It is difficult, and dangerous, to look upwards in most Indian cities, but doing so introduces us to a world that is often taken for granted as we explore the streets and their semiotics. 'The Hindi textbooks were uglier than other books' "India is rich in the variety and styles in which public lettering exists and it plays a huge role in how we experience our cities," says Saxena as I dodge another scooter. Pahar ganj, bookended on the walk by the glorious but derelict Imperial Theatre and the New Delhi Railway station, is a window into Saxena's enchanting world of lettering. We are walking (now more carefully) through the backpacking 'burb that is Pahar ganj and looking at the extraordinary range of signs and fonts that illuminates New Delhi past and present on a unique typography tour. Pooja Saxena, one of India's best young typography designers, is explaining the intricate curves of the Hindi lettering on a shop sign when a left-turning scooter decides, with all the courtesy and patience of the New Delhi street, to plough unapologetically into my leg.
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