I clicked several interesting signs on the recent trip, especially while on the road between Delhi,Agra, Haridwar and Rishikesh…..let me start with the ones in Hindi first.

On the back of a truck was this very philosophical message; translated, it means, "When you are thirsty, drink water, who knows when the monsoon will come? When you are alive, live it up, who knows when death will come?" Trucks on the highway often have such profound messages! I was amused to see, everywhere, that the Government has the contract for both "foreign" and "Indian" liquor; the shops are well-advertised. But only in this one place, do they seem to have made special arrangements for the hot Indian summer; the sign says, "Excellent arrangements for drinking in an air-conditioned place"! At one small eatery where we stopped to have chai, was this sign, announcing, "Free food for religious mendicants and sannyAsis". Surely a great social initiative. The same eatery had this thought-provoking dOhA (couplet) by Kabir, who belongs to the region: "Just as a stream does not diminish by a bird's drinking from it, a man's wealth does not diminish by his helping the indigent.@ I also enjoyed seeing the far-flung places on this huge signboard....the names are redolent of distance, and I imagined myself journeying there one day....

But, obviously, the more entertaining ones were in English. Here’s one, in Rishikesh, that advertised what were surely the most exotic samosa fillings that I’ve ever heard of in my life. Alas, the shop was shut (no takers for exotica?) or I’d have tried a Chocolate Banana Samosa:

I could also have tried the Blackcurrent, and been electrified…

Also in Rishikesh, was this sign about a "Show Cash"...it did not mean that you had to show your cash to buy stuff...what it meant was, whatever sweets and savoury samples were displayed in the show case, were the ones that were available. We stopped for lunch at Milan Dhaba, and I loved this sign for Pain Oil, which says it's for the "oldest of old pain". KM, of course, immediately wondered if it would help his DM pain, which, he said, he'd been suffering from for 34 years now: Another van carried this....in between are the names of the people (Nishant and Keshav) whose "gaadi" (vehicle it is, but essentially, it says, "Work like a coolie, live like a king"! In Haridwar, I spotted this school for "Little Ducklings" (are there any large ducklings?) And since there are extreme sports in Haridwar, I spotted this one for bungee jumping. Got guts? Most of us have a little too much, hanging out of our belts! Ever present in north India, there is always one place that will be offering south Indian dishes....here's one in Rishikesh: And this cheeky sign has decided to appeal to the foreign tourist by invoking the Lonely Planet guide! Would you like to try green pees? I think not.... Would you rather prefer the Palean rice (I've not yet worked out what that is)? Update...I've found out that it's probably plain rice.... Also, perhaps you need to sit your .....to try an Ass-ana: The famous "Topiwala restaurant" also had an interesting sign: And I wondered why this was a Pink Guest House.... What took the cake, for me, was having a "Red Light" restaurant!

And who do you think saw all these signs and documented them carefully? None other than a Lovely Tourist: