Photography is Prohibited. Say Cheese
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)?
9 Comments:
what a co-incidence!!! i am suppossed to post an article on kolkata metro today...and it's not gonna be a good review...man i've gone thru enough harrassmaent...
True. At times it's just irritating to miss certain stuff, when you are dying to click, when you know you're carrying your camera. But..!
now this 1 does have some sahi matter in it.
points worth pondering upon.
I know it's crazy but this is India. People will go to any length to change the name of the city rather than provide amenities!
now the tax argument is stupid. just cos you don't agree...
and not allowing people to take photos in DM for security reasons is the stupidest thing, but there can be another argument: one of privacy. allow photography in DM and boy, so many will go around taking photos of the chicks! And unlike DTC buses, so many beautiful women travel the metro.
on the kohat enclave metro station in pitampura yesterday, i saw a banner sponsored by times of india,
'photography is prohibited'
Mahadeva, Mahayogi, Pashupati, Nataraja, Bhairava, Vishwanath, Bhava, Bhole Nath The tax argument was meant to be stupid (to match the levels of the prohibitory notices).
you know what, it's becoming a trend these days. even at the newly opened railway line here in manila, there's a sign plastered all over that photography and other video capturing devices are not allowed to be used while inside the stations.
i find it awfully strange...
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