Penned Thoughts

I uploaded this picture to Facebook a while ago and captioned it, “Photography prohibited on Delhi Metro. I shot this picture just as a show of defiance.” Today, I received a comment on it that said, “This is what I would call the Indian bit in Aayush.” (Actual quote edited for the sake of readability.)

It was, of course, said in jest and was meant to satirically point out that I have very little similarity to most Indians. For one thing, I agree with that assessment and do not consider it a flaw. For another, this is less about being an Indian and more about not wanting to put up with ridiculous rules.

This is not the Indian but the rebellious, non-conformist bit of me. I like—nay, love—to follow rules but I have no respect for arbitrary restrictions imposed by the paranoid Indian Government just to show that they’re doing something to curb terrorism, without actually doing anything of substance. Measures like these only make life more difficult for us civilians while doing nothing at all to eradicate terrorism.

This “no photography” rule is particularly annoying. It is so ill-conceived and patently illogical that even the authorities in public places have little idea about whether photography is prohibited at that place or not. Even worse, they follow a “when in doubt, say no” policy.

I asked a security guard whether photography was allowed at the domestic terminal of Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi and, after looking around cluelessly for some signage that might assist him, he told me it wasn’t. And guess what? It was. And I did click a few pictures of Croma’s impressive booth in the centre of the lobby displaying Apple’s entire range of Macs in a delightfully aesthetic setting.

That said, however, I have to say that they really are beefing up security when it comes to public transportation in Delhi and the Northern Capital Region. The metro stations are all equipped with CCTV cameras and automated mechanical baggage screening and metal detection systems. The airports are as secure as can be.

So it’s not as if they’re not doing anything at all, but I sure would love to see some of the paranoia replaced by simple commonsense. And, for the love of God, just allow me to snap pictures of whatever the hell I want already.

-Aayush