Postcards From J

"Kalina?", I yelled as he screeched to a halt.  He nodded while three women and four tiny children kept popping out of his rickshaw. I was too tired to notice the expression on his face. Soon, I was seated inside with my bags - groceries and handbag and laptop bag and lunch bag and office Diwali gift. Phew. "Aap <mumble mumble mumble>?" "Kya kahaa?" ("What did you say?") "Kya aap Hindu ho?" ("Are you a Hindu?") I was a bit zapped at the question. Thinking I had said 'yes', he continued... "Dimaag kharab kar diya. Yeh sab Islam waale... itne saare rickshaa mein baett gaye..." ("They've given me a headache. These Muslims... so many of them occupied my rickshaw...") I cut him short. "Aapka kya matlab hai? Iss mein dharm kahaa se aa gaya?" ("What do you mean? Where did religion creep into this?") Sensing that I was not particularly thrilled...

A little rickshaw gyan for the weekend on the sticker in front: "Tameez se bologe toh Izzat muft milegi." Click to view full size image Rough translation: "If you speak with courtesy then you will receive respect for free." PS: A Google search for the exact meanings revealed that "tameez" is the word for "etiquette or manners" and "izzat" is for "pride".

My ' Rick-rolled ' series is back. And do watch out for at least two more of those later in the week. It's in Marathi, so I'll try translating it (though the flavour and tone may be completely washed out.). It's a graphic image of Shivaji, the Maratha warrior after whom everything in Mumbai seems to be (re)named.  The vertical text reads: " Jaanta Raja " meaning "People's King". The text below, " Baghtos Kaay Mujra Kar ", is actually tricky to translate. Crudely, it reads: "What are you looking at? Dance!" I thought this line was really funny. Hope you enjoyed this Saturday postcard. Off to attend a story-telling session at MCubed Library and then to lunch with old friends.  Cheers, ~j~

While this is *not* my current state of mind, there have been some things over the past few months that have bothered me a great deal.      To those irritants - people, events, circumstances - the clear and graphic message on the rickshaw above is dedicated to you. Cheers!

Rick-rolled returns after a little over two months. And this one seems like a continuation from the previous Rick-rolled post .  This one also says, "Shararat Mat Karna" and that bare leg was quite a tease against the copy. What do you think?

This rikshaw has a message for all you mischievous boys and girls... On the separator between driver and passenger Translation: Don't be naughty!   *winks* #ABC POSTCARD 24/31

Random rikshaw thought on a day most of the BEST buses have gone on strike... Look closely at the message in the mirror. LOVE IS SWEET POISON #ABC POSTCARD 18/31

Looks like a former tennis player called Michael Chang is still in demand... This rikshaw driver certainly thinks so. On the backrest of the driver's seat #ABC POSTCARD 15/31

This guy's pretty clear about his intentions... Somewhere around Jogeshwari Railway Station (East) #ABC POSTCARD 09/31

The ubiquitous black-and-yellow autorickshaws in Mumbai are a favourite subject of mine. We love them, we hate them, we argue with their drivers who refuse fares, we curse the ones which splash us with muck, and then we thank an assortment of deities as the rickshaws here are still a blessing as compared to other Indian cities. So I thought of putting together a specific series of posts dedicated to the three-wheelers that help keep my city ticking. It's called Rick-rolled! Yes, the name's inspired by a crazy internet meme which I learnt about a few months ago, courtesy Twitter - my current source of knowledge, current affairs and whatnot. Have you ever been rickrolled ? Basically, it's when someone entices you to view something on the internet, and then the link turns out to a video of Rick Astley's debut single Never Gonna Give You Up. Anyway, I'm doing something totally different here. See: Touch me? Hawww! #ABC POSTCARD 07/31