What it takes to be a Telugu girl in Chennai?

I come from a Telugu speaking background with ancestors who settled in the Tamil Nadu more than two generations ago. I could speak both the languages - Telugu* and Tamil* fluently any day. 

*Tamil - Native Language of the South Indian State Tamil Nadu

*Telugu - Native Language of the South Indian States - Andhra Pradesh and Telangana

During my school days I was only proud to have known an additional language [Telugu] and was surprised that a couple of my friends knew the language too ! I wasn’t sure why the rest didn’t know the language and was curious to know. When I enquired mom she explained that the two states [now three] were once together and during the separation we were the ones who chose to settle down here for various reasons like occupation and convenience. 

One random day at school, I was ‘bullied’ with a new word ‘Golti’ and I was clueless about what they even meant by that. A friend came to my rescue and handled the guys who bullied me ! I asked her what did ‘Golti’ mean and why do they call me that? She explained that that was the term they used to address Telugu speaking people here in Chennai. Initially as a young school going girl, I couldn't take it when my class mates differentiated me because of my mother tongue. They weren't very serious and most of us were innocent then. I had to understand that the word only sounded funny to them and made them laugh. I heard it so often that I got used it and learned to ignore it. This didn't stop me from revealing my mother tongue. For I was still proud, only to have known an additional language. 

It was only during my college days I saw the actual rivals. It was a Telugu Minority College with 50% Tamils and 50% Telugus (if I can call it that way) roughly and I was stuck in-between. The two groups stayed separate mostly and even in the way they were seated ! The ‘in-between’ candidates like me were the minority, just one or two in a class room and we had to choose between one of these groups !! Trying to balance both was my biggest challenge. I think I did it fairly well. 

When my bus mates were Tamils, they though how high-headed and dumb were these Telugus and my bench mates enquired why these Tamil’s dressing sense was so pathetic and why they hardly took money out of their pockets ! It was annoying answering such stereotypical questions from both the sides. I only saw them being self-forcefully blind !! 

The stereotypes were only growing and my explanations only convinced myself ! These two groups were nothing but ‘like’ poles of a magnet. They looked like they would fit in but beyond a point they repelled. The differentiation continued even at work but by then I got used to it and knew how to deal with it. I just laugh away.

I have to mention that I had a good amount of open minded friends too. The friendship was more selflessly social than linguistic - how it is supposed to be. I am always fortunate and glad to have earned them. 

As much as I am a proud Telugu girl, I am a proud Chennaite too ! We celebrate both Ugadi and Tamil New Year with the same amount of enthusiasm. [Jan 1 isn’t an exception too ;) ] Pongal and Sankranthi mean the same to us. Our weddings are a mix of customs, from both Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh ! We have evolved this way and we are happy living it this way. 

You call me a ‘Golti’ .. You call me a ‘Madarasi’ .. You will only see me smiling. Yes, I am a proud blend of both. 

Happy Ugadi & Happy Tamil New Year 

Cyclone Vardah - Hits Harder !!

Chennai during the month of December seems to be a night mare ! Consecutively for the second time Chennai has faced yet another natural calamity - Cyclone Vardah, followed by the floods in Chennai last December (2015). 

Having faced the floods previously and predicting the cyclone well in advance the city was ready with all precautionary measures. People were warned not to leave homes, schools and colleges declared holiday and even office goers were advised to work from home ! Weather reports scared us as the winds would lash at a speed of 100 km/hr and it was sure that we will lose power, mobile signals by then.

Dec 12, 2016 - Around 11 AM the winds were blowing unusually bringing some moderate rains. We tried our best to capture these just from our balcony and terrace but the winds were so strong that we couldn’t stand still. I was literally shivering due to the chilling winds that I ran inside my house and shut the door. Around 1.30 PM is when the cyclone was expected to touch the peak - 100 km/hr speed and it did ! The howling sound was even more scary and the winds were pushing down all the trees outside. Our’s neighbour’s tree uprooted and fell on their car shed, crashing their Honda City flat. The corporation help lines weren't reachable and while we were still trying to reach for help we lose our signals completely. Nothing could be done by then and they were locked inside their house. No power, no water and no mobile network - we totally lost connection with the outside world. As it gets darker as early as 5.30 PM, the winds slowed down a bit but the rains didn't stop. It was pitch dark outside and we had nothing to do and couldn’t move out of the house yet. We just managed with our fully charged phones and laptops for light. The water stored would help us till morning, so I went to bed expecting the power to be back soon.

Dec 13,2016 - I got up a bit early and rushed out only to see a totally devastated neighbourhood !! We live in a gated community (a micro city in itself) that is green - full of trees and plants. Almost 50% of the trees were uprooted and 25% of the people’s car shed was crashed under a tree. I took a stroll all the way and another neighbour had lost a car too that got stuck under a huge tree ! All of a sudden it looked like there was too much of light coming in and yes all these trees on the ground exposed us to a painfully sunny morning. At about 7.30 AM, people got working in cutting down the trees and paving way for those who were stuck inside their homes. Power and phone signals haven’t been resumed yet. We decided to go out and see the condition outside our community. People with generators and power back ups were updating us on how the city was hit with the cyclone. The newspapers shared few scary pictures too - a huge bus that toppled during the winds, a car that was parked toppled over the road barricade, a couple of people who just escaped from a falling tree ! I was looking all over the papers with crossed fingers to not see any death count. Unfortunately, it reported a death count of 3 already !! It also read that the power will be resumed by evening. We reached the main road around 11 AM, our phone signals were fluctuating. I tried calling the close family and friends to check if they were all fine. A few of them still weren’t reachable. The power wasn’t back yet and the signals too !

Dec 14, 2016 - It was the second day after the cyclone and situation remains the same. Schools haven’t reopened yet and we are still worried about water supply. ATMs and the card swiping machines aren’t working anywhere. Sadly, this demonitisation have restricted the cash flow big time and the cash in hand would only last another day !!

Our house help turns up today and her story is even more saddening. Her 18 yr old nephew who is physically challenged had to be carried and shifted in the heavy winds to her house as the boy’s house was filled with rain water. She said their roof flew away due to the lashing winds. She sounded totally help less saying it hasn’t been even an year since they fixed the damage caused by the floods. I asked if she would need some cash and I could see a sigh of relief on her face. Only then I remembered I don’t have much cash in hand. I apologised to her shamelessly.

Dec 15, 2016 - We are getting water supply for few hrs in the morning every day and we rush to finish our work by then. Power and phone signals are yet to resume. We again drove till the main road to see the condition of the city. The cut down trees were still lying on the pavements and are yet to be cleared. People have started going to work though. We parked our cars wherever we got signals and called our family and friends and shared the status. 

• Intermittent electricity was supplied only to a (main) part of the city, when the news said 50% of the city got the power back. 
• News read that the city is all set for the usual routine and the schools will reopen today. I found it totally stupid as all the 4 schools in and around my house still remains closed. The trees are yet to be cleared and power yet to be resumed ! The schools were seeking volunteers to deal with all that. When I checked with friends in other parts of the city, they shared the same grief.

For once I felt that news channels and the government are blind.

The city has never taken so much time to recover, in spite of all rescue teams who arrived well in advance. Last year it was really quick ! 

The lost greenery has to be replaced. The corporation workers and volunteers who worked day and night to clear the roads have to be recognised. We, shouldering a bit more of responsibilities and promising a better ecosystem to the next gen, have a long way to go !!

Chennai Floods - December 2015

December 4, 2016

December is a very important month in my calendar for various reasons..

1.Usually, It is something that marks the completion of one successful year 

Well, that means a lot ! We would have fought a battle, would have had many memorable moments, met new people, made new friends, achieved something new and all those memories rush into my mind by December. Also this is the time of the year I set new goals for the upcoming year. I step in to the new year with a lot of positivity, hopes and dreams.

2. Two important occasions in the family - my dad's birthday and my wedding anniversary comes up in the first week of December. I never fail to celebrate the presence of both the men in my life.

3. Chennai Floods !

Last year the same time, my city Chennai was flooded. It was a huge natural disaster the city had ever faced. 

From my narrowed view, we lost power for more than 24 hrs and the telephone landlines didn't work too. We had arranged for a huge family gathering as it was Dad's 60th Birthday and we only managed to do 10% of what we planned. The photographers didn't turn up ! Only very few of the family and friends were there and another 10% reached by evening. We had to cancel the hotel party hall reservations and call each and every single person (whenever we got signals) and inform about the cancellations. I was terribly upset as I had high hopes and plans to surprise my parents on this occasion. All flights were cancelled and my sister had to stay back in the country for two more weeks. 

When the reality hit ! 

Slowly, one after the other, friends and relatives called us back to tell us why they couldn't make it. Power resumed after 2 full days and the news channels were telecasting the devastated city, Chennai ! I couldn't recognise even my neighbourhood. My personal loss was nothing when compared to what the city was going through at that moment. We were are all dumbstruck and were totally lost looking at the pathetic condition of the city.

Not very late (the very next day), people started giving out helping hands. It just started with 2-3 people and the network grew really huge within few hours. I was getting calls from people seeking food and people who were making food in bulk for the needy. When all the roads were blocked and the only way you possibly reach even the next street is by walk, these guys were picking up the bare necessities like food, water, clothing and walked in the gutter to deliver it wherever possible. 

These real life heroes include my friends, acquaintances turned friends (after the floods), school mates (whom I even failed to recognise), college mates (in the neighbouring states) and total strangers. Every single person dedicated their time and effort selflessly to help the people. Never in my life I had felt so comfortable talking to strangers around me. All I could see in their eyes were sorrow, compassion and undying spirit to gear up the city.

Some memories that I would like to register here 

• A little girl bitten by some poisonous insect was rescued to the nearby hospital on time by a total stranger and she was saved from death ! All this while this was the kind of story I watched only in the movies !
• A small scale businessman (volunteer) developed severe skin disease that spread all over his body, while rescuing a to-be mother at Madhuravoyal. She was stuck in her home as the roads were filled with shoulder-level dirty water. The mother and the new-born were safe at the hospital while this young chap is still dealing with the skin allergy, even after an year !!
• A young cop at Amjikarai signal was guiding and helping female volunteers who were struggling to manage huge crowd fighting for the the food supplies. He made sure he either accompanied us to the crowded places or redirected us to the less crowded places which was much safer for the volunteers. We were glad we met a good cop in real life unlike the ones the Indian movies have majorly portrayed so far.
• There were no rich-poor difference for once! Everyone joined hands selflessly to save lives, to feed hungry souls and help the victims in all ways possible.
• Men and young guys without a bit of hesitation were distributing sanitary napkins, women's inner wear to all those who lost their homes and were stranded on the streets.
• Random people (I still don't know how they got my contact number) even from Hyderabad and Bangalore were willing to transfer funds to my account to help the needy !! While I am still shocked at their gesture they apologised for not being able to be physically present at the flooded areas and help us.
• Last but not the least, the city saw more volunteers than victims history has ever seen !!

Little did I mention here as the post is getting really lengthy. Even after one year, I am still in awe ! 

The below words made my watsapp status then ;)

"Humanity Does Exist"   

♥ Aarthi ♥