In SoBo, words of wisdom on water tankers

In Fort, wisdom from a water tanker. The tanker art is the work of Raju Ki Chai, a restaurant in Fort’s Cawasji Patel Street.

If you’ve walked through Fort, specifically the zig-zagging alleys behind Bombay House, Akbarally’s and DN Road, you probably would have noticed several water tanker handcarts. If you’re lucky, however, you’ll find that a few of them are works of art. Bright yellow, they carry kitschy designs – sunglasses, Gandhi spectacles, moustaches, nimbu-mirchi talismans, peacocks, lotuses and geometric motifs.

One of the painted tankers (HT)

They’re also emblazoned with Instagrammable aphorisms — half-Hindi, half-English one-liners. “Swag Se Swagat,” says one. “Sirf Sukoon Dhoondiye, Zarooratein Toh Khabi Khatam Nahi Hongi,” reads another. Some slogans are simple. “Selfie Maine Le Li Aaj,” states one tanker. Others offer more food for thought: “Selfie Nahi, Kisi Ka Dard Kheech Pao Toh Kuch Baat Baney.”

The tanker art is the work of Raju Ki Chai, a restaurant in Fort’s Cawasji Patel Street. Owners Ally Mohammad and Dev Sanghvi decided it was a fun way to extend their restaurant’s cheery truck-art decor through the neighbourhood. “We got Kamal Morya, who usually paints trucks, to decorate these tankers,” Sanghvi says. “He was a bit confused at first, but he’s got the hang of it now.

Walk around. Twenty-two tankers have already been painted over in the past four months, and the restaurant owners plan to decorate eight more, paying ₹4,000 each from their own pockets. “The tanks are part of the neighbourhood’s heritage, and it makes people smile, so why not?” Sanghvi asks.