Heard the latest rage on the web ‘Kolaveri Di’? What is the most endearing thing about a guy who can barely sing, crooning into a microphone, in the most ridiculous way? The best thing about the guy is that he is being himself. In an era where people are ashamed to refer to their ethnicity, here comes a guy who croons a different tune. No anglicized rap, mind you! Its pure old Tamil + English, now famously known as Tanglish.
I adore this guy for the fact that he gives a I care a damn attitude. There are scores of people, especially among the South Indian community who refuse to acknowledge the fact that they are South Indians!! They prefer to talk in English over their mother tongue and may even indulge in cheap name calling a Madrasi guy, just to look cool. This comes from my personal experience where I have come across people especially from South India. They proudly accept the fact that they do not know their mother tongue and are not very keen to learn it. But they are dying to learn a foreign language. How ironical!!
May be they are ashamed of being labelled a ‘Madrasi’ which is again a moniker for the entire South Indian community. But why? I fail to understand the whole idea behind this. And the very same people wouldn’t mind having ‘Kolaveri Di’ on their playlist! Then there are fake accents and attitudes to deal with too, but that’s a different ball game altogether. I hate it when people tell me that ‘we eat, sleep and think in English first’, huh!! Really? Since when did English become our first language so much so that even our songs are filled with crappy English lyrics!
Today’s generation is a confused lot. They hate to speak their own language but wouldn’t mind wolfing down a idli dosa. They hate all the customs and traditions, yet wouldn’t mind going hungry for a day to please the gods. And i am not targetting the younger lot of today. I have seen the older generation do the same thing. People who have been brought up on morning prayers and devotional songs sung by M S Subbulakshmi now find it boring. Everyone must respect their mother tongue because it is the foundation of one’s culture and moral values.
You may love it or hate it, but the Kolaveri fever has definitely caught on! For a change, Tanglish sounds way stylish and entertaining than propah English.
Well said..
thanks for dropping by Harish
If we prefer easy lyrics (even kids can easily sing this one) over the tough high class language,this song is a definite like.That I can tell-u tell-u my friend-u
This song is so real,and while perfection is great reality is far more attractive..Am not ashamed to say that I love kolaveri..
I am sure there are many English fanatics out there who love to hate this song..But again its a personal choice.
Shocking it is to see people so disinterested in their mother tongue but interested in increasing the longevity of someone else’s!
Tanglish has always been stylish =D Just that now the world knows it is!
Postu superu
thank u saar
I ‘m seeing it here especially in cities, u know. As u said, the upper middle class college teens are hesitating to talk in their mother tongue!Tamil) Further, the saddest part is ‘they are neither good in Tamil nor in English’. They say it’s fashion. I say it’s ‘total madness’ born out of absurdity.
Thoughtful post friend……
From: http://www.sriramnivas.com
I totally agree. I do not understand why one should be ashamed of their mother tongue..Its kinda weird.
very well said… and the song is just too cool
yea me too loved the song!
Well said ! Nothing irritates me more than seeing mothers and fathers speaking to their children in a sing song version of English and not their mother tongue. I feel a kolaveri at that time.
ha ha ha…you are so angry right now!!!
Talking in English is one thing, but pretending to not know one’s mother tongue is totally a weird!
good u article u priya
:) nicely written !
thank u thank u
cool post! my mother tongue is urdu…i cant speak it properly but i understand it and respond back in english! lol. my parents think we are speaking in urdu when we are really talking in english..they are so used to it and us the same
interesting perspective esp w.r.t this particular song.
i must admit that the ‘i care a damn i will speak in my mother tongue’ attitude of Dhanush here is really endearing. respects.
I am a Kannadiga & understand every word of what you said about people refusing or considering it below their “high standards” to speak in their own lang. here, the kids of many kannadiga homes speak in “super” English but hardly any kannada. its really sad
That’s the saddest part…no one says you should’nt speak or know English..But atleast stop ridiculing your own mother tongue in front of fake-English spluttering-morons!!!
Great post, really like your blog