'Yeh khali backside mein hona, front nai?' asked the print shop guy with a vigorous shake of his head left and right, the motion of which was supposed to match the intent and meaning of his question as is common practice here! I was at the 10' x 10' x 10' cubic print shop nearby that I frequent and which is always bursting to the seams with hi-tech printers, copiers, computers and a lot of customers. Getting my portfolio printed for the nth time, there I am squished in the tiny 0.6m space between the huge printer and the glass wall, trying to lean over that broad heat generating monster and explain the specifications I wanted when he broke down my verbose and structured way of explanation into that one short, clear, concise and amusing phrase. The 'backside' here refers to printing 'front and back' or 'back-to-back'.
So, the print guy's 'backside' got me thinking of all the innumerable times I had heard that phrase here (my part of the world) and in varied contexts. My university instructs applicants to write their name and 'roll number' on the 'backside' of demand drafts that they submit with their applications!
Oh, and the very popular 'iske backside mein hai' to direct you to an address you're looking for that happens to be behind a certain building or neighourhood.
'Backside'...they say that language is, after all, a means of communication. Yes, it is bridging the shores on either side of the river. I, however, am a purist so there'll be no 'backsides' for me!
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