There are certain things about Kerala that no non-Malayali will be able to appreciate in its full scope: The irony of an autorickshaw driver 20 years older than you calling you 'chechi', or elder sister, because we don't have an analogue for the word 'miss' in English. Or the derision with which we view outsiders who eat our traditional delicacies like 'appam' or 'kappa' with cutlery. Or the relish with which we check out the obituary section of the newspaper first thing in the morning. The only thing we find more entertaining than an obituary is a matrimonial-for non-drinking, non-feminist, 'homely' virgins. If you ask a 24-year-old Malayali boy if he wants to get married, he will reply: "Oh no, no hurry. I don't mind waiting a month." Then there is the universal acceptance of certain Malayalam expletives, the most common being: "Nee poda patti." The English translation ("Scoot, you dog") deprives the phrase of its linguistic genius, the way it is offensive and non-offensive at the same time.
Perhaps the most knowledgeable proponents of a language are those who are most proficient in its expletives. If you can swear well in a language, it is a clear sign that you know the language well. Bengalis who know the meaning of the phrase "Marbo ekhane, porbi shoshane" will attest to this fact. It is the paraphrase of a line spoken by Mithun Chakraborty in MLA (2006) and roughly translates to: "I'll hit you here and you'll land in the cremation ground". Once again, the translation is a pale replica of the original. "What of those words you may hear as you pass a squabble on the bypass to Kolkata's new airport?" asks Sudeep Chakravarti in The Bengalis: A Portrait of a Community. "Or as you walk along the lake Rabindra Sarobar, among the few remaining natural saving graces of the city? Or along much of Bengal's decrepit towns, these other places where our destitute, displaced, young, unemployed and restless live?"
This story is from the August 20, 2023 edition of THE WEEK India.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the August 20, 2023 edition of THE WEEK India.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
William Dalrymple goes further back
Indian readers have long known William Dalrymple as the chronicler nonpareil of India in the early years of the British raj. His latest book, The Golden Road, is a striking departure, since it takes him to a period from about the third century BC to the 12th-13th centuries CE.
The bleat from the street
What with all the apps delivering straight to one’s doorstep, the supermarkets, the food halls and even the occasional (super-expensive) pop-up thela (cart) offering the woke from field-to-fork option, the good old veggie-market/mandi has fallen off my regular beat.
Courage and conviction
Justice A.M. Ahmadi's biography by his granddaughter brings out behind-the-scenes tension in the Supreme Court as it dealt with the Babri Masjid demolition case
EPIC ENTERPRISE
Gowri Ramnarayan's translation of Ponniyin Selvan brings a fresh perspective to her grandfather's magnum opus
Upgrade your jeans
If you don’t live in the top four-five northern states of India, winter means little else than a pair of jeans. I live in Mumbai, where only mad people wear jeans throughout the year. High temperatures and extreme levels of humidity ensure we go to work in mulmul salwars, cotton pants, or, if you are lucky like me, wear shorts every day.
Garden by the sea
When Kozhikode beach became a fertile ground for ideas with Manorama Hortus
RECRUITERS SPEAK
Industry requirements and selection criteria of management graduates
MORAL COMPASS
The need to infuse ethics into India's MBA landscape
B-SCHOOLS SHOULD UNDERSTAND THAT INDIAN ECONOMY IS GOING TO WITNESS A TREMENDOUS GROWTH
INTERVIEW - Prof DEBASHIS CHATTERJEE, director, Indian Institute of Management, Kozhikode
COURSE CORRECTION
India's best b-schools are navigating tumultuous times. Hurdles include lower salaries offered to their graduates and students misusing AI