The details of A MAJOR IDENTITY CRISES!!
This was sparked by a heated argument with a technician in my work place. I was casually talking with a friend about the arrest of Raj Thackerey late last year and its effects on our City.
I said something like "I don't understand what they get out of shutting down the whole City! Don't Maharastrians get affected by this? Maharastrian children too had to bunk school, an aam marathi manoos also fears getting out of his house, lest he gets hit by a stone of the protesters!! Their whole cause of being beneficent to Maharastrians is lost by this inhuman behavior"
A technician working in nearby a corner was overhearing this.. His reaction was very disturbing!! "What would you know", yelled he, "You and your dirt from U.P., Bihar. Coming into our houses and capturing all that is ours''. He went on yelling something on the lines of "Hamaare pet pe laat maarte hain. Hamaare ghar mein koi aayega toh hum zaroor usay maarenge, kaat dalenge!".
I tried to reason with him saying that this is all a political stunt to get votes. How can you justify hitting poor students. Shouldn't you appeal to the centre to get you "exclusively" maharastrian seats in the railway if you don't like North Indians?
He agaitatedly replied "Ehh!! Raj Thackerey bohot famous hai. Use publicity ki zaroorat nahi hai",
I was double agitated and yelled back "Very good. Maaro, kaato. Jo bhi tumhaare ghar aaye use maaro. Ek chaaku meri taraf se bhi le jaao"
After this heated and unexpected altercation while I was stomping away, it hit me "Tum aur tumhaara U.P., Bihar ka kachra???"
Wait a minute.
I was born in Mumbai and studied in Mumbai and Pune. Both my parents were born in Mumbai.. Am I not yet a Maharastrian??
Whenever I have visited U.P., everybody has said that this girl is from Maharashtra, so she cannot speak ou language (Bhojpuri), that means I am not even from U.P.?
My surname 'Pandey', gets me comments like Pandeyji, bhaiyyaji and such wherever I go. So, I must be a UPite.
But all my degree college life where we had a cosmopolitan crowd from every corner of India, I was always called "The Mumbai Girl".
I studied Marathi fervently from 5th through 10th, and scored distinction marks on Marathi in board exams. Am I not a Maharastrian then???
I have no answer.
All my life Ive lived hand in hand with Marathi friends and neighbors and I love them like my brothers, sisters an relatives who are all from U.P.
I love Pooran Poli and pittla bhakri (maharastrian lip smacking delicacies), but I'd die without Maal pua's, chats and gol gappas of U.P.
Its impossible to choose!!
I guess I'm a North Indian girl from Maharastra..
Or a U.P. Mumbaite?
I just wish we were all simply Indians. These demarcations are exhausting and hurting.
I don't understand the political intricacies, but I wish somebody would simplify it for me..
Who am I?
This was sparked by a heated argument with a technician in my work place. I was casually talking with a friend about the arrest of Raj Thackerey late last year and its effects on our City.
I said something like "I don't understand what they get out of shutting down the whole City! Don't Maharastrians get affected by this? Maharastrian children too had to bunk school, an aam marathi manoos also fears getting out of his house, lest he gets hit by a stone of the protesters!! Their whole cause of being beneficent to Maharastrians is lost by this inhuman behavior"
A technician working in nearby a corner was overhearing this.. His reaction was very disturbing!! "What would you know", yelled he, "You and your dirt from U.P., Bihar. Coming into our houses and capturing all that is ours''. He went on yelling something on the lines of "Hamaare pet pe laat maarte hain. Hamaare ghar mein koi aayega toh hum zaroor usay maarenge, kaat dalenge!".
I tried to reason with him saying that this is all a political stunt to get votes. How can you justify hitting poor students. Shouldn't you appeal to the centre to get you "exclusively" maharastrian seats in the railway if you don't like North Indians?
He agaitatedly replied "Ehh!! Raj Thackerey bohot famous hai. Use publicity ki zaroorat nahi hai",
I was double agitated and yelled back "Very good. Maaro, kaato. Jo bhi tumhaare ghar aaye use maaro. Ek chaaku meri taraf se bhi le jaao"
After this heated and unexpected altercation while I was stomping away, it hit me "Tum aur tumhaara U.P., Bihar ka kachra???"
Wait a minute.
I was born in Mumbai and studied in Mumbai and Pune. Both my parents were born in Mumbai.. Am I not yet a Maharastrian??
Whenever I have visited U.P., everybody has said that this girl is from Maharashtra, so she cannot speak ou language (Bhojpuri), that means I am not even from U.P.?
My surname 'Pandey', gets me comments like Pandeyji, bhaiyyaji and such wherever I go. So, I must be a UPite.
But all my degree college life where we had a cosmopolitan crowd from every corner of India, I was always called "The Mumbai Girl".
I studied Marathi fervently from 5th through 10th, and scored distinction marks on Marathi in board exams. Am I not a Maharastrian then???
I have no answer.
All my life Ive lived hand in hand with Marathi friends and neighbors and I love them like my brothers, sisters an relatives who are all from U.P.
I love Pooran Poli and pittla bhakri (maharastrian lip smacking delicacies), but I'd die without Maal pua's, chats and gol gappas of U.P.
Its impossible to choose!!
I guess I'm a North Indian girl from Maharastra..
Or a U.P. Mumbaite?
I just wish we were all simply Indians. These demarcations are exhausting and hurting.
I don't understand the political intricacies, but I wish somebody would simplify it for me..
Who am I?
1 comment:
I feel like somebody has worded my sentiments...my oh my! I never knew two distinct persons can have exactly the same thoughts...maybe there's more of us.
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