Two years back, I remember, how excited I was! It was an end to the oily-haired-pony life and the long assembles in the morning. An end to the heavy bags at the back and an end to the routine of ironing the school uniform each day. I was about to dwell into an entire new chapter of life. A phase illusioned into my mind as being the most wonderful years of my life...Most happening moments and befriending some people who would be my lifelong treasures.The morning of July 24, 2011 was, I admit, the most uneasy morning of my life. Just one high school friend of mine who was joining the same university as mine! I put on a cream colored cross bag ,my favorite pair of jeans with a red collared-neck tee and my branded floaters. I still remember the number of hours I spent in front of the mirror just to look like a college going gal! All in all I couldn't get rid of the butterflies in my stomach!
I entered a huge classroom, which looked no different from the teaching rooms of school, but it had no particular rows reserved for boys and girls as it used to be even in the high school.I,with my high school friend, occupied the fifth from the last seat. Next to us was a guy, who, I assume, would not have spent an hour less than me in front of the mirror. The friend and he went through a formal introduction with me sitting beside her, preparing the answers, as each question was fired upon her. Then came my turn.
"Your name?""Pooja...Pooja Karadgi.""Kar..What?""Ka--ra--d--gi""Ka-ra-d-ji""Right.But its gi and not ji""You're from Saurashtra?""No..I'm from Bangalore,Karnataka""Eh! South Indian! Ayyo Amma! Idli-Dosa! (smirks)"
I felt like whacking him hard on his face but somehow controlled my emotions being the day,the first of my dream life.
I don’t know why people give me such reactions when they come to know that I'm a South Indian. Not just me, many of my south Indian friends have experienced this. And I bet,you would be so proud of your general knowledge after reading this. When I say, I am from Bangalore, they so confidently ask me
"Toh to tujhe Telugu aata hi hoga bolna"And I'm like "Wow!"
Then starts a series of lecture making them realize that the entire South India is divided into four states each having their own mother tongues..blah..blah!
What’s more?!
Recently I joined a driving school. My experience of studying different hair types says that my hair can be regarded as wavy. On the 7th day, while waiting in the traffic jam, I received a call from momma. I picked up and began speaking in my native language while,at the same time,observing the instructor stare at me as if I was using some slang! I disconnected the phone halfway just to know what wrong I had done again, only to get fired with another question
"Tum South Indian ho?"I proudly said "Yess!"Reply came " Par south Indian ke to curly-curly baal hotey hai na!"
And I nodded thinking how would it be like if all the South Indians inherited ditto genes.
Adding to this chapter of South Indian vs. West Indians, we had a South Indian Economics faculty in the recently concluded sem. First thing about economics is I still wonder why they have such a course in the engineering studies. To append to it were his uncountable "Ayyo Amma”‘s in a peculiar pitch. Each time he said these two words, almost the entire class used to stare and smile at me as if I was the one to discover this accent. JFYI: I am the only South Indian in my class.Then,"Pooja..Tu bhi bolke dikha na..Please"I was like "Whaht?Mujhe nahi aata!"And naturally, being brought up in Gujarat, I don’t get that accent!
And then it all ends up with my police-ki-dhamki! :D
