Trucks, drinks, and the wife

Some of the most profound poetry, or shayari as it would be more aptly called, can be found at the back of trucks. Mostly so in North India. This truck, unsurprisingly, had a UP state registration, and was seen exiting the NICE expressway on Bannerghatta Road.

What it says:

पीना भी छोड़ दी पिलाना भी छोड़ दी - ११९० की खातिर घर वाली भी छोड़ दी ||

or, "Peena bhi chhod di, pilana bhi chhod di - 1190 ki khatir ghar wali bhi chhod di.

Loosely translated, it reads as:

 Gave up drinking, gave up offering others drinks, for the sake of 1190 even gave up the wife.

What is 1190? It is the last four digits of the registration number of the truck - see in the first photo.
Why the angst? Well... The truck is from Bareilly, a town in the state of Uttar Pradesh. And the photo's been taken in Bangalore, the capital of Karnataka, a state in South India. The distance between the two towns is 2025 kms (1273 miles) - a journey that would take upwards of two days by truck.


Google Map showing the route between the towns of Bareilly and Bangalore. View Larger Map


© 2010, Abhinav Agarwal. All rights reserved.