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| A board that instructs how to say Salaam correctly |
The scripts reads, 'Salam ka sahih tariiqa' or the 'Right way of greeting the other person'.
It is 'Assalam-o-Alaikum' or 'Assalamu-Alaikum', not Salam Alaikum. And the reply is Walaikum Assalam.
As the words are in Arabic, it is possible that people may not know the exact pronunciation. I've commonly heard 'Assalam-Walaikum' also.
It can be a religious issue, just a linguistic exercise or an age-old habit due to which people only greet others with the first half of the sentence, as if they are in a hurry.
I haven't seen such boards and hence took the photograph. Apart from Urdu, it also mentions the correct 'Salam' in devnagari [Hindi script]. As far as the meaning goes, it is 'Peace be upon you' and the reply is 'So be on you'.
For people with roots in Awadh [region around Lucknow], we were always more accustomed with the 'secular' Adab [pronunciation: Aadaab]. It still comes more natural to me. Just like Khuda Hafiz, which I am more comfortable though most of my acquaintances now say Allah Hafiz.
The board is installed over a kebab seller's shop. It might get a new banner or hoarding any day, as these days flex advertising banners have almost pushed painters out of the job, as they can be easily be prepared and put up. Hence, I thought, I should click the photo.
Enough words for a post now. Hope I haven't put you in a fix and you are not thinking whether you spell out the Salaam correctly. Adab Arz!