Now, I like this sign that I saw in a park around a temple in Pune.
Pune is in the north of India, not far from Mumbai, hence the sign being in what I assume is Hindi – but might conceivably be Marathi as they share an alphabet.
So what I love, is that it is so incredibly CLEAR about what you’re not to do.
Often in India there’s a vagueness to signs.
Or a slight helpless quality – like my favourite traffic sign, which is all over Bangalore and says rather limply ‘Please obey traffic rules’. Which has a rather tired feeling, as though they know you won’t, but feel the need to atleast make and effort to try and seem like you might.
Not this sign – it is unequivical.
You will not climb in the water and you will not snap off a big lotus flower. No, you won’t.
-:–:-
This post has been retro fitted into the Signage Sunday series – check the main Signage Sunday page for the full list. Or read these choice examples here:
It’s so very specific
A taste of indian soil
Beware falling tiles
And as ever do please comment below.
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LoL… very nice comments. Liz you actually meant root fondling?! my, thats hilarious! happy blogging x
Why thank you! And happy reading, how kind you are to be so engaged
oh snap! I find the sign a bit funny because it’s so straight forward, I mean, for me it’s not like a sign, it’s more like someone is telling you what was written on the sign board.
Thanks for the translation. Not being conversant with either Hindi or Marathi, I might have assumed the sign meant “Water lilies are not served here” or “root fondling prohibited”. Or even “do not point your water lily directly at passers-by”.
Damn. It might mean that. I hadn’t thought of those other options.
You sir, are very perspicacious. I shall check local papers to see if there’s been an outbreak of root fondling in Pune…
If I will ever have visited this place without having read this post, and then encounter this sign, I’d be amused.
You can just imagine when there you are, looking at those beautiful flowers floating silently on the water and had this sudden urge to pull one out, and then you read this!
“Yes, big brother. I won’t.”
And them holy flowers too… frankly I was a bit shocked that someone would even think about climbing into the pools around a temple and nicking the flowers… obviously it happens enough that they need an actual sign. That implies a great deal of lotus theft. It’s a strange world