Tuesday, March 6, 2007

Read 'em and weep

Pune never fails to inspire my best cynicism. If you spend most of your formative years in this city, it's like an education in the school of sarcasm. Public places in the 'real' Pune have a tradition : Treat all people like trash. Give them no credit for the iota of intelligence they have.

Here's some evidence to support the above.
(all the lines below are translated from puneri marathi, the dialect in which the kindest word sounds like a four-letter word)

Written outside a gate to a house (waada): Do not park any vehicle in front of any gate.

On a menu card in a restaurant: Once an order is placed, it takes at least 15 minutes before it is served. Please do not ask unnecessary questions to the waiter while awaiting your order.

Again, on a gate: We are vegetarians, but our dog isn't.

Another gate: Do not ring the doorbell more than twice. We are the ones paying the electricity bill.

At RTO: We are not responsible for anything.

On the door of a ground floor flat in the same building as MTDC Industries' corporate office:
Please do not ring this door to ask us the address of MTDC Industries.

On a shop on Laxmi road : We have no other outlet except this one.

Another shop: If you have nothing to do, don't do it here.

9 comments:

Arjun said...

that is such typical pune humour/sarcasm (bordering on being plainly nasty)....i don't think you'd find it anywhere else... maybe u too shud put up a sign here saying "if you have nothing to comment, don't comment here", in pure, unadulterated marathi...

Anupam Pande said...

at least now you know why i've got a morbid sense of humour.

The World Within said...

This post actually makes me love that home-town of mine,the only thing those people are good at is packing a punch such that it hits right where it hurts the most.

Er..."those people" does not necessarily exclude me, nor does my saying this imply that it includes me.

Anonymous said...

damn! i can't remember it now but...

"on a shop on m.g. road: this shop is also on laxmi road."

wasn't it?

p.s. we are also the city that organises rave parties via orkut and hawala scams via the race course. so the place is indeed improving since my arrival.

Anupam Pande said...

on that shop at m.g.road, it said:

"this shop is at laxmi road"

Anupam Pande said...

and to 'the world within'... after having spent 18 &%&(%$## years in this city, i can recognise a puneri, and you, my dear, aren't one.

The World Within said...
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The World Within said...
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The World Within said...

noticed this last comment of yours just now (after a coupla months, yes)

so is it a good thing or a bad thing that i aren't one?