Photography Prohibited
Delhi Metro – the pride of the capital. Makes commuting a pleasure. The steel, cement and glass of the stations may not be photogenic, but sometimes you feel tempted to go shutter-happy. And many of us do. But if you read the long list of dos and don’ts somewhere lost in the long ad-glowed walls of the tunnels leading to the station, you’ll find a sentence stating that photography is prohibited. Similar signs are all over the nation and beyond. Places of ‘strategic security’ are out of viewfinder bounds. Bridges, dams, radio stations, museums, historic places, courtrooms … What purpose do these menacing signboards serve?

Cameras have shrunk; there are ones in wrist watches too. The one will malafide intentions will always have a way. What harm can an innocent museum photo cause? A duplication of a masterpiece? Or a plan to burgle those royal jewels? Imitation is the best form of flattery. The security systems and the guards also have to earn their worth.

If sketching is allowed inside courtrooms, why not let us have some photography and some moving images coupled with sound. We’ve had enough of the melodramatic courtroom scenes in the movies, it’s the age of reality TV. We’ll refrain from using the flash and the digital cameras don’t make shutter noise. If we can watch Saddam and his courtroom drama, we also want Manu Sharma.

Don’t take a screenshot of this webpage!

Can the above message really stop anyone from doing it? That’s my point.

Why then the useless expenditure of the honest (??) taxpayer’s (my) money on the obviously useless signboards (they can’t possibly do anything with that)?

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