Jaiho to Jaiho for entering the Webster dictionary and giving me a context to share few other very deserving phrases and words from films that have made it into my family’s lingo and may I recommend my readers if not the Global Language Monitor to consider them for inclusion into their lexicon?
There is an old Tamil film song in which Chachu and Cho sing, “Excellent, aaaha beautiful, very very excellent, nam pirandirukka vendum England (we should have been born in England)”.
This song has been so delightfully adapted into our family lingo to explain both vain behaviour and victorious moments.
“Look at her speak Tamil so stylishly, thinks she was born in England.”
“I have got a 90 in math. Ha! I should have been born in England.”
When Mohanlal uttered the word Kulapadakan (traitor) in one of his films, he would have never even dreamt that the word would become our household word. The “traitor” entered the family lingo through an uncle and now all of us say Kulapadakan just like Mohanlal at the drop of a hat. Initially used only to scold or insult the word proved so malleable and organic that it soon burst beyond the confines of its original meaning and has grown to represent just about anything.
We say Kulapadakan when the person at the door rings the bell irritatingly twice.
We say Kulapadakan when power goes off.
It is Kulapadakan if the Indian cricket team loses and it is Kulapadakan if the Indian cricket team wins.
“Wow! What a Kulapadakan upma you have cooked!” (“wonderful”)
“In your house everyone is so Kulapadakan ” (“talented”)
“I am feeling Kulapadakan ,” (“some ‘blade’ emotion”)
To cut a long explanation short, Kulapadakan is so Kulapadakan that you can use it freely, randomly, anywhere, anyway you wish (as long as you say it like Mohanlal). Before the advent of Kulapadakan into our family, the word ‘electricity’ was used in a similar fashion.
Ever since Kamalahassan (my crush since the age of 7) in a talk (for FCCI Frames at Renaissance Hotel) in Mumbai said “History is a strange animal that hibernates,” my cousins have been mercilessly teasing me about it and challenging me to elucidate that statement and pronounce it “hibuzhzhnaytes” just like him. Who knows in what context he said it? But it has already entered the family’s parole and used widely and recklessly, much to everyone’s exasperation (especially mine).
“Why did he die?”
“How silly! Obviously because history is a strange animal that hibernates.”
“Why haven’t you had a bath still?”
“Because history is a strange animal.”
“Why hasn’t the maid turned up?”
“The maid is histuzhzhy, so she must be hibuzhzhnayting.”
“Why did the DMK win?”
“Because history is a strange animal that hibernates.”
Thanks to Kamalahassan, we now have an answer and explanation for just about everything from mundane to mysterious.
There are other usages too. Any stylish or exaggerated gesture is called “Vijay” (after the Tamil star). Rajnikanth’s ulle po (go inside) from Basha is used to say shut up, don’t argue and even get out, in fact for anything but ‘go inside’. Adayum thaandi punithamanadu (more sacred than that) from Kamalahassan’s Guna is also used very effectively to describe anything superlative (both worst/ best).
To those detracting readers who after reading today’s column are going to ask me why I am getting sillier and asinine by the day, the explanation is “because history is a strange animal and additionally it is hibernating too.”
And to those dear readers of mine who are going to use all the above recommended phrases very-very excellently and on par with Jaiho, I say “we should have all been born in England.”