Sejal Kumar

For using humour to highlight a practice in poor taste

Who hasn’t seen declarations of undying love strewn across monuments, trees and walls the length and breadth? It may be romantic, but it’s also vandalism.

So you don’t expect to see such tributes in the US but when Sejal Kumar spotted it on a footpath in Atlanta, the 26-year-old content creator and Youtuber couldn’t help but post a picture of it.

“When I read the names, I thought, ‘Yeh toh hamare hi log hain’ because of the names and found it ironically funny,” she says. Many replied, finding it hilarious.

Not so lovely

The Delhi girl has seen this kind of “graffiti” aplenty on visits to unregulated monuments like Hauz Khas Fort. She did romanticise it at one time, she admits, but her school, Mother’s International School, put that misguided perspective to rest

“WRITING ON WALLS IS VANDALISM AND IT’S SAD THAT PEOPLE DISRESPECT A PUBLIC SPACE FOR NO REASON” —SEJAL KUMAR

early on with educational picnics to parks.

“Our teachers would point it out, and we were also taught not to litter,” she says.

Declare your love on Insta

“Writing on walls is vandalism and it’s sad that people disrespect a public space for no good reason. It’s a space shared by multiple individuals,” Sejal says. It “shows disrespect to your surroundings. It’s not something that’s enforced in our country,” she adds.

Besides, there are far better ways to express your love, aren’t there? “Send a text! Or declare it publicly via an Instagram post. Send a card or give a hug (after testing negative),” she says.

karishma.kuenzang@hindustantimes.com Follow @kkuenzang on Twitter and Instagram

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The 26-yearold Youtuber took a photo of an act of vandalism on a US pavement (below) to make a point