Wow!! It's been more than a year since I have posted something here . Personally it has been a hectic long year for me. Let's get to the post without wasting anymore time :)
I am a Malayalee , I speak Malayalam . I watch Malayalam TV shows and movies too . I was an NRI and I still can speak Malayalam and can read it too!! Should I be ashamed or be proud ? Of course I am very proud of it .I am proud that I am not ashamed to call myself a malayalee and very proud that I can speak my 'mother tongue'. And there is my point mother tongue ...Why are Malayalees ashamed of speaking their own language?? Forget the NRI's for a moment I find it so weird and funny to find TV anchors and new generation actresses who grew up here in Kerala speaking Manglish or trying to talk Malayalam with an English accent .How is is possible that someone who grew up in Kerala to not able to speak their mother tongue properly ? Let me tell these weirdos how I feel ...
About the NRI's I feel Malayalees in the US and UK atleast try to impart some cultural knowledge to their kids for the fear that they would be lost in the western culture by having cultural programs and language classes and attempt to speaking mother tongue at home where as in the Middle east we find kids very detached to the word India itself even though they have more privilege to be closer to home . Well I also was once like that where I was never fond of visiting my homeland , but here I am writing to you as a proud Malayalee. I have to thank my parents for pushing me to attend Malayalam class in school even though it was optional language and even though at that point in time i hated it I thank them for now I can atleast read it and even enjoy the movies :)!!!
I feel so sorry for some grandparents where they can't talk to their grandchildren only because of language barrier. Can you blame the kids? Certainly not,as it is the parents duty to pass on what they know to their kids.Why can't they give their kids a privilege to know their own language , a privilige to know their grandparents or why can't they understand the simple fact that the kids will anyways learn to speak read and write English in schools.
We are so eager to learn English but we forgot to learn the basic thing from them the fact that they are so proud of their own mother tongue and respect it!!!
I believe it is our duty to keep our language and roots alive . I mean its great you know English, French Spanish German inspite of being a Malayalee but its perfectly fine to admit you also know Malayalam as it is not a very easy language to master or learn so be proud that you are naturally born to know it :)!!!
P.S. These are my general opinion on the issue and not intended to hurt anyone's feelings .
27 comments:
OH MY GOD!!!!
\O/ (hands on cheeks)
:D
(and btw, i didnt know you could read mal)
@ Anand now u know that I can read Mal :)!!
I don't know Vinu...
This language thing is a huge debate and there is never a final conclusion on what makes you a certain identity and what not. Some kids may not know malayalam or whatever, some can read write and speak fluently. Me personally, I know enough to manage a descent conversation..and I learned on my own ;). My parents never really forced me to but also talked about trying to learn it...a trip to India and a very affectionate, understanding and loving family encouraged me to. However, I speak English mostly everywhere and malayalam only to my grandparents and the eldery..so I guess I am a malayalee-american since I grew up in the states. And yes I have cultural knowledge. Though I don't watch malayalam movies much, I know tons about the film industry, actors..etc. And I like Idea Star singer too. Recently a distant friend of a relative of mine can surprisingly read and write the language though she looks completely americanized. And she speaks English all the time. It doesn't mean that you are ashamed or anything. There are lots I know who can understand but can't speak malayalam, but have still cultural and still appear close to their grandparents in other ways besides speaking the language..you know what I mean. I may not know how to read and write, nor do I act like a naadan malayalee, but at least I know where my roots lie and I'm thankful for that.
hey mr anonymous ..would have been great if u put your name on ... I totally understand what you are trying to tell me .. I happenend to put this post up when I failed to understand why a malayalee person who was born raised and educated in Kerala speak malayalam with an accent and as if they dont knw how to speak Malayalam .. Since you mentioned you watch Idea Star Singer, the anchor Renjini Haridas is one person like that ..She can speak malayalam well and she was raised here but in that show she speaks malayalam with an accent which is very irritating
Cheers :)
Hey Vinu,
I understand you. I get it anyway, as I think everyone should just be themselves and not try to imitate or be something they are not or cannot be. I think it's great you post something like this where there will be a whole lot of opinions and feelings towards this situation. So it's great that you share this. Also want to mention that Rejini had spent part of her life outside Kerala where she spent her college years in the UK and probably lost some of her mallu accent and receive a more western one, making it sound like a non-pure malayalee. Just a natural thing unless they are trying hard to get rid of it. I don't feel Rejini did that and I don't think she's at any fault. There were so many harsh comments about her that I don't agree with, dealing with her accent, personality..etc, but then again these comments were coming from the old fashioned malayalees who are too hypocritical. But I get what you are saying and respect your opinion. I like Rejini the way she is anyway.
By the way, I will reveal myself as J since you were wondering who "Anonymous" was. Don't like to reveal myself on things like these.
"About the NRI's I feel Malayalees in the US and UK atleast try to impart some cultural knowledge to their kids for the fear that they would be lost in the western culture by having cultural programs and language classes and attempt to speaking mother tongue at home where as in the Middle east we find kids very detached to the word India itself even though they have more privilege to be closer to home"
I agree to some extent, but I really think the impact is based on how the kids are influenced and the kind of role models parents present in a certain manner that would keep them close to their culture. I understand malayalam and can speak after my parents bribed me to go...and in a way I'm thankful because I can understand it pretty well though I don't like to speak much (just personal preference). Like Anonymous above, I don't often use it as I feel more comfortable speaking in English, but I at least maintain to keep my fluency in understanding it by watching tons of mallu movies, which are getting better. However, I really don't think it's too much of the language issue, but more of the cultural thinking and beliefs that really distinguishes us forming the division between "naadan" and "NRK" malayalees. Though I respect my culture, I don't fancy the people much after going through experiences with arrogant attitudes and clashes because of how we think. I was told that what really makes us a malayalee is how we think like a malayalee, which I don't think many NRK's have. I assume you are raised in the Gulf right? Is there any differences there?
hey Anju
Thanks for your view...I didn't expect to get so many views on this topic.... The only reason I wrote this is because I get irritated when a Keralite born and brought up in India speak with an accent.
Yes I totally agree with you that Malayalees do have lot of false ego What to do a few of us cant change their minds but yes we can definitely make a difference :)
Oh yes I agree with you Vinu!
Whoever said that people should just act and be themselves is right, and I find that Keralite born and brought up Malayalees are like that. I'm not saying that they should not be open to all opportunities and experiences outside Kerala..they should especially in today's world (but sadly I find many refuse to do this and thus we still have our conservative and narrow-minded people), but like you said, saying they know other languages and act like they don't know malayalam is foolish at best. I love learning languages and know a few and Malayalam is my first but I would never discard Malayalam and act like it never existed in my life! Not everything about being a Keralite is bad..cannot resist the food especially! But I do agree with Anju about the mentality of Malayalees is just too much. The interference into personal lives, unnecessary criticism and arrogance (thank the education system for that) are not good traits..and this is why we Mallus do sometimes get a bad name from other Indians and ethnicities I'm thankful my parents were very liberal and open to experiences outside Kerala to learn how the modern world works, but yet we would never ditch our entire malluness, just the bad traits like criticizing and having too many expectations :)
Yea I agree with you about Keralite born malayalees who speak with an accent. But I feel I understand why. This is completely off topic, but since others mentioned it, I should add to it.
I don't know if you noticed, but compared to the rest of India, Kerala is backwards and is still living like they are in 1850 with slight moderation (add cars and stuff to it). The world is changing everyday but I guess Kerala is still the same and don't like change, but us younger generations are going to change it like you said even if the older generations are going to get pissed off about it (and they already are, bashing our kids today and malayalees abroad).
I noticed that a lot of Keralites tend to want to get out of Kerala now because they can't stand the mentality of the older generations and want to live independently adapting to a new lifestyle, which is not applicable in Kerala (and you will get criticized if you do things differently.) I mean, if this is not so, I don't see why people would want to move out of Kerala. There are plenty of jobs you can get in Kerala and the state is the highest educated out of all India. So why are Keralites moving out when they don't have to? I understand that some have to because of some reason, but majority, NO. Sadly, I find many Keralites who were born and brought up in Kerala their entire lives even hate their own people, but like one poster said above, it's more of this thinking that's keeping people distant from their state. As a mallu born and brought up in Kerala, I faced similar fates and were at times ashamed to be malayalee. No offense attended, and plus the fact that naadan malayalees don't like people from other cultures is another problem. So yes we are racist too. I have gotten criticized by my family about making friends with "outsiders". This is how superior mallus think they are. Pity. Witnessed a few people neglected who came to visit Kerala and it's very sad. This does not apply to all malayalees, but to a majority yes.
If Kerala is willing to change their ways a bit and think it's not about them only, maybe a lot of kids of kerala origin would embrace their culture more. Here in Australia, kids are sent to Kerala culture lessons and so forth and yet they do not want to deal with it because of how their parents are and refusal of understanding in many areas and the kids are shoved to follow Kerala culture which ends up in failure. The groupism and these attitudes are shattering families. I feel our Kerala culture is diminishing because of our hypocritical and narrow-minded views. Props to the youngsters in Kerala and abroad who are trying to change everything, thinking and so forth. Even though the older generations will slam us for it, who really cares now a days. Again no offense.
@ Bina very strong sentiments there :).. Like I said we cant change the minds of all Malayalees atleast we can change for the betterment of Kerala ...
Vinu I'm glad you weren't offended. I had to vent it out.
Somebody above said some of our attitudes and behaviors makes our group of people look incredibly bad, it is true to some extent and we need to stop it. I'm sick of the arrogance and hypocrisy our people give and also since times are changing we should understand it and follow the changes. I'm not saying we should get rid of our culture, we should keep it intact, but the attitudes, certain attributes and behaviors that's common in our mallu society is driving our youngsters away from it, even some Keralite born and brought up ones. It's time for understanding from both the older generations and younger ones rather than just listening to what the older generations say and follow it. That way things will work out.
That said, I'm incredibly happy I got to spend half of my life outside Kerala, otherwise I wouldn't even notice this at all and perhaps be very narrow-minded and arrogant myself.
Hi,
Finally someone who is not ashamed to be called a Malayalee!!! I have always wondered abt this attitude of most malayalees I have seen in the places I've been to ( various states in India). I know of people who hide their malayalee background from others!!!!! Really Sad!!
This other thing about our 'accent'. I get so irritated with this. So what if we have an accent???? Dont all people from various states have a different accent??? Are they all ashamed to be called say Tamilian, North Indian, Punjabi etc? Italians , French etc have their own accent. Bt we find it sexy!!!!????? If we are ashamed of our Mother Tongue what does that say about us???
I don't know anything about the accents but as others said Kerala is CHANGING, as I am living in Kerala (Kochi) now and it was not what it was 20-30 years ago. The "traditional malayalee" girl no longer exists as it did in the 1980's and parents who live abroad get depressed now that they send their kids here to become "Indianized" and "cultural" realizing that it instead failed when their kids think suicide is ok, drinking excessively is ok and having sex is ok before marriage (which is very common among Kerala youths)..it's so funny that they never see the real side. I agree with culture to some extent...let them enjoy it themselves without pressuring them.
English words murdered by Keralites (Malayalees) and other Indians:
kangaroo (the worst offended word, Malayalees/Indians pronounce as “kanGAROO” instead of “KANgroo”)
mixed, fixed (pronounced as 'miksed', 'fiksed' instead of 'miksd', 'fiksd')
bear, pear, wear (pronounced as ‘biyar’, ‘piyar’, 'wiyer' instead of ‘beye’, ‘peye’, 'weye')
beer (pronounced as "biiir" instead of "biye")
auto (pronounced as "aaato" instead of "otto")
Queen (prounounced as “kyuun” instead of “kween”)
form (pronounced as ‘farum’ instead of “fom”)
biennale (pronounced as “binale” instead of “bienale”)
place names – Ohio, Seattle, Utah (pronounced as “ohiyo, seetl, ootha” instead of “ohayo, siyatl, yuta”)
Tortoise (pronounced as ‘tortois’ instead of “totis” )
turtle (pronounced as ‘turrrtil’ instead of “tutl” )
Mascot Hotel (pronounced as “muskut HOtel” instead of “MAScot hoTEL”)
heart (pronounced as ‘hurrt’ instead of “haat”)
bass (pronounced as ‘baas’ instead of “beis”)
twitter (pronounced as “tyooter” instead of “twiter”)
birthday (pronounced as “birthaday” instead of “buthdei”)
garage (pronounced as “garej” instead of “gaRAZH/gaRAJ”)
chassis (pronounced as “chasis” instead of “shasi”)
divorce (pronounced as "daiverse" instead of "divors")
February (pronounced as “fibruari” instead of “februari”)
one (pronounced as "onn" instead of "wun")
pizza (pronounced as "pisa" instead of "pitza")
our (pronounced as "avar" instead of "aue")
flour (pronounced as "flower" instead of "flaue")
alarm (prounced as "alarum" instead of "alaam")
volume (books) (pronounced as "vaalyoom' instead of "volyum")
Don't ape the west. Malayalees trying to be more superior than others do this. I think there is some insecurity feeling there that being a Malayalee is not good enough. Also in some English Medium Schools Malayalam is downgraded so from young many children are indirectly taught that their language is inferior. I was born and brought up in UK and there are good and bad sides to the way of life there. I am now in Kerala and I can see there are good and bad sides to the way of life here also. Some changes are good and some changes are bad.
The youth should listen to their elders also and think about what the truth in what they are saying is instead of blindly rebelling. There are so many good aspects to our culture which would serve us well in the long run. Modern ideas of instant gratification, materialism, excessive freedom (i.e. do what you want), conforming to the western culture etc are not necessarily good even though they feel good at the time. Many families are breaking apart in UK and other western countries.. should Indians simply follow?
I think historically people have always been trying to compete for superiority.. culturally.. politically.. gender.. age.. race. In the last century Nazis tried to show the world that they were the superior race and even tried to exterminate others who they felt were inferior to them. Colonialists dominated poorer countries militarily and developed their own countries. People were competing for power and control and... superiority. Today there is a similar competition for superiority but it is not as extreme. One example is in Kerala having some connection abroad is a way to be superior. Some of the older generation have pushed their children to go abroad because they were trying to achieve a feeling of superiority for themselves and also increase wealth in the family. The world system is unfair as you can do the same job in two different countries and earn a lot more money for it.. so the attraction to go abroad from India will naturally be there also.
I have an attachment to Indian culture and am comfortable being a Malayalee so will speak Malayalam without trying to sound foreign. From my experience in UK there are plenty of Malayalees (and other Indians / Asians) there who are proud to speak their mother -toungue. Also I am not interested in the 'modern Indian women' who seem to have there own agenda in trying to change everything when some things are better left unchanged. There are plenty of women here who have an idea of BALANCE between traditional and modern ideas. Not just women.. some men also are so brainwashed with this 'modern, English-language-only, don't-follow-tradition-of-elders' obsession. I agree that some elders are not always a good example to follow but they have good qualities also.. some people try to villainise others by only focussing on their negative qualities and ignoring the good qualities.. in the same way some people try to demonise tradition / modernity by only focussing on the negative qualities and ignoring the good qualities. I am going to try to enjoy the best of both and I hope my future wife and family will allow me to do that.
I am so happy that Vinu put up this blog because it addresses an important issue in Kerala today. But there are so many underlying issues which are root causes for this problem. There are so many different groups of people and languages in this world.. and I don't think Malayalees are the only group facing this problem. It comes down to security and self-confidence.. not allowing others to make you feel ashamed of your identity in both open and subtle ways. The situation is complicated because there are so many different influences that can shape a person in this modern world. Don't ape the west.. not everything there is 'the way forward' and not everything here is 'backward'. Modernity does not have to equal the way forward and tradition does not have to be backward. All languages are beautiful in their own way so be proud of your mother toungue. Learning other languages is good also because it opens doors but don't let other doors close because you have been made to feel shame for your own identity. Acceptance and peace can be found internally as well as externally.
Everything I have written here is my opinion and based on my experiences. Some things I have said directly but only with good intention.
Malayalam with English accent is "Elayalam".
English with Malayalam accent and wrong pronunciation is "Manglish".
Please don't get confused.
The bottom line is: Aim to ->
Speak Malayalam like the Malayalees, Hindi like the Hindis, English like the British, Americans or Australians.
@ Santhosh,
Your attitude is good. But the truth is that only a very few Malayalees will get job studying Malayalam. Only if one has good English skills will one get good job these days in Kerala, thanks to the communists. Malayalam can be useful only to speak at home between family members.
@Santosh,
I agree and disagree with you to some extent, but what many are saying here about the general attitude of malayalees. It's good to keep some cultural traditions and carry it along, and yes we should keep the basic values and expose our kids to it, but it is the narrowmindedness and general attitude of malayalees that makes it difficult embrace culture, thus making people ashamed. It does not mean the West has its problems (they def do), but becoming modern is best to thrive in this world, else you'll be left behind. Tradition, btw has been changing over generations, and the way the current generation does things is completely different from the older generations.
And it'll continue to change with the future generations. That needs to be accepted. That btw does not mean "disrespect" to the olden generation and yes there are some good advice from them that we should listen too, but not everything. Because if we did everything the way older generations did, there would no change and yes we would still be living in 1800's. We change to make things better for ourselves so we can make Kerala better. But the problem as said before is malayalees don't like change and will lambast everything we do. You can see that with the things that are already changed. They are not open to anything and even other cultures and people which I find is a big problem. This has nothing to do with getting rid our culture or think we are superior !
@Santosh,
I agree and disagree with you to some extent, but what many are saying here about the general attitude of malayalees. It's good to keep some cultural traditions and carry it along, and yes we should keep the basic values and expose our kids to it, but it is the narrowmindedness and general attitude of malayalees that makes it difficult embrace culture, thus making people ashamed. It does not mean the West has its problems (they def do), but becoming modern is best to thrive in this world, else you'll be left behind. Tradition, btw has been changing over generations, and the way the current generation does things is completely different from the older generations.
And it'll continue to change with the future generations. That needs to be accepted. That btw does not mean "disrespect" to the olden generation and yes there are some good advice from them that we should listen too, but not everything. Because if we did everything the way older generations did, there would no change and yes we would still be living in 1800's. We change to make things better for ourselves so we can make Kerala better. But the problem as said before is malayalees don't like change and will lambast everything we do. You can see that with the things that are already changed. They are not open to anything and even other cultures and people which I find is a big problem. This has nothing to do with getting rid our culture or think we are superior
I am so happy to speak Malayalam. I have learning disability, so struggled with writing and reading the Malayalam language. I am ashamed to say everybody in my maternal and paternal relatives are the same way when it comes to Malayalam language. All of them encourage their children only to speak English and other languages.
Most of us are fine. I think most people are comfortable in their own skin and speak Malayalam naturally. But some people have insecurity issues like some new generation people. I think some people are disappointed they can't speak English so they try to show off by adding lots of English words when they speak Malayalam or changing their accent to sound 'modern'. I think one day they will grow out of it. Some people can speak English and think that makes them superior to those who can't. It's just a language. I agree it is very useful in the modern world for jobs etc. I don't agree that we have to feel that English is better than Malayalam. Both languages are beautiful in their own way. In reality Malayalees mostly speak Malayalam to each other when doing their job. Why? Because it's natural. We are in Kerala. Even in 2015 we are still in Kerala. Will I offend some people if I speak Malayalam (not manglish) in 2015? I'm from the new generation but don't follow the people trying to be westernised. Let them be. I will continue to speak Malayalam happily and teach it to my children and their children.
Even if I moved to another country I would still speak Malayalam at home. When I speak to my cousin who is living abroad we speak in Malayalam only. We can both speak English no problem but we are happy to speak Malayalam. She says most Indian people including Malayalees speak their mother tongue at home. They are living in a western country and they are speaking Malayalam or any other Indian language. In these western countries people from all over the world are there and all will speak in their own language. In America so many people speak Spanish. Like that. What's the problem? Many people can read and write also. Parents will teach their children or send them to class on the weekend. When some NRIs or students return to India they try to show like they have forgotten their mother tongue. I respect the author of this article for not being like these people. They are just showing off like they are somebody so superior to the rest of us. They try to tell us what is wrong with us when they are the ones with the issue. These kind of people. Let them be. Actually they are only creating an illusion of the country they were working or studying in so people will believe that they are somebody so special. Even if we go to a different state in India people are speaking in their own mother tongues most of the time. Why? Because it's natural.
In any language we can use our tongue in a good or bad way isn't it. We cannot say a whole language is good or bad. Like that I don't believe we can say all change is good or all change is bad. We have to decide which changes we want to accept and which ones to reject. We can say the same about our traditions and culture. If we go to different states in India or you can say even different parts of the world each place will have its own unique traditions and cultures which have not changed much for hundreds or thousands of years. Maybe some small changes are there but more or less same. In this modern age many people are following the same culture and tradition only but adapting to accept benefits of technology. That is good only. Everyone in the modern world does not have to live the same way or speak the same language. Actually that is very unnatural. The world is too big.
Greetings from Cape Cod, Massachusetts!
I have a weird question for you: could you tell me how to say “Carpe Diem” in Malayalam?
Carpe diem is a Latin aphorism usually translated to "seize the day".
Carpe is the second-person singular present active imperative of carpō "pick or pluck" to mean "enjoy, seize, use, make use of".
Diem is the accusative case of the noun dies "day". A more literal translation of "carpe diem" would thus be "pluck the day [as it is ripe]"—i.e., enjoy the moment.
In western education the tag is now often rendered as "take advantage of the opportunities arising in the day."
It would be:
- दिन जब्त (in Hindi)
I am trying to collect the expression in as many languages and dialects as possible.
Thank you for your help!
Hans - poussemoussu@hotmail.com
നാനാത്വത്തിൽ ഏകത്വം
Haha this funny nd very true ! You are a true malayalee is suppose ☺️!! Good observation
I am a proud malayalee in chennai managing my own business, im going to tell about the people who live outside our state. For Tamil Peoples everyone is chetta, here most of our malayalee people has own tea stall and they are well. Chetta tea is the common word in tea stalls here. my friend told me that these malayalee people are very gentle and suttle we can approach them easily for help and can talk friendly without any hesitation. I felt very proud, I also want to know how foreign people react to our malayalee people. My brother is living in saudi., i miss him very much always Im reading the Latest NRI News in Malayalam and Gulf News
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