The language of the dogs

Language is a way of expressing oneself using words and even actions. It is a cultural learning that we are put through, and eventually we will add on to our traditional learning with our own unique experiences. We have the official language that is thrust upon people and the un-official language which is a public outcry and protest. In India too we have Hindi, struggling to assert itself as the national language, English as the most used language across different states largely by default and maybe as a colonial hangover which has turned into an advantage for Indians, and many other languages hustling for space in the Indian sphere with slight similarities and differences at the same time.

There are unique and almost extinct languages which are spoken by small communities and which express meaning to specific groups while being completely strange to others. But what happens when we have classifications within a language which make it confusing to one and clear to the other? The English language despite being a colonial infusion into India, has been absorbed into the Indian fabric which has even made English dictionaries sit up and take notice and add new Indian English words to the latest versions of their dictionaries.

This difference and new way of talking the same language is not just a matter of accent and words used but the way some words are used and perceived. ‘Heh dude’ and ‘heh dog’ in the U.S. for instance would not strike a chord for a majority of Indians. This could have been one of the reasons why the Oscar winning “Slum Dog Millionaire” was seen derogatory by some in India for the use of the word dog, even though it was not meant to be derogatory.

Similarly, there will be sections of the population in India who would not battle an eyelid before saying, ‘what the f##k’, while others would find it inappropriate and in bad taste. We see here a total shift of language according to the perceived culture of a group of people. So even though we speak the same language we don’t understand one another!

This confusion in language can also be separated into a rich, fortunate group’s indulgence or the spontaneous expression of ordinary people who have made the language their own. Which is why I suspect that many heated discussions are due to small confusions. And when it is done in a small space with minimum words like on twitter, the confusion is bound to increase. Which is why it is not enough to learn a language but to learn a culture. Journalists cannot swoop down on single words but need to understand the culture setting in which it is made, thus expressing a new meaning. The language of the dogs then expresses a whole new meaning, a different culture, a whole new world, waiting to be explored.

Where is my freedom?

The Mangalore pub incident starts with the difficult proposition of being given a name at first. What should the media or civil society call it? Is it eve teasing, violence against women, or a fight against drugs and immorality along with a fight to save Indian cultural ethos? (The Shri Ram Sena argument) I would clearly call it violence against women, which resonates into all parts of India. It is a warning to all women to fall into line or risk being punished. (It is another matter that the punishment is meted out by unofficial armies. Coming to think of it India is building itself into a horde of unofficial groups).

It is interesting that violence against women happens in various spheres of Indian life. A father uses violence against his daughter, a brother against his sister, a husband against his wife, and then collective violence is let out against women in the shadow of war, communal clashes, and culture purification. All the talk about ‘all Indians are my brothers and sisters’ prove to be humbug and the word sister itself is open to further introspection.

The movie ‘Slum Dog Millionaire’ has come in for some slack because it shows a particular side of India. It has unsettled some because they feel India is not just it’s slums. Although India is not just it’s slums, the truth remains that this is the real India. Just like the Mangalore pub attack is the truth that stares at India. It may unsettle many in India as they would not like this to be publicised but this is what we are.

So then we need to get to the concept of freedom in India. It is the same concept which got us the freedom to build ourselves into a republic. It is the freedom which is constitutionally promised to every citizen of this country, man or woman, belonging to whichever caste, religion or class. It is the freedom to do what one wants to as long as it does not infringe upon the freedom of another person.

(Picture: http://wallpapers123.blogspot.com/2009/01/exclusive-mangalore-pub-attack-in.html)