Don’t Carry Inflammable Articles (Your Lucky Number 6)
I wasn’t sure what these machines were when I first saw them on train platforms in India. Carnival games? Fortune-telling machines? Neither: they’re weighing scales. As was pointed out to me in Mumbai when I went to set my bag on the ground, there is a handle on which to hang your stuff as you stand on the scale. A little card pops out with your weight printed on it. I tried two machines, but have more faith in the calibration of the one that spat out the lower number.
Like fortune cookies which also suggest lotto numbers, the “health cards” are comprehensive in their sources of advice. Your weight, your lucky number, a fortune, and a practical tip about know not to get killed in a rail-related way. According to my cards, this year is “A favourable year for money-making and for all matters of affection and friendship” and “[I] excel in matters of judgement, analysis and instinctive reasoning.” Which is why I probably won’t walk along the railway tracks or carry inflammable articles.
I’ve finally uploaded my photos from India to flickr. They’re here if you’re interested.
And if you’d like to see some truly gorgeous photographs from India, have a look at Meena Kadri’s amazing photographs here.
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