Desi Signs: Finding Our Visual Voice in Everyday India

On a lucky day in Bangalore, you're cruising through the city — no honks, no halts, just smooth sailing. You're even whistling a happy tune. And then, out of nowhere, the big BMTC bus in front of you comes to a dead stop. Horns blare behind you like a war cry — the first weapon in any Indian motorist’s arsenal — expressing frustration with creative local slangs.

But the bus doesn't move.

A few riders, brimming with righteous fury, step down to confront the driver. Just as the heat rises, the driver calmly picks up a small leafy branch from the roadside and hangs it at the back of the bus. That’s it. No words needed. Message received. The bus is broken down. Anger melts into sympathy. People move on. Order is restored — desi-style.

You won't find this symbol in any RTO traffic manual. Yet it works.

India is full of these unspoken, organically evolved visual identities. A stack of tyres in a median with one perched on top? Tyre puncture shop ahead. A bunch of PET or HDPE oil cans tied to a pole? Scrap dealer here. In Bangalore, every wine shop sports a big "MRP Only" banner — a promise rarely kept, but a design constant nonetheless.

Then there’s my favourite: the Chole Kulche vendor’s brass degchi. UFO-shaped, unmissable. Why this form? Who knows. But it holds chole like no other vessel and seems patent-worthy in spirit if not by law.

Or take the iconic quack doctor’s van, covered in handwritten banners for "Gupt Rog" cures, often featuring suspicious photos with Mithun or Govinda. From the yellow STD/PCO booths, red momo trolleys, and cane pani puri baskets, to matka kulfi wrapped in red cloth, or the Mumbai dabbawala’s handcart — each street business has its own unspoken, fiercely consistent visual code.

Unlike KFC or McDonald’s, which rely on brand manuals, style guides, and audits to maintain consistency, these desi brands have achieved it through collective memory, cultural intuition, and sheer ingenuity.

Maybe it’s time we give these unsung symbols their rightful place — in a Desi Visual Dictionary.