Animals have done it for centuries. Dogs and cats have a conscious quest to establish territoriality by scent-marking their areas of jurisdictions via their urine. Other wolves dare not invade an area that has been safeguarded by a wolf. The animal 'backs up' to the target and then shakes off or sprays a few urine drops on it.

Typically, 'vertical' marking is performed on table legs, plant boxes, television etc. Several studies have shown that men, too, pee in a similar manner. Rarely do they simply stand still and perform - more often than not, they end up drawing an abstract pattern which translates into a passive desire to mark the area.

Ethology is the study of the comparison between human and animal behaviour. An important concept in ethology is the notion of territoriality: the practice of marking a piece of ground and defending it against intruders.

Some scholars argue that people are territorial animals: humans' genetic endowment drive them to gain and defend territory, much as other animals do. So according to them, the paanwalla round the corner might just be marking his territory and warning other vendors that the area belongs to him!