Angrezi snobs should shut up. Its our chatpata lingo that unites us – The Times of India Blog

Dear Mansukhbhai, Please dont take tension or have any chinta about your English. Remember, neither are you a match referee at Wimbledon, nor Shashi Tharoor. Apna desh, apney vichar, apni bhasha. We dont need to write or speak English like the Brits, who chew up half their words, suffer from a condition called a stiff upper lip and swallow too much. Even in England, they have hazar accents is Cockney understood by anybody? We are proud of our Indian accent (yes, including the award-winning restaurant by the same name) and we should be showing off our many, colourful versions of English instead of feeling embarrassed. Just see the variations Hinglish (Hindi), Bonglish (Bengali), Minglish (Marathi ), Tamlish (Tamil), Telglish (Telugu), Gujlish (Gujarati), Punjlish (Punjabi) arrey baba, we have enriched English, not mangled it.

Mansukh L Mandaviya is Indias newly-minted Minister of Health and Family Welfare and Chemicals and Fertilisers. Both portfolios are crucial and of special importance during these difficult times. Yet he was mercilessly trolled on the day he took his oath and was sworn in as a member of Narendra Modis recently rejigged Cabinet, replacing that end game walla Dr Harsh Vardhan, who was rightly or wrongly accused of speaking out of turn and declaring the pandemic over just as the second wave of the deadly virus came and crushed us. The good doctor making his exit was described as an otorhinolaryngologist (huh? Cannot pronounce the word and have zero idea what it means). Im happy to settle for the humble vet. It is commendable that the 49-year-old who was born into a farmers family in Hanol (Palitana taluka), studied veterinary science, completed his Masters degree in political science, and is where he is today. Who cares if he tweets like a Gujjubhai! Its the content that counts. Only P Chidambaram has a problem with that. Proficiency in our former rulers language is hardly the only qualification to judge someones merit. If anything, it displays a slavish attraction to the language of our former masters.

Elite bias: Those mocking Mansukhbhai Mandaviya should know that English doesnt equal intellect

Trolling those who do not speak English with a pretentious public school accent reveals the pathetic colonial mindset of trollers. The artificial snob meter kicks in when prominent folks mess up a language that is borrowed and not their matrubhasha. Mocking them for mixing up spellings or pronunciation is kinda mean and immature. A fruity accent does not make the person posh! In todays far more egalitarian world, the only thing that counts is authenticity. It is far better to be yourself as Mansukhbhai has instinctively figured. Check his response when asked what he had to say to trolls who made fun of him (I do not have anything to say, he said with a smile).

Going forward, many more public figures in India will be facing similar problems. They will be called vernacs or vernies by those who were privileged enough to get an education in what are mistakenly described as convent schools where English is the medium of education. Mansukhbhai, like the Prime Minister, is a product of a Gujarati medium school. He should be proud of it and wear it like a badge of honour. Id go a step further and suggest he should speak in his mother tongue at press conferences, and let the scribes figure. What are interpreters for? And tickers on televised interviews? We have no problems when President Emmanuel Macron sticks to French and loftily refuses to speak English. Why create problems for Mansukhbhai and others who are not comfortable using an alien language?

An entire political saga gets written whenever we discuss sensitive language issues in our country. Language is emotive and fluid. How an individual uses it, can make or break his or her career. Indians speak in many tongues (pun intended). It is our hybrid, chatpata lingo that unites us. That, and our chatpata snacks. Both are jhakaas! Ganwaar is good! Its time to convert that putdown into a compliment. English does not equal intellect. There are any number of glib talkers in parliament, who do just that talk! We want our Mansukhbhai to walk the talk. Because, Im pretty sure, as a Gujarati with farming roots he knows the one word everybody in the cutthroat world of politics understands perfectly paisa. When paisa talks, the duniya listens. And the Gujju accent gets instantly understood. So guys, stop that thakela convo. Mansukhbhai kai vaando nathi.

Views expressed above are the author's own.

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Angrezi snobs should shut up. Its our chatpata lingo that unites us - The Times of India Blog