Will someone tell me...
I never had a great opinion of Chennai. I know I am inviting wrath and trouble while I say this but it is something I have evolved to accept. It has, most definitely, evolved from the time when I was this smug, clueless, north-bred 6 year old to whom anything south indian was a matter of disdain. It was rather uncool to be referred as a Madrasi at that point in time.
Of course, I grew out of the false airs rather soon. I have a huge cousin clan of about 30 of them of varied age groups and I did have a bunch of cousins of the nearest age group with whom I bonded rather well. They jeered at my accented and adulterated tamil, looked at me like I was from Pluto or something when I wore chappals at home or drank tea off china cups, but at the same time did the protective-brother-sister acts making me feel wanted. I did like coming here on vacations, braving through the agninakshatram and crowding with colorful plastic buckets around Metro water lorries which made rounds of the locality just once everyday, visiting the athais and perimas who never ceased to amaze me with their powerful vocal chords emanating carnatic tunes so effortlessly. Most of them are old enough to have great-grandchildren and they still can beat many a good singer of today. And akkas and annas and of course the December Music Festival which I grew to appreciate the most about the city.
Then the parents moved to Chennai for a while. And thats when I started to see the city with an objective mindset albeit the crass lingo, the sweltering mercury and the general "tamilness" which I was never accustomed to. :-)
And these were certain things I have relentlessly tried in vain to understand about the city.
- Why do autorikshaw-walas take it upon themselves to get all abusive if we do not want to pay what they want us to?
- Why do mosquitoes not go aestivating in this sweltering heat like they do in Delhi in the months of May and June? And why do goodknight and morteins have absolutely no effect on them?
- And why does a small/large shower not seem to have any effect on the temperature? Doesn't it defy the basic science we learnt in school about water having cooling properties etc?
- Why do womenfolk (and menfolk for that matter) haggle over an extra rupee that a vegetable vendor asks for a kilo of Kattirikai, crib on high cost of living for them to just be able to survive on vetta-kuzhambu and extra diluted more-saadam, but end up in Kerala Jewellers and RMKV splurging tens of thousands on pattu-podavais and thangam-necklace without once questioning the shopkeeper on his price scheme?
- Why do they dress in expensive finery of thick zari sarees and kaasu-maalais but have humble or should I say discriminatory tendencies towards their heavily-cracked yellow feet which never gets to wear anything beyond a Bata Hawaai Chappal.
- Why do they insist on donating money on abhishekams, archanais and temple building (like the city needs any more) while the same can be used to feed or educate a child or any deprived or build a hospital?
- Why do the students only talk about engineering and medicine and getting "centums" in mathematics and science? And look down upon hindi as a derogatory form of education.
- Why do they have temples in the middle of the roads ? Aren't there enough in the nooks and corners?
- Why do the temple priests take it as their moral responsibility to educate why a married woman must wear flowers or bangles all the time? And also make it a point to say it aloud in front of rather conservative folks who in turn imagine goddess of the temple speaking through the man's vocal chords. In other words, why don't they mind their own f***ing business?
- So I am an Iyer with a vaango-pongo accent? So, sue me! But pray tell, what is so contempt-inducing about it? I do not see you as a non-Iyer, non-bram or whatever, so what makes me hateful?
Answers anyone? Enlightenment awaits..:)
posted by RT @ 10:00 PM
12 comments
12 Comments:
Sigh.
There was this temple priest who made it a point to come to me every single time(this went on for two months) and give me 'advice' on how i should pull my dupatta or whatever down and how i shouldnt wear sleeve-less(oh the horror) clothes to the temple.
Needless to say, i yelled back at him one day (because I couldnt take it anymore) and I told him to go put a shirt on, because he's topless most of the time and surely that must be worse than me showing my arms.
This happened to me when I was 14.
And the officious priest never dared to bother me again.
:)
i'm glad that i'm not in Chennai (horror of horrors is the temple priest)
n yes, u can add the fact that 'why do women put so much haldi on their faces?'
'why is there never decent water supply even after so many years??'
and so many more...
~megha: Good one! Serves him right. I really dont undertsand what their problem in life is. And worst is their cliched opening lines "tamil teriyuma", like long hair, big bindi, flowers and bangles are the biggest proof of being one of the community.
But may your tribe grow leaps and bounds..:)
~swathi: Oh yeah..! Water situation never got better. If you got supply of mucky brown water through the tap daily for 2 hours, you are one helluva lucky individual.
Din't try and understand. Just be proud girl. That's what makes them them. We all have things inherent to our communities.
ok, I have lived in Chennai and Bombay. So here is my 2 cents..
1.when I lived in Bby , people asked if I knew hindi,"hindi mallum ha kya" and in chennai they ask if u know tamil.
2. In the famous Ganesh temple in Mumbai, I was asked why I wore shorts to the temple and if I have any respect for God?
3. Yes, auto drivers haggle and so do cab drivers in Bby.
If you want to alienate yourself and look at other people like they belong to the other side of the river, you begin to feel the way U feel, every city has it's ups & downs and yeah, it never fails to irritate how tamilians who have lived in north India come back & talk in this half tamil, half hindi way...
~sinusoidally: Well its more about the place than with the community as such. I do like my community but such behavior irks/amuses me to no end. :)
~anonymous:Thanks for your two cents.
It is agreeable that every city has its ups and downs and I do not rate Bombay to be the best or whatever. I am talking about just Chennai and its poorer mentality which I found in more healthier proportions in smaller places like Tirunelveli and Coimbatore. To answer your points:
1. It is alright to check whether you speak the local language to a non-localite. Not to another fellow Tam!
2. Oh well! When it comes to religion all places are the same. But after giving me all that gyan, the priests have the gall to go up the older group accompanying me and announce it loud to them which was unwarranted. I will still tell them to go take a hike.
3. Auto drivers of Mumbai and Auto drivers of Chennai. There is absolutely no comparison here, boss! I will have to strongly disagree with you there. They are mafia on 3 wheels in Chennai. Need I say more? I would rather take the bus or walk to my destination than listen to their unsolicited comments/abuses.
And living in north India does not necessarily take away the tamness in anyone. Yes! My tamil has an accent and that means I know one more language than my southbred kin. Tongue firmly in cheek! :-)
hey RT,
long time no post ?? Miss your many cents in cyber space :)
BTW, My dad got transferred from Chennai to B'lore when i was in the third std. I was too young to understand why my mother was nothing short of deliriously, giddy-happy... but then, i'd never know first hand, her travails as a 19 yr old 'diga from M'lore landing in tam-land..:-) Enuff to say, that she lives to tell the (many) tale (s) and has refused to go back ...
:) as for temples inthe middle of the road.. siiigh, sadly b;lore has too many of such mid-road dieties as well... no wonder, our gods are getting stone deaf, what with the vehicular noise pollution and such :))
~hip_prudester: Its funny you say this. I happened to spot the first middle road mandir in Bangalore couple of days ago. :-)
But anyway, I guess a lot has changed from the time your mum left the city as a 19 year old. But certain things of the city will take a millenuim to change..:-)
hey RT,
just to clear the confusion... Ma landed there when she was 19... but she lived there for a good 14 yrs before the move.. :) and yes, the cliche about how the more the things change, the more they stay the same is ..true-r.. for somethings in good ol'chennai :)
Being a Tamil Iyer Girl who grew up in Delhi, I totally identify with this post. Just because you are not from Chennai it just assumed that you do not speak Tamil or know any of the traditions and customs and the whole thing just irritates me.
Also if you grow up in a place like Delhi or Bombay then you are considered to be one of those 'Challu' girls who has too many boyfriends etc. I always got these comments from aunts etc wheneever I visited Chennai. Interestingly her daugther was the one who insisted on getting married to a guy from her college - so much for all the values that they pass on to their kids.
Also agree with the Haldi and Hawai chappal comments.
~ramya: Yeah. True! All these "chalu" "notorious" words are reserved for the northbred tams. Hardly do the mami's realise that they are living in glass houses themselves. :-)
A bramhin with a vango/pongo accent....tell me about it...I was nicknamed "Maama" in my hostel just because I had a bramhinical slang whenever I spoke tamil.
And the first question people pose here...Are you a bramhin/nb or why dont you wear your poonal etc...and my standard reply...why should you bother about it...
How do you know tamil..a standard question...another one...Oh My God you dont look like a South Indian(Dunno what that means) just because I spent a good 4 years in Mumbai and 2 in Chattisgarh doesnt make me an outsider or look like a northie...had my share of interesting anectodes too :-)
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