NO BARKING

An occassional taxi was the only metallic danger in the rough roads of yester years, so a game of cricket with a makeshift stumps (school bags) in the middle of the road was a natural reaction to boredom, jus' the way we loiter into Coffee Day to butcher some time. Ambitious cricketing shots often found its target onto a neighbour's glass window or the lawn, in these circumstances our exit strategy was well in place. But then every human has his nemesis, and that was the 'BEWARE OF DOGS' BOARD

The creative landlords paid more to the artist who emphasised the teeth of the dog for additional effects. Those boards hanging on the gate post sent shivers down the spine often time restricting stokeplay. This was probably the reason that India had very few belligerent cricketers in the past, most were good gentlemen who feared dogs and fast bowling.


Cut now, 30 years later, obviously the matchboxes called homes have now place for dogs, we get to see them occassionaly in Discovery channel or on Nat Geo. The homes today have electronic surveillance that do not poo or bark or wag tails. The gates are closed and are embellished with 'NO PARKING" boards often outshouted by the commercial message of the sponsor who paid for it to make sure your parking lot is not blocked (he! he!). May be its part of the CSR programs for large organizations??? but you find them in all gates, some gates have atleast 5 of them.

From Beware of Dogs to No Parking we have come a long way baby