Don't call me uncle! - (Taken from Mid-day) Squabbles in Mumbai local trains are part of city's commuting folklore. We have heard of fights between groups, between ladies who pull each other's hair, between vendors selling stuff in the train and the commuters. the antagonism can fill an entire book.
However, an amusing incident set off a squabble in a Bandra local recently. An onlooker said two persons were involved in a squabble over an 'avuncular' matter. A man inside the train spat repeatedly outside the train. The saliva flew every two minutes. This irked another man who was standing in the aisle of the train. He shouted at the man who was spitting. "Uncle, please stand here and spit if you want to." The man answered in Hindi, ''Tere badan pe giraa kya (Did the spit fall on you)? Yet it was the next comment that was amusing. He yelled at the man saying ''How dare you call me uncle? I am 44 and look much younger than you. Do you want to see my I-Card? T-shirt pahena hain to jawan ho gaya kya? Agar lady hoti to aunty bolta kya (You wear a T-shirt that is why you think you have become a youngster? If it was a lady would you call her aunty)?" The other commuters burst out laughing at this retort. Such intriguing moments make train travel in packed compartments amusing. ---- Ed's comment: Often we see these scenes in Goa...Neville Dias a friend of mine recalls an incident: In the olden days and even now the Hindus are fond of calling female Adults MAIM. So when we were crossing the SE Khandola river by a canoe in those days when there was no bridge the captain said...AGE MAIM MATXI PATIM VOCH GHE...to which she replied...ARE AUM TUJI MAIM KEDNAM ZALIM RE.. to which everyone on the boat burst out laughing. This was the response from a lady say 30 years at that time. Another incident: It happend in a local bus which was on its way to Betul The bus conductor wanted to make place for more passengers, so he told one lady (slightly elderly) "Aunty matxe fuddem voch ghe"...to which the lady replied .."Khoboddar tum maka aunty munoth zalear. hanv kitem tuje Maichi Bhoinnu????" The conductor kept quiet and came back after some time Conductor: Kadat poixe, kadat poixe, tik tik... Aunty: Kitle paut re poixe, tum ticket legun dinam mure Conductor: Age tuvem poixe diunc nam munge Aunty: Avem poixe dileat tuca, ugdas nam zalear maca kitem kor munta Conductor: Aum atam tuca hatan khuris diun jurar kortolom (Aunty was Catholic) Aunty: Maca?? Aum tuca tujea hatan NARL diun jurar kortelim (conductor was Hindu) Poor conductor left her in peace, may be she did not pay, but she was smart..:) Am sure many of you must have come across such situations.. What would you say if someone older/unknown to you called you Uncle/Aunty? Ankoluuu..tuz pai tho? :) Edward Verdes Chinchinim/Mumbai/KSA _______________________________________________ Goanet mailing list [email protected] http://lists.goanet.org/listinfo.cgi/goanet-goanet.org
