Voluntary language barrier

 


Just after I made this convenient resolution to write only once a week, i just let it go and stopped writing. Nope! this won't do.
I had made a draft of some points, and decided that I would post it when I feel the same angst and same feeling of helplessness which I felt when I wrote this draft initially. But I realized that there is a subtle feeling in day today life, and after a point it has now stopped bothering me to a large extent. So I will just make the draft final, what the hell.

I knew about the language barrier when I came to Chennai and I never openly cribbed about it. I learned some basic Tamil to be able to converse on day to day basis, with simple sentences. But I still have experiences which put me into a very agitated mood, and I wonder after a point saying, what will happen to these guys in life? And why is life such?
 I work in a small company of about 25 people. All my colleagues, except a new trainee, are native tamil speakers. Many of them are frightened of me/too scared to talk to/too uncomfortable to talk to. Probably because I speak in English. I have tried telling this for millions of times, with little effect.  I do not speak in English to show off. I speak in English because that's the only common language between you and me. For historical reasons, you do not learn and understand Hindi (and boast about it), and of course we can not converse in our mother tongues coz they are different. Alas, as always my shriek falls on deaf ears.

I went to pondicherry trip with this group of friends from pune. The driver given to us would speak nothing but Tamil he knew little bit of Hindi, and he knew that we are from outside. How that driver troubled us logistically by behaving in most adamant fashion is a different story. But after sensing our inability with language, speaking just in tamil is something audacious!
I see, and I understand that it is happening due to a lack of common language. But that is the whole point of having something called a national language. Plainly refusing to acknowledge and learn it makes no good to anybody. English is a language of world, and most of the tamilians are really OK with basic English. But that does not mean that they will speak in English to help you out.

Point is not tamil, point is the closed mindedness. It does not make their culture or behavior tourist friendly,let alone accommodate an outsider. I think most people would secretly agree that Mumbai is probably the other extreme, but I would prefer that as an outsider. I personally would never dominate over a local language and tradition, but its good to understand whats going on around you,generally. The voluntary language barrier makes you shriek sometimes.
And when asked what will they do if they go to north Indian towns, they say we will never go!

I appreciate the attitude.I really do.  

Resolution changed!

 
Just before going to sleep, I came hurriedly to my PC, remembering that today's post is pending. I had a nice Sunday, relaxing, I even watched a movie. But I do not have the patience to write a full review on that. I have not done anything splendid in the whole day, and I do not have usual thoughts bubbling in my head, thanks to little laid back day today. the big question is-what to write today.
then I met a dear friend online. I told him that I have this new resolution. He asked me why. I said coz I want to maintain some regularity in writing. But I myself accept that it might lead to trashy posts. He then said art does not, and can not have regularity. It was a simple sentence, which was true, and well, most convenient! :D
Jokes apart, I understand that art is not a machine product, and hence, there is a chance that trashy posts might occur. Writing regularly is fine, but I also need to have a topic. Writing about daily rut is I guess reserved for diaries,or it's something that only Big B writes. And while its true that I have to maintain regularity in writing, quality is also of great importance.
hence, the resolution is hanged, and has now become once a week. I will not force myself every day, but I will also not write once in a blue moon. This once a week seems to be a good middle way, and |I intend to continue this. yes!

Sigree

It's just second day and its a question what to write! But I remembered that we had been to SIGREE for office lunch party, and had a fantastic lunch there. It goes like-
blue curacuo for drink, shev puri, chicken tikka, paneer tikka, aloo tikki and fish as starter, lots of salads, maakhni daal, some punjabi veggies and roti, and finally gulabjamuns and ice cream. Oh, fresh fruits too!
It was a pain to go back to office and work, but somehow managed.
btw, today is our six month wedding anniversary, and we are having a nice time :)
that's all for now, will write tomorrow!

The resolutions

 

I finally turned 25 two days ago. Did not feel different at all. But this was my landmark birthday in ways more than one. Apart from being the quarter-life birthday, it was the first after my wedding, first in Chennai and so on! I also received  endless phone calls, messages,   so many posted on FB timeline, some of the collegues also celebrated my birthday, and I received a very real,natural and lovely letter from my father-in-law. Cherry on the top was my parents and sister coming down from Pune, making the quorum full.  I also made some resolutions ( exercise was  not a part of it as that I do regularly.)
First one is a little personal, (nothing romantic!) but the second one is to write. To write at least something on this blog,daily. I want to see if I can actually write as a practice, if I can make a habit out of it. I also want to express various thoughts that frequent my mind daily, want to string them together. I want to have a record of what happened in this one year, and I also want to see if there happen any changes in me during this one year.
I start writing from today. Of course, all posts might not be full length. I might be posting just a line or two, sometimes just a photo or something. But this blog will see my presence everyday. the only risk is this everyday writing comes back biting me, showing how I can not write for too long! But let us hope I find something to spare words about.
Gotta go. have to sharpen my pen. and oh yes,thoughts. :)