01. Introduction and social mixing

02. An illustrative example from my family history

03. The strain on the trainers

04. The taunt of the women folk

05. A digression to reservation for women

06. Female fighters of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Ealem

07. When oblivion takes over

08. Reflections on English nations

09. The dangerous theme of equalisation

10. Powerless to exert right to dignified existence

11. Perching greatness

12. Apartheid

Introduction and social mixing

Now, I need to speak about the ways of introduction and social mixing. In English nations, especially in the US, there was a very brave and possibly idiotic attempt at social mixing, without proper understanding of what was being envisaged. I have mentioned earlier of a video in which Varuna and Ashwina are seen as trainers to persons who are much senior in age to them. They have trained many persons, both male as well as female.

When this is being done, there is essential social mixing. The trainees belong to the Malayalam speaking, very little English-knowing, colloquial-mentality persons, most of who are trying for lower jobs in the Middle East. Actually I am the main trainer to them. However, my system of training at that time was exposure to English through an English speaking atmosphere.

Now, it is essential that the lower social inputs, codes as well negative energies should not diffuse into our side. At the same time, the trainees should improve without a feeling of belonging to an inferior group. It had its problems, unless proper precautions and limitations were powerfully mentioned. The trainees were told in a tone of no-excuses mood that the lower indicant pejorative codes in Malayalam should not be used to and about the trainers. Now, even though this seems a very small issue, the fact was that this was the biggest social issue as far as communication in a feudal language is concerned.

Even though the trainees had to speak only English inside the training arena, the fact was that this place was a very brief area in their everyday life. In Malayalam, youngsters were necessarily in the lower code areas of the indicant words, such as Nee (inhi), Aval (Oal), Edi (Pennu) etc. Even though these words seem quite small and powerless, the fact is that these are the very powerful words that can more or less assign a person his social status. To insist that these words should not be used on the young trainers, who did not have any statutory power to punish, was in many ways a silly thing. However, that was the basic tenets of our training. However, the trainees need not get up when the trainers, including me came inside the room.

Moreover, they could address me with a Mr. prefixed to my name. This was also great liberation for them, for in Malayalam and colloquial coolie English (Gandhi English), the teacher has to be extended powerful levels of respect, which need to be self-deprecatory. In which case, they would have to affix my name with Saar or Mash suffixed, whenever my name was mentioned or I was addressed.

DIGRESSION

I need to discuss the sentence: ‘To insist that these words should not be used on the young trainers, who did not have any statutory power to punish...’ The fact is that no one would dare to use pejorative indicant words to those who have punitive powers.

For example, even if a police Sub Inspector is quite young, only very powerfully placed persons would dare to use the lower indicant word for YOU, HE and HIM to and about him. For, it can mean putting oneself in the path of danger to do so. However, to a person who cannot harm one, almost all persons would dare to use the lower indicant words. So, in effect it means that being polite and well-mannered in Indian feudal languages places one in a very pitiable position. The effective social stance is to be very rude and crude, and to extrude the idea that one is powerfully placed.

An illustrative example from my family history

My mother became a Sub Registrar at the young age of 23 in the Madras State Civil Service in the year 1951. It may be remembered that India, the current-day nation, was born in 1947. She was posted as a Sub Registrar in the erstwhile district of Malabar of Madras state. Currently this area is north Kerala.

Retrospectively speaking, she had at least three negative points from the perspective of Indian feudal vernaculars. One that she was a female, two that was young and three that she was from a lower caste. Her first posting was as a reserve Sub Registrar at Tellicherry. Within one and a half years time, she was given independent charge as the Sub Registrar of Kadachira Sub Registrar’s office at Kadachirra in Cannanore district.

Speaking about the negatives, all the aforementioned elements could powerfully position her at the lower indicant word of Aval or Oal (as it is mentioned in Malabar). This will translate into Nee for YOU.

The scene should be visualised as a young, Thiyya, female. Just a few kilometres into the insides of the areas, this description is that of a very low quality person. Especially the word Thiyyathi can only be associated with that of a servant class who were at least a few hundred times lower than the black slaves of US. This was the fact of life in those areas before English intervention.

However no one would dare to address her at that level of indicant code, unless he or she is directly related to her. Why? Because, at an official level, she had certain powers which she can use to harass those who harass her thus. Moreover, the whole official structure of clerks and peons below her have to necessarily maintain her superiority in indicant codes to maintain their own stature in the social system. The British rulers, I understand, did have some idea about the problem of ‘respect’. For, they did assign a very high raised platform for the Sub Registrars to sit. This did act as a powerful platform and prop to elevate their stature.

Beyond all this, the fact was that the officer class always maintained English as the language of mutual as well as official communication. So there itself, she was elevated to an egalitarian world, which could give distinctiveness without being suppressive to others.

Even though my mother might come to feel that there is something innate in her that makes people ‘respect’ her, the fact is that if she had been devoid of all the official props and powers as well as an English ambience, her aforementioned three negative attributes would have pulled her down powerfully into the gutters of lower indicant words.

I mention this here quite powerfully to mention that Varuna and Ashwina, though trainers, were quite young, and had no official position or power to extract any ‘respect’. However, that was not aimed for. Yet, what was required was the protection from the lower indicant words. That had to be powerfully maintained among the trainees, by means of mentioning it incessantly.

This point may be extrapolated to an English nation, where there is no one, familiar about these things, to powerfully mention it to the immigrant populations which come bearing feudal communication codes. The youngsters, people of lower professional status and much else among the native-English speakers fall easy prey to these evil codes. With no position of defence to secure themselves. And when they react with horror to the non-tangible eeriness of the negative codes, it is quite easily described as racial repulsion. END of DIGRESSION

The strain on the trainers

This was a great mental liberation for the trainees. Yet, it is very sure that many of them took a long time to understand the tremendous effort and mental strain it was on me. For, most of them were all youngsters working in low level jobs, (as per the Indian social mood). They were being allowed to come up to my level. The very act of addressing me with a Mr. prefixed to my name was indeed sacrilege on my personality. For at least my seniority in age has to be acknowledged in Malayalam with words of respect. I was simply allowing the erosion of my stature, in the hands of a remote-village living youngsters, whose parents more or less did at best, low-Levels jobs, in the Middle East.

The problem was more exacerbated by the fact that many of them were also employees of small-time businessmen who, in a natural feudal language code mood, would incessantly strive to show-off by comparison. There were occasions when some of them would feed the trainees with pejorative words and descriptions about me. Well, it was essentially the problem of weak people being cruel. For, their very social stature depends on suppressing others, who they feel can be suppressed and snubbed. It is a string of actions that move down the ladder of social hierarchy.

In a way it was the same issue of the British officials having to deal with ‘Indians’ who were the subordinates of superior ‘Indians’, as acknowledged by the British Crown. The indicant word definition of ‘British officials’ could be manipulated by the senior ‘Indians’ and that could be fed to the lower class ‘Indians’. The taking over of power by the British Crown was an action of utter stupidity and it was to hurt the ‘Indian’ lower classes. But that was in a very circuitous way, which they couldn’t understand or make sense of.

Now, the essential problem was that since we were trying to disseminate the original stance of pure English of England, at least in the social code levels, we were to face the brunt of the social brutishness of a feudal language code. To reciprocate in the same tone would be reacting to Malayalam codes. This would give a temporary respite or victory. However, we would be pushing ourselves back to Malayalam arena.

Beyond that I couldn’t make myself compete with remote-village shopkeepers of India.

The taunt of the women folk

Even though a good number of students did admit that Varuna and Ashwina were their trainers, it must have been a topic of jest among others immediately outside this circle. Here again, I have seen the women folk being more explicit in their negative words. For, the women folk are at best a group of people forced to stay behind the lines, in their homes. It is not essentially connected to the husband being very possessive or imprisoning them. The issue is of a larger scope and cannot be dealt here in detail. It is more or less connected to fact that the local village town cannot place them in the proper slot in the language codes, where they would not only enjoy ‘respect’, but also can garner ‘respect’ to their husbands.

There is this doctor in the local village. He is not from the locality. His wife is not from Kerala, but has learnt to speak and comprehend Malayalam. She doesn’t go out into the village shops. She sits at home. Why? She knows that if she moves around in the local areas, she will start as an Oar (Avar) and soon descend to Oal (Aval). I have a feeling that many Whites in South Africa would also be suffering from similar emotions. They would become recluses if they are living in the midst of vernacular speaking blacks. And grow corpulent, which may again give a hint of prosperity, when actually the opposite would be true.

The issue could easily be understood as a situation in which the trainer class is being positioned below the trainee class. The trainee class has been powerfully indoctrinated against being trained by their own traditional tribal leadership.

I will leave that subject for the time being and move back to the issue of how the womenfolk viewed Varuna’s and Ashwina’s general movement in the place. Varuna and Ashwina did not move with the people in the place. They moved only as trainers or something akin to that among persons who accepted them as that. Accepting them as that was not difficult, for there was no need for any obsequious attitude towards them. However, the absence of such codes did not keep them in a position of exquisite worship also, which is what other teachers necessarily get in the guise of Chettan, Mash, Saar, Ji, Mahatma etc. It was a training in which the trainees improved, and not like the Gandhian training, in which the top man became an object of veneration and the disciples remained painted in dirt.

I have heard women, not men, speaking loudly, when they see Varuna and Ashwina going to the river for swimming thus: Oh, she (olu Lower She) looks as if she is having some disease. What kind of a looks is this?’ Even though I do not remember any man saying anything in the same vein, I have heard small boys mouthing similar words used by their mothers and sisters, with regard to Varuna and Ashwina. However, as far as the direct mental effect that these words had on Varuna and Ashwina, it was negligible.

For, they couldn’t understand Malayalam. And they had no means to retort back in the same tone, for the pejorative codes were unknown to them. Yet, they have admitted that they did have the experience of some mental distress when accosted by such inimical females.

A digression to reservation for women

Here a slight digression to the issue of reserving seats in various democratic bodies in the nation needs to be done. Giving power and authority to females who do not have any quality or calibre to hold such positions can really despoil the huge number of other females who would be forced to come under them.

Female fighters of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Ealem

Again speaking about female liberation and empowerment, I have to necessarily discuss the female fighters of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Ealem. When I first came to know of them, I was quite impressed by their demeanour. A mental quality not easily seen in ‘Indian’ or Asian females was quite evident in them. However, later I came to know that there was an Australian female of English antiquity (Ms. Adele Balasingham) who was more or less in charge of training them in social standards as well as in combat emotions, or at least standing in a position of focus of emotional idol.

Now, it was quite evident that all Indian females who were regularly ranting about more liberation for the females would see them as a real heroes or heroines. However that was not what really happened. An immensity of ‘Indian’ females came to view them with marked animosity and jealously. The LTTE female fighters were looking very fit, going into the sea in boats, walking around in smart uniforms and more or less liberated beyond any level of freedom, the local ‘Indian’ society could lend to a female.

{Later when Mr. Balasingham died and his wife left the scene, there was a marked downturn in the demeanour quality of the female fighters of the LTTE}.

There were many females in ‘India’ who were seen to be superiors in society. Like doctors, engineers, managers, journalists etc. They all stood high by suppressing others by means of lower indicant words. Or by securing higher indicant words for themselves. Most of them couldn’t imagine swimming even for one metre, had never gone out alone in the night, couldn’t move out of the home other than through per-set routes, and also many of them even though formally quite highly educated, could hardly read an English classic.

The LTTE females were actually liberated to the extent that they were really trained to be liberated in a social order of a highly feudal language environment. I have seen many females writing in Indian newspapers about the ‘fooled’ females of the LTTE, who they insisted were being swindled by the LTTE leadership to join their armed forces. Each of the victories won by the LTTE females were seen with resentful envy and described with scornful words as ‘foolish’.

One problem that seemed to afflict their minds was the Tamil females were generally seen as the lower financial class. And the elevation of the LTTE females was seen as a mental calibre improvement of their own servant classes. This was the same social distress that had enveloped many ‘Indian’ households when the British Colonial class strived to give the lower ‘Indian’ access to English.

I did discern more consistent admiration for the LTTE females from many male folk. This much I mentioned with regard to women’s liberation ideology as far as it concerns the females of ‘India’. They are downright jealous of the lower classes coming up, be it male or female. There is a very old English Newspaper published from Madras (Chennai). It was regularly coming out with articles full of spite against these Tamil females. I was at first surprised. For a Newspaper in Tamilnad taking up an anti-Tamil people stance was quite surprising.

However, I slowly understood the stance as simply as a natural extension of the same ‘Indian’ pejorative to the lower-class, mentality. When the final assault on the LTTE stronghold was being done by the Sri Lankan occupying forces, and mass killing of Tamil civilians was going on, this newspaper was actually celebrating! Actually the real duty of that newspaper should have been to spur the Indian people to clamour for sending the Indian forces to protect the Tamil population. However someone up in that newspapers’ hierarchy had been bought by the Sri Lankan agencies. Just like the UN’s Asian leadership was also possibly neutralised likewise.

I should mention here that I couldn’t really sleep in those days. For, I could perfectly visualise what was going on. For, I had lived in the outsides for years, and had a deep ken of Asian feudal uniformed forces and what they would do.

The English newspaper in Madras was constantly reporting on the web from a very biased anti-Tamil stand. My comments were blocked on their site.

When oblivion takes over

Now coming back to N & S, Varuna and Ashwina were associating with persons who were kept on the lower indicant words by almost everyone, including their own parents. Even though I did mention to their father to avoid the lower indicant words with regard to Varuna and Ashwina, from their own context of association with them was as trainers, that was almost always a forgotten theme.

For, as he himself, his wife and his children went on improving their English standards, wherein they could climb up above their Malayalam code lower positions, the feeling that Varuna and Ashwina were trainers was fast getting erased. For, soon they could speak in reasonably good English, with a standard much above the local people’s English standards.

Moreover, such things as computers, which they had earlier visualised as divine object beyond the purview of their children, were fast becoming common tools, especially due to the immense information passed to them by Varuna & Ashwina. In the earlier days, they were quite willing to admit that Ashwina was their trainer. As the years went by, it became a sort of disruptive knowledge to them, which was a discomfort to acknowledge. Especially when Ashwina was forcefully put into the same school, in a class much below them. The student hierarchy of that school would force them to assert a superior mood, and Ashwina to admit their superiority.

Over the years, N & S improved in personality much. In fact, if the initial difference in stature they had with Varuna and Ashwina were to be compared, with their current personality, it would be seen that there is not that much difference between them now. Actually, in many ways they would be in a higher position.

For, among their own family members, they stood quite high, in that they were moving with a less fettered communication system, and knew good quality English. They were bilingual, and they knew the cunningness inherent in Malayalam, which was not known to Varuna and Ashwina. They were learning many Malayalam arts, including that of dance and other things. Varuna and Ashwina couldn’t go in for all that, for it would then compromise their communication stance. As to N & S, it was not a problem for them, for they were born into such negative communication statures, that they had not means of going lower than what they already were. They had only one possibility and that was to improve.

It was like the issue of Asians going on improving to the levels of English people, while the English people have no more places to elevate into.

The father of N & S recently admitted to me that due to their association with Varuna and Ashwina, they had improved tremendously in every aspect of life, including English, communication standards, physical stature and computer skills. However, would N & S understand this? Well, for them their perspective is limited to what they grow into. They wouldn’t be able to visualise the growth of their own stature from a very low one to the ambience of a free mental ambience. As for their parents, beneath the thin veneer of pragmatic affability, the powerful prompts of Malayalam codes to compete and come on top would be there.

Here I need to place something on record. For, in this book, I will be speaking on the generic effects of feudal languages on human emotions. I will need to be brutally frank. However, it is about people who I know that I am speaking. They are not bad or am I good. There is no intention to categories them as bad or evil.

The father of N & S is a close supporter of mine. Yet, he lives in a social area where the feudal language Malayalam in the everyday ambiance. It does affect him and his relationship with me.

Speaking about the father of N & S, he came to me in the year around 2003 to learn English speaking. He was a professionally qualified person. I had just arrived in the small village area from a metropolitan city. Sensing that he was the one of the few persons who admitted me as their mentor, certain persons in my family called him and gave the new house that had been built in our compound.

His house was in a very remote area at that time. After bringing him to the new house, he was slowly given the input that he was the bigger person, and I the lesser person. For, I was at that time living in the dilapidated house in the compound, trying to keep away from the barging groups of persons who were reprogrammed to be inimical to me from my own house side. It is possible that he was also at least slightly affected by a new vision about me, as an inferior.

From my position of mentor, I was avar to him. However, in his position as a companion to my family members, wherein I was placed below him, I was avan to him. Naturally, he would feel more cosy in the position wherein I am just an avan [lower indicant HIM]. In fact, I could clearly see an oscillating behaviour in him, as he moved up and down relatively in the virtual code arena. Acting in subservience and then moving to domineering. Yet, he was one of my most enduring supporters over the years.

Soon he was in a cosy terms with the other side. In fact, he seemed to be in a position to play a balancing game between the two groups.

However, since it was not my temperament to compete with persons whom I perceived as from a different social context, it was the endeavour on our part to impart as much English qualities on to his family members, including his wife, his wife and him. Over the years, I had done many things for him for which actually he should have been very much financially indebted to me. At the same time, he was helpful to me at least with regard to his professional capacities. In fact, I am indebted to him, much in this regard. However in this book on social and mental spurs based on language codes, I need to go into finer areas.

Then there was this quite peculiar situation in which his support had to be derived as a very powerful prompt. When the local Marxist committee gave a complaint to various governmental departments that I was not admitting my children to school, and thus was harassing them. At least a few of the family members on my side was also part of this conspiracy. It was to generate a few departments’ enquiry.

At least one of them came to him and very directly asked him if I was having mental problems. Meaning if I was mentally sick. For, that was the word that was given to them by the other side. His words stood as a very powerful deciding factor. He told me that he had informed them that as far as he knew, there was no such thing. He told me that if he had simply made a reverse comment, things would have gone very bad for me. I was quite simply amazed at the power of the location. A person who I would position as my trainee is in a position to pass powerful judgements which would come to have statutory power. He was living in a better house, and I in a weaker looking premises.

In between, I should mention that all departments gave very good reports. The court verdict was in my favour.

Here I need to mention certain things which are quite sensitive. However, I need to discuss them in the context of Asians arriving in English nations and taking up a very ambivalent stance. On one side, after they stabilise their citizenship, they start putting up a superior-than-the-locals attitude. They speak with pride and attachment to their native land glory, to the extent of insinuating that their native land was superior to their land of domicile. . However, if at any time, there is a possibility that they have to go back to their native land, they show their real terror of their native land and the natives who live there.

After living for around five years in that house, they were faced the issue of moving out. It was a very troubling situation. For, the mental ambience was quite connected to a quasi-English communication standard. Outside it was 100% Malayalam ambience.

It was then that they started vacillating. The father, my close supporter wouldn’t budge. He went on asking for time. Ultimately after around another one year, he was given one year time to move. That is seven years totally. When this time was also getting over, he asked for more time. This time, it was refused.

At last, he moved to another rented house, cosy enough, but devoid of any link to English communication standards. This house was quite near to our house. The remarkable thing here was that none of them, including his children, wanted to move back to their traditional house, which had always been connected to superior social ancestry in most talks.

He used to speak about his grand heritage, family connections and links to various powerful bureaucrats through various family links, direct or by marriages. He would drop names, on almost all occasions. Yet, when he faced the real prospect of going back to his family links, grand heritage and ancestral properties and legacies, the reality of his repulsion for being back to that platform was quite evident.

In fact, there is the sharp reality that he used to mention that he was ready to vacate our house at one month’s notice at any time. For, he had enough places to move to. Yet, when he was actually asked to move, he took it as an act of belligerence and treachery. For, he wanted to remain within our proximity. At least for the sake of his children having access to quality English communication.

There was an attitude on my part to impart as much positive qualities to his family members as possible. Even my children did the same. Yet, he was occupying a better house, while I was in the dilapidated house. The mental definition of ‘Thrash’ would naturally encode in his mind and others’ mind with regard to our family.

When, at the end of the day, he has to go back to his native links, the he was terribly distressed. He came to my house and in the midst of other talk, spoke in a terrible manner, ‘You are getting a nice house. What is my position?’ It was quite funny. The situation was that he was radiating a feeling that he was also part of our family’s heritage, antiquity, legacies and such things.

The funny fact was that he was an outsider and this house was just part of our family property. The problem for N & S was that they are continuously brought into the lower indicant levels incessantly by their family members and other connected persons. I had noticed that both Varuna as well as Ashwina did not have the usual innate mentality seen among the feudal language speaking persons to speak sarcastically as a means to level out the level differences that indicant codes create.

But then, when they continuously become the target of such words which are natural in feudal languages, they are forced to react to them. That simply means that they also use such words. I have at times seen them reacting like that on odd occasion. I tell them of what it means and what provokes such words. They need to powerfully remain above such cravings; to react in the same manner.

Reflections on English nations

It is a terrible thing for me to speak in disparaging terms about persons who are physically close to me. It is also true that in the case of N&S family, the issues mentioned are of quite miniscule significance. However, I cannot forgo of an opportunity to extrapolate the understanding to wider framework. That of immigrants from the un-understood realm of ‘Multiculture’ setting up beachheads in England.

This is the very particular reason why I have mentioned this much. The issue of English nations allowing feudal language speaking persons to enter their nations and then, give them citizenship. Even though they are seen to be of exemplary affability, there is the reality that they are all intimately connected to their own feudal language social systems. The way their mind works would not be in an innate English manner.

Powerful cravings for power, jealousies, feelings of accomplishments when defeating the local man, an innate streak of ingratitude, and a feeling that all their rapid mental and fiscal advancements are due to their own innate capacity would develop in them. There would be no acknowledgement of the elevated platform that the English nation had given them. It is similar to the case of N & S’s parents. The moment they are removed from the platform given to them by our family, they are back to their own family links. Which, even though gives them a base security, they do not want to get too close and intimate with. For, those links have very clasping and suppressing components.

They would speak gloriously about their grand heritages, their ancestry, and the great scientists of their nation way back in the past, their Vedas, their Upanishad, and much else which really are not connected to them in any way. They would want to act as the great teachers who would want to teach all this to the native-English speaking kids of their nation of domicile.

Moreover, the definition of ‘Thrash’ would be there in their mind and their native language words to define many of the native-English speakers of their nation of domicile. For, almost 99% of the jobs and professions done with no mental feeling of repulsion by the native-English populations would be low class jobs and professions in the feudal languages of the immigrant populations.

Yet, the moment they are given a hint that they need to move back to their own native nations, they will hold on as if for their dear life. They would fight and use every technique possible to claim their right to stay on.

Another thing that can be picked out from this experience is that outsiders who come into the insides of English nations will very fast understand the various minor competitions inside their nation of domicile. Their innate behaviour would be to play the balancing game, by which they become the powerful deciding force in all national decisions. The totally stupid machinery of sovereignty called democracy will aid them in this task, with a very terrible satanic force.

I remember a conversation that I had with an office staff in the High Court of Kerala. He was some clerk-promoted junior ‘officer’. I was there to file my Writ Petition against the imposition of compulsory Malayalam study on all students in Kerala. He entered into a conversation with me, querying as to what was wrong with compelling everyone to study Malayalam.

I mentioned the discrimination that Malayalam showed to the lower sections of the people. In fact, it was degrading a huge section. However, he was unperturbed with this, for he naturally stood on the higher echelons of the indicant word array. For, he would be the Saar, and the various other people in the outside world, just Nee and Avan and Aval, from a perspective of sections of people. His argument was that this was the culture here and it should endure.

This actual stature difference was quite visible in the earning part also. Even though he was just a clerical level ‘officer’, his monthly income would be something like 30000 rupees (now the number has gone up astronomically), apart from or including, so many other benefits like one month free salary every year, LTA, bonus, Dearness Allowance, pension, commutation of pension and much else. At the same time, a person from the other section would be earning something like 2000, 4000, 6000, 8000, 10000, 12000, 14000 per month, with no other benefits. It would be seen on scrutiny that the indicant word array would partition the social structure in monetary terms also thus. [For more on this issue, Read my writing: Fence eating the crops]

However, think like this: The High Court supports my argument and mentions that the language was degrading a huge section of the people. Now, these people’s children get the opportunity to learn English.

The next generation is a totally liberated-looking group, who are well-read in English classics and other higher quality reading stuff. Now what? Would anyone of these youngsters remember the tremendous effort taken by certain people to improve their lot? Well, the fact is that no one would even care to think of such things. Their mental and social elevation would be understood as achievements born from their own capacities.

In many ways, this was a similar manner of what did happen to the original British content in India. I was once speaking to a very young person (in his early 20s) in a Bombay Call Centre. He was in very boisterous mood, as he enjoyed the tremendous freedom that the English ambience allowed him. A kind of freedom that he would not be allowed to use just outside the four walls of the BPO industrial compound. He addressed me with my plain name with no Mr. prefixed. He declaimed thus, ‘When the British left India, they left their brains here!’

I heard another Call Centre youngster of around less than 25 describing the foolishness of the people in Great Britain. He described at length about how a ‘guy’ from Britain called and said ‘this’ gadget was not working. From here they tried to help him. No use. At the end of some five minutes, he simply asked him, if his power switch was on. Well, that was it. The ‘guy’ hadn’t switched on his power switch. That was the kind of ‘guys’ over there!

The issue here was not that the ‘guys’ over there were idiots, but that ‘guys’ like him over here was talking in deprecatory manner about the ‘guys’ over there. The correct context is understood if the same scenario is visualised as between a clerk in a government office in India and the top IAS officer in the same department. The moment the clerk goes in for offensive comments, the indicant words meant for the IAS officer would go to stink levels. However, if he is using the insolent words about other clerks, it doesn’t matter much. There is no ‘stinking-dirtification’ involved.

The dangerous theme of equalisation

Now, the question is, are the ‘guys’ in Great Britain of the same level as of the ‘clerks’ in India? Well, this question of equalisation is a very dangerous one. For, one should not equate oneself with any other human being without knowing fully with what one is equating oneself. In ‘India’ no one of stature would like to be equated with lower level persons. For, each equation means a definite level of right to articulation, right to dignity, right to stature and right to refined postures.

Getting forcefully equated to lower level persons who cannot even stand in front of a local constable with a pose of dignity can lower oneself to that level. It is a deed that can bring down the whole of the English nations to the levels of stink. It can atrophy the nation. It is essentially a case of being addressed as Nee, not only by the IAS officer, but also by his menial servant. The effect is of terrible possibilities when the bringing down is done by the menial servant.

Actually, during my English training programmes, I do tell my trainees to avoid watching Malayalam films. The films can be quite enjoyable and captivating. However that was the problem. The films act as trainers. They train the common man about the various obsequious attitudes that have to be borne by them. This it does in a mood of hilarious comedy. However, the scenes have power. One would slowly visualise how one would stand and speak thus in front of a government official. It would train the boss to act with more truculent and comical wretchedness to his subordinate. And teach the subordinate to take it in his stride.

Also teach the subordinate class to use sly manoeuvres to overtake the upper guys. To work behind the scenes and to avoid a direct approach. To wait for a slip on the upper guy’s part, to sabotage him at the right moment.

Powerless to exert right to dignified existence

There was one incident when Ashwina accompanied me when I went with N & S’ father to a carpenter’s house. We were inside their house. That means Ashwina was within their premises. Verbal attacks that they could not do till that time could be inflicted. They did not waste time. Even though she was quite preoccupied with her own thoughts, they went on trying to prise the word Nee on her. However, since she had no understanding in Malayalam, their efforts were of no avail.

The word Nee was used in the guise of being affectionate. They knew that she did not know Malayalam, yet they tried hard to breach the fortress of English-sans-Malayalam. They turned to me and started asking me about her, with the word ‘Oal’ (Aval). I simply disregarded the questioning.

For, I found it as unacceptable as a government clerk would feel if a senior IAS officer female of young age being referred to as Aval. At least, he could say, ‘She (Oar, Avar) is an IAS officer’, if the speaking people were willing to acknowledge the superiority of an IAS officer. In the case of Ashwina, there was no aim to promote superiority, but simply claim dignified existence that was not willing to concede to degradation.

Perching greatness

Since the theme of acknowledging superiority has been mentioned, I need to speak thus: All superiority of personages in a feudal language social system is connected to introduction. For example, if Gandhi were walking around the street with his later age signature dress of a loincloth, he would simply be seen as a nonentity, at best a slight crank. However, the powerful indoctrination that comes everyday through textbooks, newspapers, TVs etc. make him a ‘mahatma’. Without this introduction, he is not a grand personage, who can create certain emotions in people who are made to idolise him.

I remember an incident, when Varuna had been forcefully admitted to the local village English medium school. A well-known Malayalam film actor came to the school for some function. All the students were crooning and in a very elated mood. However, Varuna came and told me that evening that she couldn’t understand what was so great about him. ‘He looked like a very ordinary person, with some paint on his face’, she said. This is the great fact about greatness of persons in feudal language situations. It is not like in English. Even in English there should be information that a man is great.

It can be a personal understanding that a person’s knowledge, calibre, civility, culture and such things are of a great quality. However, in feudal languages, these kinds of information and sensing do not have much value other than a personal feeling of empathy. For the other kind of ‘respect’ that is quite active and powerful, there is need for proper information feeding otherwise called indoctrination to powerfully bring upon changes in the indicant words.

Apartheid

Even though it may seem that Varuna and Ashwina had no social contacts, actually the opposite was the truth. For, they had a number of persons who acknowledged them as trainers. [I speak here about their local contacts. It was a pertinent point in the complaint to the Social Welfare Department that they were cut off from local society and moved only among a particular section of proficient-in-English outsiders}. However, since they were all on first-name basis, the feeling of a cordoning off was not felt by the trainees.

In fact, it was an association with a lot of youngsters of varying ages, both younger as well as elder that was maintained. However, there was this truth. The vast majority of persons around had a problem. They couldn’t get the feeling that these two kids were in their native language (Malayalam) domain of addressing. That was a terrible cordoning off. It was essentially a vibrant quality of apartheid that was practised on them. However, there were no separate places for Varuna and Ashwina. Every place including the river was common. However, some belligerent youngsters who took offense that they couldn’t address them with a Nee, from their position of subordination under lower indicant words, used to butt in to speak and poke in unnecessary questions and queries. However, the powerful frontier of no-Malayalam knowledge was too powerful to be breached.