Gabfest: And Thereby Hangs A Tail

You and I should converse in Hindi and verify if we can comprehend each other. My Hindi is atrocious! Sometimes I make up words on the go. And my Hindi numerical knowledge is a laughing glory.

Back in the day, once I travelled in an auto to the hostel and settled the fare and came inside the room to boast of my catchy and impressive Hindi with the auto driver. I also mentioned that I paid him saat, that is 70/-. A friend shattered my "Happy Hindi" hour with the revelation that saat in Hindi means 60 and not 70.

&^#%!@?! We should check if our collective knowledge of Hindi is an upsweep.

 

What is this John Carpenter's Thing1?

Is it a thing that confiscates tv remote and does not let you to change channels?

 

Darwin wrote in Voyage in the Beagle, "The language of these people, according to our notions, scarcely deserves to be called articulate. Captain Cook has compared it to a man clearing his throat, but certainly no European ever cleared his throat with so many hoarse, guttural, and clicking sounds".

So it could well be Meh-mee-eih-la-pi-nah-tah-pa-ih guttural sounds. Sand, pit fire, sundown and a couplet stealing glances and signalling ....

Meh- I like you
Mee- I like you too
Eih- What should we do
La - Let's continue staring
Pi - I cannot
Nah - Why not
Tah - Because
Pa- I am feeling sleepy
Ih - Let's continue tomorrow

The entire non-existent conversation is enacted in that teri nazar aur meri nazar "meh-mee" intersection. We have no equivalent of such evocative and charming and sub silentio agreement.

They don't tease each other in bases or play silly footsie like the way we foolhardy and civilised humans do. No rush. No malfunctioning Tinder swipes. Only in-control eye swipes. The 'fuego' is in the inviting eyes and not in the vocal affirmation. He swipes his glance to the right and she also swipes her glance to the right to express consent. If she swipes to the left, the guy moves on and locks eyes with someone else.

I am surprised that Alam-panah hasn't yet boarded the next flight to Chile to study the courting and mating habits of the mysterious Yahgans. Are you waiting for the passport reflecting your royal title to be minted?

Trivia: York Minster, Fuegia Basket and Jemmy Button, three Fuegians (Yahgan) who were taken to England with the captain and crew of the Beagle. The sailors coined these names for the men during this first voyage.

Minster, Basket and Button? The crew badly needed a crash course on selecting tribal and honourable titles , ahem, like Poderoso Panah and Queso Qiran.

 

You talk pretty today.
Me talk witty on the same day.
Praise you, the Al-Sultan and Sahib-e-Qiran,
of the mighty clan in the known watan.
Hail you, the Alam-panah and Al-azam,
in this poetic fanah from a gulam.
I am awed of your regal and chaste titles,
where each word is an Arabic riddle.
I am blinded by your golden sceptre,
you hold aloft to hector.
May peace and glory shine from the Mandate of Heavens,
to straighten your fictive kingdom at sixes and sevens.

 

Dr? Humph!

(Love the profile picture)

 

I clip quotations and trivia that I find amusing. I cannot remember the original source.
Here's the snapshot from my personal collection.

 

You escaped the fate of chameleons in Tamilnadu with that brief water spell.
(Because Janaki Lenin is from TN, I am assuming she witnessed that in her homestate)

 

I interact mostly with Russians and Japanese at work. Are they excluded from this comparison? I see how this is going ..

Desi vs Amreeka
PEMDAS [US] vs BODMAS [India]
Common Core Vs ICSE

When can I talk about the Russians and Japanese? And what about that micro-nation of our Alam-panah?
Unfair! Why always North America? I protest. I am getting ready with my bulletproof vest and assault pistol.