“Mummy please speak in nalla tamil.. My son started speaking and you should teach him good tamil words.”
My inner mind yelled at me, “hey you, stop right there.. What’s wrong with your language??”
Yeah, right.. What’s wrong with my language? Pure tamil is possible only in written form and in movies like Bahubali.. And of course while delivering speech on stage.. Imagine how life will be if we speak like Raja matha and Kattappa at home..
No language provides the comfort and happiness that our local language provides.. It is a part of our home.. I think it is our responsibility to transfer the aroma and essence of our local language to the next generation..
What we believe as nalla thamizh is not actually pure tamil… It must be some regional tamil, which probably originated from some city and found it’s way of propagation through television and movies..
When I first talked to my husband through phone, I expected him to speak in the so called nalla thamizh.. To my surprise, the guy who was out of town since his 6th std, talked in local Thoothoor thamizh… This was the first thing that attracted me towards him.. Anga vizhunthava dan..
According to me, no language is superior or inferior to the other.. It is all about communication.. If one understands what the other speaks, the duty of language is fulfilled.. English, being the universal language, is inevitable.. But it’s not like we have to avoid our mother tongue and teach only English to our kids. These brainy next generation kids are smart enough to get adapted to multiple languages.. Many of my professors, who studied in Tamil medium schools, speak in fluent and impeccable English..
I should tell about the beauty of my local tamil.. Being in the border between Kerala and Tamilnadu, our language also is a blend of tamil and malayalam.. We use some malayalam words like ulli, vellam, karukku, karukku vellam etc.. Tamilians calls us mallus and malayalis call us tamils.. Some people even call us Srilankans..
My college friends, who visited our home, found our language strange for the first time.. They got adapted subsequently and even started teaching some of the words to others.. In this way, I’ve done my job of propagating my language🙏
Once my mom told my friend, “Fire.. Ni ipo konjam vannam‘a iruka”.. She then asked me secretly, “ennadi, amma enna sonnanga.. Nan romba colour aayitena??”
“Ha ha.. No di loosu.. Here vannam means gundu.. Not colour..” 😂😂
I like some of the local words used by my friends at home.. Fire’s mom, who’s from Nellai, uses the word ele in-between.. Chandy calls her dad “naina naina”..That word is full of love.. And my muslim friend from Kayalpatinam uses words like varuviyala, poviyala.. I keep looking at her mouth when she talks to her mom.. My Madurai friend uses words like varuvainga, povainga.. I’ve seen many doctors from Madurai Medical college using these words..
See how beautiful these words are.. So I request all my-generation-moms to teach at least the key words of our local language to our kids.. Thank you.. 😃 😃
Memories.... 