carelessly and the next one one spells it out for them, although in a sarcastic manner. It says:

WASHROOM

AFTER YOU GO INSIDE PLEASE DON’T DO YOUR HOMEWORK ON THE DOOR

The fact that signs extorting people to be clean are becoming frequent is a good thing as it means that people are becoming increasingly conscious about keeping their washroom areas well maintained. It’s a change from days past. I remember when we were in college we had to search for a decent hotel if we wanted to use the loo, as the college loos were too filthy. Traveling by bus anywhere was a big problem as it was difficult to even step inside the toilet. Today I find that at bus stations one finds not one but dozens of toilets in a row and yes they are reasonably clean. Even train toilets are much cleaner. Sure, this change has not taken place all over India, as poor children in municipal schools still have no place to go. There is a top South Mumbai college with filthy toilets as well. So the lack of funds is not always the reason. It’s the lack of will. On a recent trip to Matheran we found that the toilets at the parking lot (where you have to park your car before climbing up to Matheran, which takes about an hour) were stinking and filthy and impossible to use. However, there is a noticeable change in commercial complexes and on important travel routes. Providing toilets makes good business sense I guess.

While there is an improvement in infrastructure, old habits die hard. Recently while traveling from Pune to Mumbai we had stopped at a washroom along the highway and saw a busload of passengers troop out. About half a dozen men from the bus got down and headed straight for a row of thick bushes. I was a bit puzzeled, thinking that perhaps some accident had taken place. It never ocurred to me that they might be going there to pee, as the washroom was just a few feet away and a clean one that too! But these shameless people stood in a regimented row with their backs to a row of parked cars and did their business. If it wasn’t so disgusting it would have been funny! We were sitting in our car munching on a burger but had to pull out. We have stopped parking there nowadays. Perhaps a shop-keeper should put up a signboard there. It could say in Marathi: Hya jhadanna pani dilela ahe. krupaya andkheen tras karun gheu naka

These people have decided to be aggressive, but in a sarcastic way!
The sign says:

OFFICIAL PROCLAMATION
THE PERSON WHO HAS BROKEN THIS POT PLEASE COME FORWARD AND WE WILL HONOR HIM IN THE SHANWAR WADA!

PRABHAT TALKIES

A change in attitude might be visible when it comes to toilets but there are some attitudes which do not show any sign of changing! Prudishness for instance! The sign says:

NOTICE
AFTER SWIMMING PLEASE WEAR YOUR CLOTHES AND COME OUT, NOT WITHOUT THEM.
BY ORDER

The Rain Dance itself maybe culturally new to India, but there are certain rules to be adhered to!! Not that I knew that one took off one’s clothes during the rain dance! The sign says:

NOTICE
WHILE DOING THE RAIN DANCE WEARING ALL YOUR CLOTHES IS COMPULSORY
BY ORDER

And here is a piece of advise for those “errant” boys and girls who dare to cross the line! I wonder if anyone has been caught!
NOTICE:
IF BOYS AND GIRLS (COUPLES) BEHAVE IN AN OBSCENE MANNER IN THE AREA OF THE GAMDEVI TEMPLE THEN THEY WILL BE BEATEN WITH A HOLLOW BAMBOO STICK

I like the following one the best. I think the shop-keeper was fed up giving directions to people, but I really doubt that the sign deterred anybody! The sign says:

ASKING FOR ADDRESSES WILL COST MONEY
FOR AN ADDRESS WITHIN 10 KMS 50 PAISE
FOR AN ADDRESS BEYOND 10 KMS 1 RUPEE
THANKS.

Considering that he tagged on another sign shows that his sign hadn’t really worked. He had underestimated the innate curiosity of Indians! He must have been forced to add a second part:

ANYONE WHO ASKS WHY I HAVE WRITTEN THIS SHALL HAVE TO PAY RS 2000
HOWEVER IF SOMEONE CANNOT READ, THE ADDRESS WILL BE PROVIDED FREE.

The sign below is not a Pune sign, but one which I discovered while surfing the net. It is from a site called tvmtalkies.com and like the Puneri Patya is quite frank and funny.

Hope you enjoyed these Patyas as much as I did! And for any lapse in translation, I apologize.

(All photographs are from Puneri Patya except an imaginary one which I made myself, the one in red with a white background and ofcourse the last one)

Related Viewing:
This is another post on Puneri Patya: Pune signboards (Puneri Patya)
This is a post on some Funny Signs which I’ve spotted
This is a picture of A funny battered car which was still being driven around the city and these guys actually waved at me when I took their picture with my cell phone!
These are Bal Thackeray’s election campaign ads which should be serious, but are funny instead!
These signs are not funny, but are Interesting signs from Europe