Eight Funny Signs and Notices From India

Funny signs (both intentional and unintentional) are everywhere. Whatever be the reason and wherever you see them, they usually bring a smile to your face. They make the world a happier place!!

Trichy is the short name for Tiruchirapalli - a city in the Southern Indian state of Tamilnadu. It is a historical city with plenty of stories and a rich culture. However, I'm not writing about that today.

I'm just showing you another side of this city that has always fascinated me. Here is a series of signs, signboards and notices in English from around the city that will leave you scratching your head. They range from simple typos to serious mistranslations and even some that may be quite inappropriate! Read these and smile!!

I've often wondered why these notices make it to final display in public spaces. There seems to be many reasons.

1. Most of them are written and printed by non-English speakers. They do make spelling and grammatical errors. Some errors happen due to translation difficulties in choosing the right words.

2. Some have a sense of humour and use this to their advantage

3. Some are just coincidental - it wasnt meant to be that way.

Whatever the reason, it definitely gives us something to smile about.

Thanks to all those involved!!

All these photos were shot on my Mobile phone between 2006 and 2010. I used a Sony K510i. Don't expect great quality, but enjoy the signs! At that time, it had a camera that was considered decent.

Let's start with a simple typo. Technically this is a spelling error that went unnoticed. I saw this at a supermarket in the deodorant and perfume section. "Please do not spary", was the sign. Before you google or thesaurus the meaning of spary, relax and rearrange the letters of the last word - spray! You may not have even noticed the error.

These shop owners certainly got it right with a sense of humour. This is a pun in the true sense of the word. Their play on the word station(ery) is worth a round of applause.

All stationeries are stationed here! I hope their business was not stationary.

It's rather unfortunate that the two printed notices are placed right next to each other. One is a job vacancy notice and the other is a sales offer notice. Putting them right next to each other makes it look like you get a bonus salesgirl!

"Wanted Sales Girls. Offer - Buy One Get One Free"

That doesn't sound right or pleasant. Just don't think about it when you make a purchase. The offer does not apply to salesgirls!

Three lines is all it takes to mess your brain. It starts somewhere and ends somewhere else. The poor grammar and noble thoughts just end up garbled. I guess the first 2 lines are an attempt to state that they offer the best price for the products and this is lower than the MRP (Market Retail Price). Now they throw in some philosophy at the end to try and make you a better person!! Where did that come from?

We beat the price!!!

No-one on MRP!!!

(Keep our country clean)

They forgot the exclamation marks on the last line, but we'll forgive them.

This car has a small logo at the top of the rear glass indicating the owner is a lawyer. The word below that is absolutely authoritative.

DICTATOR

I always thought that for a lawyer the Law was his word.
This lawyer tipped it around – His WORD is now the LAW!

I wonder what happens if he gets pulled over by a cop.

After 10 years, I still haven't figured this out .

"Say In to Healths" makes no sense whatsoever. Maybe it's a translation of the statement below that which is written perfectly in the local language. That statements says "Don't get addicted to drugs".

Maybe the painter was high when he painted this sign!

This is definitely a chicken shop that sells big juicy chicken that can be cooked. Mmmm.... yummy.

The name choice for the shop leaves a bad taste in the mouth though. Is it humorous? Is it sexist? Is it undiplomatic? Is it honest? Is it literally correct? Is it tasteless?

Fat Chicks definitely drew a crowd!

The sign on this ATM made me nervous. It was honest but left me with questions. It made me more nervous. What if my reflexes were not good enough.

"PLEASE COLLECT CASH AS SOON AS IT IS DISPENSED. OTHERWISE SAME WILL DISAPPEAR INTO THE MACHINE."

My reflexes were fast enough, I succeeded and my money was mine!

My tryst with Trichy was between 2006 and 2010. All these photos were taken in those years. I haven't visited Trichy after that. I am not sure if any of these signs are still there. Maybe there are better ones! I'll call some of my old friends and find out!

Dont forget to leave your comments about which of the signs made you laugh the most. Also share some funny signs you saw!