The Srinagar Municipality has invited suggestions for a logo for the corporation. Naturally there is bound to be a tremendous public response as is usual in such cases. In fact we have come across some suggested logos with their accompanying details which are said to have been ‘rescued’ from one of the dustbins set up by the said corporation in the vicinity of its headquarters. Some people say that this confers a sort of semi-official status on them, but I am not sure. Might, as well express a word of caution, the veracity of these documents is open to doubt! However the public is the best judge. Our job is merely to bring this scoop-out-of-a-dustbin to them. The ‘rescued’ logos are presented hereunder along with the accompanying details.
Logo No.1: A manhole cover with S.M.C embossed on it.
Manhole covers are a long-missing feature of our roads. People have even given up expecting them. After a considerable number of people took an ‘unholy dip’ courtesy our civic organization, the public imagination came up with some picturesque solutions. This has created many a monument on our roads! Whereas an ordinary manhole cover consigns a manhole to obscurity, public imagination invested these cover-deficient manholes with scooter and car tyre, a rock or two and even a stick with a gaily-fluttering flag at times!
A manhole-cover has thus become redundant. However as a memorable relic of the past it still deserves some recognition. What better logo than this for our dear SMC then! Only snag is that some people might be misled that SMC here stands for Stolen Manhole Cover!
Logo No.2: A grinning dog with a crown on its head and the legend SMC prominently displayed on its collar!
It is ages since the Municipal Authorities declared a cease-fire with regard to stray dogs. Whereas previous incarnations of the municipality would look down upon this poor creature and try to eliminate it from the face of earth, things have undergone quite a change. The right of the dog, rabid or not, to exist alongside man has been firmly established. So great is the rapport and tie up between this civic body and the canine brigade that the present SMC is rumoured to have been incorporated into a pro-dog secret society called Save My Canines! Another rumour doing the rounds that dogs will soon get a representation in this corporation may not be a rumour at all!
The logo presented above thus seems most suited for this civic body which might soon have a canine wing as well!
Logo No.3: A cow eating out of a dustbin with the letters SMC prominently displayed on the dustbin.
Seems that most logo designers are animal lovers! Now this is a common enough sight – a cow eating out of one of these municipal dustbins which can be tilted to suit the bovine convenience. The practice of ‘arresting’ stray cows and putting them in a cattle pound has long been consigned to the pages of history. It is a primitive practice no longer in vogue.
Nowadays you see cows moving with a dignified pace side-to-side with fast moving motor cars. It is not an uncommon sight to see a capricious cow calmly sitting it out on a busy thoroughfare and chewing cud in peace, as if to remind you that you might as well stop being a part of the rat-race. And stop, or at least slow down, it does – the whole traffic!
It would seem that there is a tie-up between the cows and the corporation. The corporation strategically places these bovine-friendly dustbins and then forgets about them. The cows do the rest by de-bulking these overfilling bins and tilting the contents on to the ground, in their search for whatever suits their taste. So much so that the SMC on these dustbins seems to stand for Selected Menu for Cows!
Logo No. 4: A picture of one of those huge yellow dumpers with the legend ‘SMC’ displayed prominently.
This is the most prominent visual reminder of the municipality these days. Ask anyone living in the vicinity of these dumpers. They don’t forget their existence for a single moment; the characteristic smell just won’t let them! As the corporation has too much on its mind to remember trifles like these; these dumpers are invariably over-following with garbage, with a carcass of a dog or a cat added for flavor. The stink that results saturates the local atmosphere and the dumper thus achieves the status of a prominent landmark! If you have the distinction of having one in your locality, you might as well add it to your visiting card as part of your ‘address’. A friend of mine who does have this distinction finds it very convenient when he gives directions to anyone as to how to find his residence. “When you reach the bus-stop,” h e says, “take a turn towards the left and then just follow your nose!” Trust me nobody ever gets lost or misses his residence, it being so easy to sniff it out!
Since these prominently placed ‘containers’ are quite a graphic reminder of the existence of our civic organization, maybe the contributor thought that this could perhaps be an apt logo for the same. However, it would be better to write the full form of SMC on this logo, because this misconception is increasingly gaining ground that SMC (at least on these containers) stands for Stinking Mess of a Corporation!
(Truth is mostly unpalatable…but truth cannot be ignored! Here we serve the truth, seasoned with salt and pepper and a dash of sauce (iness!). You can record your burps, belches and indigestion, if any, at snp_ajazbaba@yahoo.com)