Bikes are the most conducive mode of transportation in Bhubaneswar traffic, if you want to get to your desired destination on time. I had a taste of it today while riding on the back of a pillion for a long distance for a long time.
The motorcycles are apt at and sleek enough to manoeuvre through the crawling traffic. Like a skilled Caesarean surgeon, the guy driving me would screech through the narrow gaps in the labyrinth of mostly three and four wheelers in immaculate accuracy, careful enough to avoid any stray dog trying to barge in (Bhubaneswar has a huge population of stray dogs who at the current rate of growth are expected to overtake its human population in a decade).
If challenged, I can barely drive beyond a mile in this traffic without me hitting someone or someone hitting me. Give me a vehicle and put wager on me - Rs.1000 if I cross 100 meter, Rs.20000 for 200 meter, Rs.100,000 if I cross a kilometer unscathed. It would be a spectacle to watch.
This morning on an Odia News Channel I saw a Congress politician named Debasis Patnaik talking "Kie Kie Paisa Khaichanti Se KHULASA Karantu" (He should disclose those he accuses of taking money. Never heard of about the word KHULASA in Odia lexicon.
The purist in me isn't convinced that KHULASA is a native word. I found it quite astounding that this word is not uttered by the Chief Minister of the State often criticized for his inability to speak the language, but a pure Odia politician named Debasis Patnaik from the Odisha heartland, bearing a name as Odia as PAKHALA (A popular Odia staple food of rice soaked in water) is or as American as Apple Pie. (I personally know at least a dozen Debasis Patnaiks).
There is new version of Odia used these days, especially by girls anchoring on the leading Odia TV channels with a typical accented Odia with almost an equitable spread of 49.9% Odia, 30.1% Hindi and 20% English. My observation was soon to be vindicated by a lady anchor taking interview of an aspiring, young female singer.
She started by introducing the budding singer - "ASANTU SUREELA SANGEET SUNIBA. (Come, let's listen to melodious songs). APANANKA SAMNA RE PES KARUCHU (We are presenting in front of you)." The Interview continued further, "APANA Exception way RE GAANA GANTI, ETE KAM UMAR RE KEHI KEBE Playback singing KARI NAHANTI (you sing in an exceptional voice. No one has done playback singing at such a young age)".
The anchor kept on injecting phrases - "Audience KU APANA HILEI DELE (Appeared to me HILEI is a SANDHI (conjoint) of Hindi HILA and Odia word HALEI, both meaning shaking. It marked an addition of a new page to the SANDHI BICHHEDA chapter of Odia grammar lexicon)." More interjections of "soooo sweet, soooo cute" followed, the anchor going overboard in praising her interviwee.
A person usually speaks with an accent when speaking a language other than his or her mother tongue. Odisha is perhaps the only place on earth, where many love to speak their own mother tongue with an accent.
As if not enough, I have come across a few more terms or phrases of modern Odia, derived from Hindi. A few samples :
CHUTIA BANEILA (Chutia Banaya) - Made an ass of me.
MAHANGA PADILA (Mehnga Pada) - Prove costly.
KANA KHECHUDI PAKUCHI (Kya Khichdi Pakta hai) - What's cooking
LAJABAAB (Speechless)
GUDGUDI HAUCHI (The word Kutukutu in Odia, meaning tickle is wiped out by Gudgudi)
KI GARMEE RE BABA (It's so hot. As if Ki Garam hauchi is a complex Odia sentence to speak).
Either Odia is enriching itself by liberally accepting the influx from other languages, or destined towards oblivion. God bless my mother tongue. More later...
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