A Name For Every Relationship...

…AND EVERY RELATIONSHIP IN ITS RIGHTFUL NAME. INDIANS REGARD EVEN COUSINS AND AUNTS/UNCLES THRICE REMOVED AS PART OF THE ‘FAMILY’ AND, INSIST ON ACCORDING THEM THE NEEDED IMPORTANCE AND RESPECT. WHY IS INDIAN SOCIETY DRIVEN BY SUCH AN ELABORATE SYSTEM OF KINSHIP?

- Suzanne McNeill

The value Indians place on their relationships with members of their extended family is so deep that they have very specific terms for these relatives. In English we simply say ‘aunt’ to denote our father’s sister or our mother’s sister, whereas Indians differentiate between them and use specific names to indicate the precise relationship. This happens across India’s many languages. For instance, in the Tamil language your father’s sister is athai and your mother’s sister is chitti. In Marathi, spoken in Maharashtra, the word for your paternal aunt is atya and your maternal aunt is maushi.

Taking a Closer Look

God forbid you call your mother’s younger sister badi ma or your mother’s older sister masi, the Hindi words which depict the opposite meaning of these relationships. To clarify, badi ma refers to one’s mother’s older sister, and masi to one’s mother younger sister. Each aunt has a special descriptor showing respect for that relationship, and both would feel hurt if referred to by the ‘wrong’ term. The importance given to a particular relationship that you share with a family member, and the particular way you call and address relatives, is an important part of Indian culture, which is driven by an elaborate system of kinship based on language, community and family.