horn POWER BRAKES please
Tuesday, May 16, 2006
I noticed this message on a truck today on Delhi-Gurgaon highway Chunnu – munnu de papa di gaddi (Translates to: Chunnu and Munnu’s papa’s automobile). The Delhi-Gurgaon highway has painfully slow moving traffic during mornings and late evenings and nearly all trucks in Delhi-Haryana have innovative one-liners and truck-rhymes. This truck-literature proves to be the second best way (after FM) of avoiding boredom in a jam. Interestingly, the trend of one-liners behind trucks is popular nearly everywhere in India (though I am not sure about the east and down south). I remember reading Aayi tujha aasheerwaad (Translates to: Your blessings Mom) on trucks in Mumbai.
Here are a few one-liners and the translations:
Babuji main aayi (Here I come, Mister)
Babuji dheere chalna (Mister, walk slow)
Chhora Jatt da (Son of a Jatt)
Chal Basanti (Walk Basanti)
Dosti Pakki, kharcha apna apna (Strong friendship, bear your own expenses)
Kheton pe kisan, seema par jawan (Farmers on the field, soldiers on the frontier)
Jagah milne par side di jayegi (Side would be given if there is space)
Mera Bharat mahan (My India is great)
Garibon ka rakhwala (Poor man’s guard)
Sometimes the truckwala’s go on to write 2 line rhymes. I am writing a few of them with translations.
Chalti hai gaadi, udti hai dhool,
Jaltey hain dushman, khiltey hain phool
(The automobile moves, dirt flies, enemies envy and flowers bloom)
I have no idea what these lines are supposed to mean.
Amiron ki zindagi biscuit aur cake par
Driver ki zindagi clutch aur brake par
(The rich live on biscuit and cake, the driver lives on clutch and brake)
As shitty as it can get, the only point of the lines are to make them rhyme. Notice that the lines are so efficiently made that even my translation rhymes.
Bahar aati hai, khilte hain phool
Driver ki zindgi, jaise sadak ki dhool
(Springtime comes and flowers blossom, the driver’s life is like dust on the road) WTF!!!
Nadi kinare maina baithi, dana khaye chhalli da,
Tu to raja ban gaya driver, dil na lage akelli da
(The birds sit at the river bank pecking at maize. My king, you have become a driver and my heart feels lonely).
Malik ki gadi, driver ka pasina
Chalti hai road par banke hasina
(The owner’s automobile, the driver’s sweat, moves on the road after becoming a pretty girl)
I am speechless.
Sometime back the RTO (of one of the states) came up with the law that no obscene one-liners and flashy bumper stickers are allowed on trucks, cars etc. since they cause distraction and can result in accidents. This was based on some research by a Delhi University student. His Ph.D. thesis was used as a basis for this new law and a fine of Rs.100 was imposed on those with obscene lines and flashy stickers on their vehicles. Interestingly, lines like “Mera bharat mahan” were allowed since they were not obscene and were introduced by Rajiv Gandhi (basic idea being that only obscene lines distract). I don’t have further details.
Some RTO offices have also encouraged the truck drivers to write socially relevant messages about planting trees, AIDS, population control etc. A rhyme in this category goes like this…
Papa na piyo sharab,
Khareed do mujhe ek kitab
(Father, do not drink, buy me one book)
Finally… no article about truck-rhymes is complete without this most popular one.
In most cases only the second line from this rhyme is written. Here it goes…
18 ke phool, 84 ki mala…
Buri nazar vale tera muh kala
(Flowers of 18, Garland of 84, one with bad intentions, thou face be black)
With this, I close this talk about truck-literature…
OK phir milenge TATA
Here are a few one-liners and the translations:
Babuji main aayi (Here I come, Mister)
Babuji dheere chalna (Mister, walk slow)
Chhora Jatt da (Son of a Jatt)
Chal Basanti (Walk Basanti)
Dosti Pakki, kharcha apna apna (Strong friendship, bear your own expenses)
Kheton pe kisan, seema par jawan (Farmers on the field, soldiers on the frontier)
Jagah milne par side di jayegi (Side would be given if there is space)
Mera Bharat mahan (My India is great)
Garibon ka rakhwala (Poor man’s guard)
Sometimes the truckwala’s go on to write 2 line rhymes. I am writing a few of them with translations.
Chalti hai gaadi, udti hai dhool,
Jaltey hain dushman, khiltey hain phool
(The automobile moves, dirt flies, enemies envy and flowers bloom)
I have no idea what these lines are supposed to mean.
Amiron ki zindagi biscuit aur cake par
Driver ki zindagi clutch aur brake par
(The rich live on biscuit and cake, the driver lives on clutch and brake)
As shitty as it can get, the only point of the lines are to make them rhyme. Notice that the lines are so efficiently made that even my translation rhymes.
Bahar aati hai, khilte hain phool
Driver ki zindgi, jaise sadak ki dhool
(Springtime comes and flowers blossom, the driver’s life is like dust on the road) WTF!!!
Nadi kinare maina baithi, dana khaye chhalli da,
Tu to raja ban gaya driver, dil na lage akelli da
(The birds sit at the river bank pecking at maize. My king, you have become a driver and my heart feels lonely).
Malik ki gadi, driver ka pasina
Chalti hai road par banke hasina
(The owner’s automobile, the driver’s sweat, moves on the road after becoming a pretty girl)
I am speechless.
Sometime back the RTO (of one of the states) came up with the law that no obscene one-liners and flashy bumper stickers are allowed on trucks, cars etc. since they cause distraction and can result in accidents. This was based on some research by a Delhi University student. His Ph.D. thesis was used as a basis for this new law and a fine of Rs.100 was imposed on those with obscene lines and flashy stickers on their vehicles. Interestingly, lines like “Mera bharat mahan” were allowed since they were not obscene and were introduced by Rajiv Gandhi (basic idea being that only obscene lines distract). I don’t have further details.
Some RTO offices have also encouraged the truck drivers to write socially relevant messages about planting trees, AIDS, population control etc. A rhyme in this category goes like this…
Papa na piyo sharab,
Khareed do mujhe ek kitab
(Father, do not drink, buy me one book)
Finally… no article about truck-rhymes is complete without this most popular one.
In most cases only the second line from this rhyme is written. Here it goes…
18 ke phool, 84 ki mala…
Buri nazar vale tera muh kala
(Flowers of 18, Garland of 84, one with bad intentions, thou face be black)
With this, I close this talk about truck-literature…
OK phir milenge TATA
