The Iconic Sign Boards and Slogans of BRO in Arunachal Pradesh: A Photo Series
The Border Roads Organization (BRO), a road construction and maintenance group, operating under the Ministry of Defence in India is the group that provides us the roads to reach India’s remotest corners and some of the most beautiful, yet inhospitable terrains. Their work is tough, yet they seem to carve roads out of mighty mountains and thick forests and allow our soldiers and their machines reach all the border areas. While I am really thankful to them for maintaining India’s border roads, I am absolutely fascinated by their road sign boards and slogans. People who have travelled to the high mountain roads of Ladakh and Jammu and Kashmir would know what I am talking about. Such iconic sign boards and slogans can be seen when you are traveling across the border regions of Arunachal Pradesh too. This photo series aims to share these famous road sign boards of Arunachal Pradesh with you. I believe these sign boards teach us a lot about road safety, how precious life is, life experiences in general and some that may be conveys BRO’s motto to us. These sign boards are so well thought through that I think BRO has a division just to come with newer slogan ideas.
Above photo: The mountain roads of Arunachal Pradesh, especially around the border areas are not everyone’s cup of tea. The unpredictable weather, the umpteen curves, the steep drops and the remote dense terrain offer a lot of challenges, but like the sign board which say ‘Difficult roads often lead to beautiful destinations’, the end result is insanely beautiful. Border areas of Arunachal Pradesh like Tawang, Mechuka, Lamang, Anini and Kaho are a sight to behold and are destinations that we should definitely experience. This sign board was spotted while traveling from Mechuka to Lamang.
Above photo: Accidents are common place on mountain roads. Faster vehicles and lack of mountain driving experience increases the chances of accidents. And that is why we need such sign boards to remind us of how precious our lives are. This signboard which says ‘Safety on road is safe tea at home’ gently reminds us of our responsibility to ourselves and our families. This was spotted while climbing the winding roads towards Mayodia pass and Anini from Roing.
Above photo: A lot of us have a tendency to race on highways. This usually causes trouble and more so on narrow, winding mountain roads. This sign board which says ‘Run your own race’ tries to convey two meanings. One is not to race with others and the other is to focus on our goals and ambitions. This road sign board was spotted between Mechuka and Lamang.
Above photo: This is not exactly a road sign board, but more a slogan that says ‘Swach Bharat, Sundar Bharat’ or ‘Clean India, Beautiful India’. Spotted at the military outpost of Lamang, this slogan perfectly fits this surreal environment made up of snow capped peaks, fast mountain streams, pine forests and thin mountain air.
Above photo: A commonly seen message on the roads made by Border Roads Organization, it says ‘Be gentle on my curves’, which literally translates into ‘Drive safely on the winding and turning mountain roads’. I spotted this on the highway from Aalo to Mechuka.
Above photo: Himalayas is a destination one should definitely experience in their lifetime. Unlike the Western Himalayas, which is drier and colder, the Eastern Himalayas are more forested, green and receive much more rainfall. The best way to experience the Eastern Himalayas is by indulging in slow travel. And this sign board, which says ‘Mountains are pleasure if you drive with leisure couldn’t have conveyed the thought better. I spotted this sign board on the road from Aalo to Mechuka.
Above photo: This sign board is may be BRO’s vision. ‘Connecting Places Connecting People’ is pretty much what these roads do to these remote regions of the country. These roads allow us to reach the remote border regions of Arunachal Pradesh and get to know the life of the local tribal people living there, while it allows the locals to connect with the rest of the country for groceries, telecom, education, healthcare and much more. This sign was spotted on the road to Lamang from Mechuka.
Above photo: Arunachal Pradesh is called the land of the rising sun (the sun rises the first here in all of India) and the land of the dawn lit mountains (as the sun rises here at 4 AM). This sign board at Aalo welcomes you to the border roads of Arunachal Pradesh.
