Friday, October 06, 2006

mami arattai

Not sure how many of the few bloggers who visit my site know tamil. In anycase hopefully at least one or two may understand (and hopefully enjoy) the tamil/mami lingo.
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Mylapore mami at the local temple.

Mami 1 - Yenna mami aathule yellarum sowkiyama? Paathu oru vaaram aardhu. Kovil pakkam kooda kanam ungla velli kazhame anniku?

Mami 2 - Amam mami, romba busy ayiduthu. Pone velli kazhame nanga oorle ille…

Mami 1 - Yenga poirndhel?

Mami 2 - Bengloor poirndhom. Ivar mootha Anna peranukku poonal potta. Pathu vayasu dhan aardhu. Aana ava rendu perum nanna irukarcheye podanum’nu ippove pottutaa.
Appdiye Sridhar’ku oru varan vandhrundhudhu, ponna poi pathutu varalam’nu ponom.

Mami 1 - Appdiyaa! Yaaru ponnu? Yenna nichyam pannitelaa?

Mami 2 - Kitta thatta nichyam pannirkom. Indha kaalathule yenga mada mada’nu nichyam panna mudiyardhu. Ponnum pillayum pesindrukka phone’le. Avo ippo oru varathule states poga poralam contract’le. Appo ivarode thambi aathule New Jersey’le poi nere meet panni, OK’nu sonna nichyam’nu sollalam. Namma kai’le yenna irukku mami. Ellam bagavath sangalpam.

Mami 1 - Amam amam indha kaalame vere. Namballam moonjiya koode seriya pathomo illayo. Yedho periyava sonnanu thalaya attitom. Nalladho polladho appdiye kaalatha kazhichutom. Indha kaalathu kozhandhagal, ponngalum seri, yellam idhu venum adhu venum’nu kekardhugal. Yenna pannardhu – adhugal cinema ginuma paathu vere kathukkardhugal. Kadhal kathrika’nu. Appdi illame ponaa, jaadhagam pathu panna kooda ivaa decide pannarthukkulle vidinju poidardhu.

Mami 2- Yennamo, naa idhule thalaye idala, dho paaru paa nee pesi pidichirundha sollu’nu solliten. Namma romba sonna pechu dhan mami vizhum. Kalathukku yeatha maari nadandhukka vendirku parungo. Nalakki adhugal sandhoshama irukkanume…

Mami 1 - Adhu seri. Ponnu yenna panraa? Periya edama?

Mami 2 - Software ponnu. Paatu nanna padaraa. Maa nerama irukka aana nalla kalaiya irukka. Nalla family. Padichurkaa nanna. Oru anna, kalyanam ayiduthu. Mattu ponnu’um nanna irundha mookum muzhiyuma. Mariyadhaya pesinaa. Ava appa chartered accountant. Nalla position’le irukkar. Mami housewife. Yellam nanna irukku, pakkalam, yaarukku theriyum yenna potrukku’nu.
Seri mami, varen naa – potaadha potta padi vandhen, pona varam kooda kovilukku varalayen’nu. Rendu suthu suthitu aathule poi samayala mudikanum.

(Mami 2 thinking to herself as Mami 1 is leaving) - “panandu pradhakshanam pannalam’nu irundhen, nazhi ayidthu, mami vere pidichuntaa…seri adutha vaaram pathukalam. Nallabadiyaa nichyam aana marudiyum vandhu thenga odachu, abishegam panren.”

6 comments:

Gauri said...

Wow !! Enjoyed this arattai immensely :-)

Took me back to my childhood days in Bombay when a group of mamis would start off on conversations like this one.

noon said...

Thanks! :) Funny how some of this type of arattai is so timeless. Even today mami's discuss the "varans" this way - not just mamis even mamas. The lingo is kind of charming and funny I think but ofcourse some of it can be hurtful esp to the girl in question...

Anonymous said...

LOL!!!
This was too cool..I read this whole thing with a grin :)
Felt like I was standing right next to the mamis in the Mylapore temple...did you write this from imagination or reported it?? either way, thanks for the laugh :)

noon said...

Hi @ (cool name!). Imagination reporting! :) Have heard these sort of convos over the years - so imagined two mamis chatting up...I went to India recently and so much of this sort of interaction is still the same - when I bumped into my MIL's neighbors they just stop on the road or at the temple and enquire about what's been happening...And in just a few minutes they update each other on home events rapidly...interesting really!

Just Like That said...

enjoyed this- temples really are a place for catching up , aren't they?
Some mamis catching hold of others...;-)

Chitra said...

Lovely stuff. I thoroughly enjoyed the conversation.