As fondly remembered by many of us (after one or more individuals over the annals of time have mispronounced or we call "CARD") also referred to as "Poster Pasting". Usually back in the day, this would be one of those things that every youngling would look forward to, a sign of becoming of age some would think.
Normally before an event, to popularize it many colourful and not so colourful posters would be designed and printed and then the daunting task of putting them up. Carried out during the wee hours of the night, close to the breaking of the dawn. Many a story can be told as it's doubtful than any such campaign has been completed "uneventfully".
The teenagers would jump to say they'd bring the car at the meeting, and would be later begging their fathers to let them have the family car or pickup, if driver not provided they would first resort to naming a few senior "aiyas" that would be there with them.
"4am at the Parlour" or so meeting places and times are agreed upon but often the crew would over-sleep and set off a good hour later (if they’re lucky). Once they assemble they'd realize that they forgot a vital essential required for the glue commonly referred to as "Pappa", and be found waking up folks at the hostel or looking for 24hours stores to buy the Flour or "Piti". This would be overcome by many a youngster coaxing their mothers to make the beloved "Pappa" at home but would often not get either the mixture right or underestimate the volume required. For making “Pappa” is a fine Art, it has to be watery enough to be applied by paint brushes but sticky enough to put a up the Poster. Anyway if you don’t run out of "Pappa" then you have been "Icing" on the job for that is the first to run out.
Often we'd stop at "Rahumaniya" or "Pilla" asking for hot water and some spare flour if we didn't have any and make do, for the rest of the remaining posters.
It's a common occurrence that many other events would be taking place in close proximity to your event’s calendar date and so the requirement for publicity and the space on billboards share are common relation. Therefore you'd find the posters that you happily put up being covered by a thick wall of some other form on the way back home just after your campaign. There has been many a fellow who'd run out and carefully peel off the new layer of posters to reveal their own, and leave the other posters at the foot of the billboard.
Fun and games turn sour when it comes to the times of General Elections where, we have had many encounters with JVP dudes (in their white colored vans) rather unhappy to find their posters being under a sea of "Talent Search" or "Drama Comp" or some other sort of Posters.
In the middle of the night when all sorts of odd characters that are known to prowl the streets and when they too have indeed gone to their own beds (or whatever they call it) does creativity strike in the young minds! Yes, that is the only explanation for posters put up at an angle, upside down or even leaving gaps to create some sort of pattern.
AH.. those were the days when the campaign ran late, and you ended up pasting near L.C. or Metho (or some other Girl school.. didn't mean any discrimination) when people you know walk past you [most of the time pretending not to know those who are dressed in hacked old t-shirts and shorts (spare the Adidas and the Nikes from the "Pappa") covered in "pappa" (obviously after a fight with paint brushes or leaning on a billboard freshly glued) with paint brushes in their hands] to school, confused and amazed are some of the looks that parents give us dropping their younglings off to school, often muttering to their kin “Those are the Boys that Daddy/Thatti warned you about!”
The remnants of the trip are not forgotten by either the merry men (now coming of age) or their vehicle as often the interiors are stained with the horrible "pappa" where the bucket spilt taking a fast corner or where the "pappa" clad hand opened the door etc.
I also forgot to mention that the open roads in the middle of the night bring out the "Schumacher" in everybody and want to take a turn at driving (often their first). The few experienced individuals would show off their ability to "Wheel Spin" while the others would make a great effort to keep the vehicle straight for a good distance before they realize the Handbrake is still on.
AH.. the memories of the "Good Old" . These were easily 7-9 years ago and wonder whether it's possible now with all these checkpoints and heightened security. Anyways what inspired this post was the sight of a single guy pasting a poster on a Lazy Sunday morning around 11am. When I ventured closer, I realized he was putting up a Poster for a Stamp Exhibition at R.C. and turned out to be a familiar face. He'd come with his driver and the car was parked beside the bill board and the driver waiting for him. Hmm.. now where is the fun in that I thought to my self?
Normally before an event, to popularize it many colourful and not so colourful posters would be designed and printed and then the daunting task of putting them up. Carried out during the wee hours of the night, close to the breaking of the dawn. Many a story can be told as it's doubtful than any such campaign has been completed "uneventfully".
The teenagers would jump to say they'd bring the car at the meeting, and would be later begging their fathers to let them have the family car or pickup, if driver not provided they would first resort to naming a few senior "aiyas" that would be there with them.
"4am at the Parlour" or so meeting places and times are agreed upon but often the crew would over-sleep and set off a good hour later (if they’re lucky). Once they assemble they'd realize that they forgot a vital essential required for the glue commonly referred to as "Pappa", and be found waking up folks at the hostel or looking for 24hours stores to buy the Flour or "Piti". This would be overcome by many a youngster coaxing their mothers to make the beloved "Pappa" at home but would often not get either the mixture right or underestimate the volume required. For making “Pappa” is a fine Art, it has to be watery enough to be applied by paint brushes but sticky enough to put a up the Poster. Anyway if you don’t run out of "Pappa" then you have been "Icing" on the job for that is the first to run out.
Often we'd stop at "Rahumaniya" or "Pilla" asking for hot water and some spare flour if we didn't have any and make do, for the rest of the remaining posters.
It's a common occurrence that many other events would be taking place in close proximity to your event’s calendar date and so the requirement for publicity and the space on billboards share are common relation. Therefore you'd find the posters that you happily put up being covered by a thick wall of some other form on the way back home just after your campaign. There has been many a fellow who'd run out and carefully peel off the new layer of posters to reveal their own, and leave the other posters at the foot of the billboard.
Fun and games turn sour when it comes to the times of General Elections where, we have had many encounters with JVP dudes (in their white colored vans) rather unhappy to find their posters being under a sea of "Talent Search" or "Drama Comp" or some other sort of Posters.
In the middle of the night when all sorts of odd characters that are known to prowl the streets and when they too have indeed gone to their own beds (or whatever they call it) does creativity strike in the young minds! Yes, that is the only explanation for posters put up at an angle, upside down or even leaving gaps to create some sort of pattern.
AH.. those were the days when the campaign ran late, and you ended up pasting near L.C. or Metho (or some other Girl school.. didn't mean any discrimination) when people you know walk past you [most of the time pretending not to know those who are dressed in hacked old t-shirts and shorts (spare the Adidas and the Nikes from the "Pappa") covered in "pappa" (obviously after a fight with paint brushes or leaning on a billboard freshly glued) with paint brushes in their hands] to school, confused and amazed are some of the looks that parents give us dropping their younglings off to school, often muttering to their kin “Those are the Boys that Daddy/Thatti warned you about!”
The remnants of the trip are not forgotten by either the merry men (now coming of age) or their vehicle as often the interiors are stained with the horrible "pappa" where the bucket spilt taking a fast corner or where the "pappa" clad hand opened the door etc.
I also forgot to mention that the open roads in the middle of the night bring out the "Schumacher" in everybody and want to take a turn at driving (often their first). The few experienced individuals would show off their ability to "Wheel Spin" while the others would make a great effort to keep the vehicle straight for a good distance before they realize the Handbrake is still on.
AH.. the memories of the "Good Old" . These were easily 7-9 years ago and wonder whether it's possible now with all these checkpoints and heightened security. Anyways what inspired this post was the sight of a single guy pasting a poster on a Lazy Sunday morning around 11am. When I ventured closer, I realized he was putting up a Poster for a Stamp Exhibition at R.C. and turned out to be a familiar face. He'd come with his driver and the car was parked beside the bill board and the driver waiting for him. Hmm.. now where is the fun in that I thought to my self?
8 comments:
That's so awesome. Although I've never experienced seeing this pappa-postering business take place, your post definitely shed some light into the intricacies of pappa. In these parts we (boringly) just use glue :)
machang you must put up a post about the "all night pirith" that the cops organized or the colours night....
just to refresh your memory "apo malli api yala yanne ne"
hahahaa
Gosh those were the days. Suddenly I feel "OLD".. thikning back of the freaking fun we had.
My memory servers me little, to remember all that happened that night, although I can vaguely remember an old man chasing us, after we broke his flower pots or something or the other.
Will do one up, as soon as my memory kicks me hard in the back side. :)
Ha ha ha.. yes yes... now I remember. Dear old Kura.
The Kanatte. Scary shit no. I know I was shit scared after I saw something move in the Shadows. :)
And speaking of LC that night, who has the poor guards Cap? he he.
Whoa. Those were indeed the days.
Dude the whole "Chaar-max" thing just sorta clicked, at least I think so. Let me verify if I've got the right guy here. Tell me, do you remember anything about the "Have you ever seen 372 guitars being thrashed" poster???
Ha ha.. Spectral.. Ofcourse the "Kuthuhalya poster campaign".. and man didn't create "Curiosity". I remeber the no of guys that came upto me asking for guitars, saying sapre one for me.. ha ha..
If rightly speaking I have a certain percentage of creative ownership on that campaign.
So it's safe to say Spectral.. that is "There Can be Only One".. and that's ME :)
Sweeeet. Now then, do you remember the person who has the remaining percentage of the creative ownership? That would be yours truly ;)
Ofcourse... I figured that much out.. Although your hair wasn't that long.. he he.. ;)
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