Territory marking by non-animals (number ottings & promotings)

[Disclaimer : this article is not to offend anyone, I wrote because I'm offended by ugly graffiti tak menjadi]

Sunday noon, not much to do, camera and bike key in hand. Took a quick 15 minutes ride around the (used to be notoriously) famous Air Panas / Hot Spring, Setapak. 

This place was marked as 'Black Area' in the 80's and early 90's due to rampant crime and gangsterism cases. When a large number of residents were evicted and placed in many highrise flats around KL, this place begin to feel safer, with less number of gang activities. In the 2000s, a number of public housing projects brought back large number of residents to Setapak.

With that, there's re-birth of gang activities, only this time by a larger group of 'kuchi brats' with spray can running around in EX5 bike like rabid dogs, with petrol filled using pocket money 'donated' by parents. Majority of these brats are in the age region between 14-25, sometimes include '7 donkey aged' (ezhu kaluthai vayasu) youth around 30s. Anyway, most of them wouldn't be able to contribute any tax money due to their pay grade. But, 'bantha-ku mattum koreichal hair irukathu'. 

Young idiots think that, if they have a number, they become gangster. Yes, there are larger (organized) group of gangster that used the numbers, but they don't go around town flashing placard claiming they are gangsters. It would be like walking around with this:

In just 15 minutes of ride around the 1KM radius from Jalan Air Panas, we can witness the creative ideas of marking territory by these so called 'gangsters'. Initially you might not suspect the markings on the walls, sign boards and longkangs as gang sign, but after seeing many such badly painted signs, you'll knock your head on the nearby fire hydrant, thinking why they're doing this. Let's look at the pics :

Common word used : TOP

 Someone didn't think its lucky number

Bigger 0, 8 inside .. wow

 then comes this number, obviously another team crossed them out

 this lift is proudly sponsored by 36 team.

they can't seem to make up their mind : 36? 360? 306? ennadah solleh varinggeh?

when they spray 36, we spray 08 .. alamak silap, now looks like 0XX8!

rival teams taking over large signboards, conclusion: they are not tall enough

TOP means what? on top of what? below got what? what what what??

 more crossing out

 this is creative spraying, masking number 36, so it look 08. Looks B8 lah!

 another creative idea.

 then comes, design convergence .. wow 24 in single stroke!! add Hidup. Then mati dalam lokap?

Finally, combi of number & shape. 91?

Don't forget, modifying the the Sanskrit Ohm into 36
(image from cumidanciki.com)

After seeing all this, it looks like our teen gangs are following the territory marking behavior of animals:

 normal marking

karat marking

murattu marking!

Teens who are just growing mustache and pubic hair now must belong to any numbered gang. Then they can proudly go around saying, "nambe number machi, hidup" reply, "ama machi nambe number than top". Then they draw numbers on books, school furniture, wall etc. Then they become gangsters?? Huh?? Ennadah seiringeh?? Number oturuven publicity panni sonthama talayileh mannei vari potuka mattaanda!! Wallet-leh rendu 100 velli notu iruka paru? Illeyah, appadina unaku peru gangster illeh, vetti payeh!!

Teens who get into this early dream of becoming gangsters will either be graduating in jail, become drug addict at nearby pasar, killed by rival gang or die in accident. Then their parents will scream by the casket "yean maganuku onnumeh teriyathu!! aven kuttalingeh keduthutangeh!!".

At the funeral, they fight like dogs in heat. 

(Actual picture of fight between 2 gang at a 'number' youth funeral)

 

Numbers, at least if got 4 digits, we can use for 4D permutation. What to do? What to say? Number ottings ... valkai umbings.