First things first. Who is a mama?
Accurately speaking, mama is the Tamil word for a maternal uncle, but, usage wise, among Tamil folk it often denotes a male of indeterminate age or indistinct relationship. This way, it becomes a portmanteau word used in many situations especially among the Tamil Brahmin community. This is the word an eighty year old lady can safely use to address a young priest in a temple, for instance. It is amusing that the elderly lady calls a person young enough to be her grandson her uncle, but it is convenient, you see.
A few years back, when I was organising my daughter's marriage, our priest would call me mama, the caterer would call me by the same name and so did the manager of the hall where the functions were to be held. Even the photographer we had hired did likewise. The funny part was that I would also address each of these gentlemen as mama, leaving my daughter wondering as to who indeed was the uncle and who the nephew!
Mamas have perfected the usage of certain catchphrases for certain situations. Those in the know understand the shorthand and answer perfectly. Let us look at just a few of these words.
A mama is looking for a marriage alliance (the word alliance itself is a catchphrase!) for his daughter or has been charged to look for a 'baay' for the daughter of his relative or friend. First thing to be understood is that the prospective groom and bride are always 'baay' and girl, irrespective of age.You can be sure that one of the specifications would be that the boy should have no 'habits'. No 'habits' is shorthand for no 'bad habits' defined as smoking, drinking or eating non-vegetarian food (Shiva! Shiva!)
Once the baay without habits is identified and other due diligence done, with the blessings of elders, the wedding takes place. After some time, what is certain is that everybody from the next door mami to the milkman will start asking the parents of the boy and girl whether there is any 'good news' i.e. is a little one on the way? The parents are expected to simper or to bluster, by the way.
When the little one is indeed born, mamaspeak calls it an issue. To illustrate, one of the many conversations I have had over the years:
A random mama would ask me, How many issues, saar?
Two, saar
Baays aa?
No saar, both girls
Nowadays, daattars are better than baays wonly, saar.
Accurately speaking, mama is the Tamil word for a maternal uncle, but, usage wise, among Tamil folk it often denotes a male of indeterminate age or indistinct relationship. This way, it becomes a portmanteau word used in many situations especially among the Tamil Brahmin community. This is the word an eighty year old lady can safely use to address a young priest in a temple, for instance. It is amusing that the elderly lady calls a person young enough to be her grandson her uncle, but it is convenient, you see.
A few years back, when I was organising my daughter's marriage, our priest would call me mama, the caterer would call me by the same name and so did the manager of the hall where the functions were to be held. Even the photographer we had hired did likewise. The funny part was that I would also address each of these gentlemen as mama, leaving my daughter wondering as to who indeed was the uncle and who the nephew!
Mamas have perfected the usage of certain catchphrases for certain situations. Those in the know understand the shorthand and answer perfectly. Let us look at just a few of these words.
A mama is looking for a marriage alliance (the word alliance itself is a catchphrase!) for his daughter or has been charged to look for a 'baay' for the daughter of his relative or friend. First thing to be understood is that the prospective groom and bride are always 'baay' and girl, irrespective of age.You can be sure that one of the specifications would be that the boy should have no 'habits'. No 'habits' is shorthand for no 'bad habits' defined as smoking, drinking or eating non-vegetarian food (Shiva! Shiva!)
Once the baay without habits is identified and other due diligence done, with the blessings of elders, the wedding takes place. After some time, what is certain is that everybody from the next door mami to the milkman will start asking the parents of the boy and girl whether there is any 'good news' i.e. is a little one on the way? The parents are expected to simper or to bluster, by the way.
When the little one is indeed born, mamaspeak calls it an issue. To illustrate, one of the many conversations I have had over the years:
A random mama would ask me, How many issues, saar?
Two, saar
Baays aa?
No saar, both girls
Nowadays, daattars are better than baays wonly, saar.
I hope you understood - else no issues saar!
***
Quintessentially tamil.Captures the quirks of our current living in a very readable manner.The word Mama can substitute many phrases and can come to the rescue when you are short of words.
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