Thursday 23 April 2009

Village Tales: Language crisis

TEN YEARS AGO

Back then, if you did not speak the local language, you needed to know enough in order to convey your ignorance.

Here are some samples of what a rootless city-bred boy used while making friends with the local kids playing a cricket match:

"Nanage Kannada Barudilla"
(I DO NOT KNOW KANNADA)

"Tulu bodchi"
(DON'T WANT TULU...!)

"Malayalam aruyula.."
(DON'T KNOW MALAYALAM)

They look at each other and manage to get through gesticulations - what do you speak then?

"Hindi.."

"Ha, Hindi..Hindi...," they repeat, trying to invent a word for my comfort.

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