I stay in Navi Mumbai (the satellite city of Mumbai – the commercial capital of India) which is fast turning into a city of malls. Some small. Some huge. Some ugly. And some insipid. And all of which will be operational in a few months time.
Of the ones that are already in existence the one that is frequented the most is the Centre One mall near Vashi Railway station.
It is a smallish one (as compared to malls in Gurgaon or so my friends inform me) but the food plaza on the top floor has become a hang out joint for teens and others like me who are young at heart. All very nice and neat and occasionally populated by pretty young things.
But I have a small little grouse. It is the fact that near the entrance to the mall is a forbidding notice that says “Photography not allowed”. Why is that so?
I can understand this notice in top secret Indian military installations. (I mean why would I want to make it easy for the enemy to get pictures of our secrets? Let them at least take the trouble of buying bottles of Scotch)
I can understand why this notice makes sense on Railway platforms in India. (I mean why would I want the rest of the world to know how terrible these things really look like?)
But why no photography in a mall? And one that is doing so well. And one that looks quite nice? I have no answers. Maybe you guys can supply me with one.
Of the ones that are already in existence the one that is frequented the most is the Centre One mall near Vashi Railway station.
It is a smallish one (as compared to malls in Gurgaon or so my friends inform me) but the food plaza on the top floor has become a hang out joint for teens and others like me who are young at heart. All very nice and neat and occasionally populated by pretty young things.
But I have a small little grouse. It is the fact that near the entrance to the mall is a forbidding notice that says “Photography not allowed”. Why is that so?
I can understand this notice in top secret Indian military installations. (I mean why would I want to make it easy for the enemy to get pictures of our secrets? Let them at least take the trouble of buying bottles of Scotch)
I can understand why this notice makes sense on Railway platforms in India. (I mean why would I want the rest of the world to know how terrible these things really look like?)
But why no photography in a mall? And one that is doing so well. And one that looks quite nice? I have no answers. Maybe you guys can supply me with one.
Oh! By the way, my photograph featured in this article was taken at this mall. ;-)
7 comments:
Part of it could be business reasons. In many malls in the US - Macy's or JC Penney - photography is prohibited. If all else fails we have 'national security' to fall back upon.
btw, did you know that Google's #1 result for 'indiastory' is your blog?
hey..don't you check your comments section? i left some answers on the indiaquiz-3 post that seems unopened.
I'm not sure that I can even begin to fathom why, but perhaps it is because they do not want competitors gaining ideas or perhaps they are seeking to protect some of the clientale that they have - ohh, mysterious.
Great blog by the way.
i tried my level best to bring some humour into this comment...but no joke was forthcoming, so lettin the joke be on the mall itself, i seriously try to think y wud they not want a photograph...
hmm...one thought that crosees my mind is maybe they are well aware fo the fact that theirs is nice looking place (as u mention) and mayb dont want other retailers to copy their style...at least they would want them to come and take a look themselves before forging any idea ..pretty much like the army installation setup.. ;)
Photography not allowed for your own safety - so that your girl friend no. 1 does not see you with girl friend no. 2.
The profile photograph thing: How truly rebellious!
We get similar reactions from the security guys in the UK - they claim terrorists can use the photographs to plan their attacks!
Check out The UK Photographers Rights Guide
Read this story on the real threat of Islamic terrorists: Gang 'plotted to blow up Ministry of Sound'
excerpted from above story
The Ministry of Sound was described as Britain's "most profitable club" with three bars and a VIP area, a capacity of 2,200, and a mixture of white, black, and Asian clubbers, including many tourists.
Gary Smart, the general manager, said: "If the nightclub was to be the subject of a terrorist attack it is clear the consequences could be devastating.
"With such a large number of people in a confined space it could lead to large loss of life, injury and structural damage."
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