When we are on the road, what do we actually read? Beyond street names, direction boards, and traffic signs, some of the most memorable words we encounter, especially in India, are those painted on the backs of lorries, and stickers glued to autorickshaws, buses, and other vehicles. For many, this may instantly bring to mind late comedian Vivek’s famous dialogue, “Idha auto pinnala ezhudhalamae?” (This can be written behing an auto), which is a reminder of how familiar and culturally embedded these moving messages have been.
Long before social media made it possible for anyone to broadcast a thought instantly, the backs of vehicles served as a public platform. A sentence painted on a lorry or an autorickshaw travelled across towns and states, reaching thousands of people every day.
Some of these messages are practical: ‘Sound Horn’, ‘Keep Distance’, or warnings to not overtake on bends. Some carry philosophical, devotional, or public awareness slogans such as ‘We Two, Ours One’. Others, however, reflect the drivers’ and vehicle owners’ aspirations, wit, and social values.
Satish Kumar, who owns a lorry workshop in Chennai, explains, “Painting road safety rules behind lorries is a mandate. Without it a vehicle owner might not be able to procure a Fitness Certificate (FC). So, messages like, ‘Save Rain Water’, ‘Road Safety is Life Safety’, etc., are phrases that we usually write.” Rajjan, an artist who has been painting motifs and writing calligraphy behind vehicles for 15 years, says, “I mostly write the messages that are required for road safety, that I know the officers will look out for during the FC process. Some owners might ask for religious verses, which I also write.”
However, many owners and drivers, especially youngsters, try to add more character by adding phrases that are humorous and align with their value systems. “One of my customers wanted us to write, ‘Nee iducha vandi ku valikadhu, en manasuku valikum’, (If you hit the vehicle, it won’t feel pain, but my heart will hurt) and another wanted us to write, ‘Uzhaipavanai ulagam odhukum, nadipavanai ulagam kondadum’ (The world sidelines the one who works hard, but celebrates the one who merely puts on an act),” Satish says, letting out a quick laugh.
Although a similar practice of writing safety rules and phrases behind autorickshaws, such as, ‘Prasavathuku ilavasam’ (free ride for women in labour), continue among older drivers, for the younger generation, this has gone out of vogue, Rajjan says. “They prefer stickers,” he declares.
Shanmugam, a sticker shop owner for 30 years, corroborates. “Around the early 2000s, the style was to stick the names of all the family members behind cars, autos, or in the front of bikes. Around a decade back, it was in style to announce that a said vehicle was a gift from their parents. Even today, we get such sticker requests, but many auto drivers have new requests these days,” Shanmugam says. “One request was to create a sticker that said, ‘Paathu va pa, inum EMI kooda kattala’ (Come carefully, I haven’t paid off my EMI yet),” he recalls. One of his young designers jumps in. “Another one was, ‘Dei mapla, kannu therila na kannadi ah podu, high beam ah podadha’ (If you can’t see, wear spectacles, don’t switch to high beam).”
Shanmugam even shares that once in a while some customers ask for misogynistic messages too. “If they had a bitter relationship experience, they come in asking for messages that would say things like ‘don’t trust a woman’. It all depends on their individual moods and lives.”
Even in the post-social media era, this tradition, even if sustained by memes that we see online, survives. And the next time you are on the road, look out for these unexpected encounters. You can pause to reflect, or pause to laugh. But pause, nevertheless.