EPOW - Ecology Picture of the Week

A Sign of Times Ancient and Modern

Sign at border crossing from Nepal into India
in Hindi and "Hinglish"

Explanation:  Despite the interesting spelling, this is one of the greatest road signs I've seen on all my travels.  We are at the border crossing from southwest Nepal into northern India.  

The message that greets visitors and returning residents is in both Hindi and English (sort of).  Hindi is spoken widely throughout northern India and shares much with Nepali, as both derived from Devanagari (or Nagari) script which shares its origins with Sanskrit.  In India, many, if not most, Hindi speakers are at least bilingual, as Hindi and English are both the official languages of the country.  

Spoken English in India is very interesting, as it often consists of a surprising mix of Hindi thrown into sentences in unexpected ways, so much so that locals sometimes refer to speaking in a hybrid "Hinglish."  Straight English in India is also subject to some variability in spelling, exhibiting a sort of freedom of expression mirrored in the country's democratic freedom of political self-expression.   

In whichever language, the message on this border-crossing sign surely speaks to the heart of conservation needs in both countries, where nature and wildlife are revered but have suffered much from population growth, habitat loss, and legal and illegal hunting.  

The Ishopanishad, which inspired the quote on the sign, consists of a set of 18 or so mantras or verses, and is the shortest of the Upanishads.  

Acknowledgments:  My appreciation to my friends and colleagues of the Wildlife Institute of India, Dehra Dun, for hosting me on many visits there and bringing me, twice, to this border crossing site.  Special thanks to Dr. P.K. Mathur and Sh. V.B. Sawarkar (pictured above), both of whom surely share the philosophy embodied in this signage.