Go to most major Indian cities and you’ll see the same thing. Huge billboards (called hoardings) filled with politicians’ faces. According to one estimate, around 21,000 hoardings came up on public property in Mumbai in January. They’re not legal. But, like many things in India, police turn a blind eye to them because they have political backing.
The hoardings celebrate everything from politicians’ birthdays to appointments to cabinet, or visits of dignitaries to the city. No one is interested in seeing their moustached faces every day but it’s difficult to bring about change. The High Court has ruled against the unlawful use of public space, the municipal council has pulled down hundreds of thousands of hoardings, and the new Chief Minister has spoken against their erection. But nothing has changed. The presence of hoardings continues to be tolerated in Mumbai.
In hopes of getting ride of the unsightly menace, spurred on by former cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar, the Mumbai Mirror has launched a campaign against hoardings. After counting 68 hoardings on his way to the Cricket Club of India from Prabhadevi, Sanjay snapped and decided that enough is enough. He’s meeting with Congress party’s Kripashankar Singh to see what can be done about the matter. “Nothing changes because we don’t demand a change,” Sanjay says.
If you want to support the campaign, email: mirrorfeedback@indiatimes.com, with ‘banner campaign’ in the subject line.
Let’s hope it brings about a cleaner, more attractive, city!
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{ 25 comments… read them below or add one }
wow..this hoarding is real scary. looks like wanted list in local police station.
or more like “keep your belongings safe and stay safe from these pickpockets” poster.
Sent mail. unless you hve started the counter:)
Short story – Last despot of Egypt
Haha, this hoarding is actually from Tamil Nadu!
In Vellore (near Chennai) I think from memory.
That is one state where no one wins the game “separate politicians from criminals” from array of photos. Maybe a tough question next time
Wait, those guys are politicians? I thought they were villains from south Indian movies. Well, there isn’t much of a difference. Do these specimens, who look like convicted murderers (and, some, like our hominid cousins), really think those hoardings are doing them a favor? If I looked anything like that, I would run — not for office — but back to the jungle. It seems that in every country only retards, overwhelmingly, run for office. They develop an affinity toward the corrosive power of the state and then the rape the public treasury like it’s their own money. Anyway, I wrote to Mumbai Mirror just now. Hope this cricketer dude swings the bat in the right direction.
Thanks for supporting the cause!
Hey, where’s Manny? Isn’t he from Tamil Nadu? Will he come forth in defense of these “criminals”?!
I am going to run for office dear… ..one day.
So please don’t shut me up. I need those hoardings to send my message across to the Dravidian proletariat who have been tyrannized by the Aryan Ramas!
Now, how do I grow a large thick mustache? I have a tough time growing a mustache. Those pencil mustaches don’t cut it..it looks like.
Ah, there you are!!
I can send you a fake one from my collection! 8) The one called “The Rogue” perhaps. Or there’s also one called “The Bandit”.
Tomorrow morning, I am going to a south Indian wedding and I am going to be wearing the traditional white silk Mundu for the first time in my life. I am tired of being referred to as an NRI/outsider. I want to look the part and be one of the insider. I wish there was a way you could e-mail me that “Bandit”. It would be perfect!
@Adi
Whats important here is to identify the problem of hoardings and not the way those people on the hoarding look. Most of the times, ‘Appearances are deceptive’. If you look at the history of the world, many brutal crimes were committed by fair and decent looking folks..and not the bad looking ones (which is most of the times, taken for people born with a tan). Of course, many Indian politicians have criminal background, but that’s not what we are talking about, here (although, this is a serious issue for India). I also hope for a change in Indian political setup and as part of that, groom those politicians to work efficiently, behave responsibly, dress up good (as they represent the community), etc stuff.
what do u mean by south indian villians?u mean to say that north indian villians r beautiful n handsome.i hope that not all north indians r as arrogant as u.or is it that arrogance n pride is a part of north indian dna?anyhow i just urge such typical arrogant north indians to grow up.
No raool, north Indian villains are not beautiful nor handsome, simply because they are in fact south Indians.
When is the war between north and south? I can buy tickets in advance if the entertainment is guaranteed, okie?
We have a very dominant main political party here in Cambodia so generally it’s the same three faces peering down at you from huge billboards day after day.
haha that has to be worse…no new faces to laugh at
Yes another problem of Mumbai and India in general… But the policemen cannot do much since the politicians rule the roost here!! But one thing is for sure that the hoardings are an eyesore…
My Yatra Diary…
A lot of things need to be done, and may be Egypt would be an eye-opener, not just to the masses, but the politicians as well. Guess, countries needs one freedom movement once every 100 years.
Its very obvious that those thugs have made no effort to look presentable. There are two ways of becoming a politician in India: 1. By having a politician dad/mom. 2. By being a rich thug. Politics is dirty and dangerous, and the people at the top do not want to clean the system.
In bangalore, a thug named diwan ali contested elections and won. The party that gave him a ticket said that they did because he had “reformed” and that he was “no longer a criminal”. He then became a corporator, but was later hacked to death by a rival gang. This is a very scary trend in India.
Hi Sharell,
These hoardings are indeed horrible and annoying in every small town..Sometimes you can also find some of those young politicians posing funnily (portfolio types). Even the same party supporters might have sometimes felt laughing. But very few people would have thought about campaigns against this other than just blaming
Good to hear that there are campaigns against this. And hope to see some improvement.Sending mail for sure.
Funny how the second guy from the left (top row) has his shirt unbuttoned to expose his chest… He must think he is a Kollywood star!
Can anyone believe, just by looking at these pics, that they are the ones who are going to ‘reform’ the society??? Holy Christ…Looks like more of a moustache parade
Too funny!!
@Sharell:
I am sure you do not want your hubby’s ‘mustachioed’ pic anywhere next to these guys…..ha ha
i love the moustache of the top row, extreme right guy
btw these hoardings probably hold up the walls on which they are pasted!!
life without hoardings would be boring. these give some excitement to those bare unpainted walls. i still miss those old hand painted hoardings of movies, with the females of oversized breasts, thick lips and whiplike eyelashes – thanks to the new screen prints which are but pale imitations of real life cosmetics
They should turn it into competition for the best moustache! I agree that some are very amusing… after all I was prompted to take a picture of that one, it made me laugh so much…
Wow it´s so nice how you fight for a clean India. So some of the changes we will noddest in India in a few years from now, we will have a lot to thank you. Congrats. And keep on doing it.
Hahaha, I actually showed the picture of the hoarding to a friend yesterday and asked her what she thought that picture was. She had a quizzical look on her face and replied, “Indian most wanted poster?”. Seems to be the general consensus.