Biharis: Woven into the city's fabric

Navneet Anand / TNN / Oct 29, 2004, 00:47 IST

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Now, even the local lingo of the city is freely punctuated with Bihari expressions, which are usually spoken with a unique sing-song rhythm.

<div class="section1"><div class="Normal">NEW DELHI: Call it Lalu-effect or whatever you may, Bihari accent and language, which till sometime back was despised, has unwittingly become part of our linguistic consciousness. From university hostel rooms to DTC buses, railway stations, government offices and even Parliament, don''t be surprised to hear remarks such as these: Tendulkar garda kar diya (Tendulkar has done wonders); Kahe chilla rahe hain? (Why are you shouting); Machcharwa bhamodh liya (Mosquitoes feasted on me)."What is interesting is the fact that the lingo is beginning to be accepted as normal by almost all, including the stiff upper lips," says Jyotsna Raghunathan, a media analyst. Things like a-go (one), dugo (two), teengo (three) and chaartho (four) type of numerology which was a matter of contempt not long ago is being accepted everywhere. So are words and sentences like chatti (slippers), burbak (stupid), ko hai (who''s that), batti buta do (put off the lights) and so on. Go to universities like DU and JNU and you hear such terms frequently in the dining halls and academic blocks. "Bihari language has a unique sing-song rhythm, which makes it friendly and acceptable," points out a sociologist. Also, the fact that Biharis are placed in important positions in every walk of life has its impact on the way the language is accepted. "A majority of the mantralayas in the city are humming the Bihari accent, thanks to a large number of bureaucrats from the state," reasons a senior IAS officer from the state. </div> </div><div class="section2"><div class="Normal">In a country with over 1,600 languages and dialects, Bihari lingo, with its three main dialects â€” Maithili, Magahi and Bhojpuri has certainly made a mark for itself. Biharis, incidentally, have a compelling urge to distort names. So Raju becomes Rajua, Mahesh becomes Maheshwa, and Lalu becomes Lalua and so on. There is also a curious set of terms for the human anatomy: Gor/tangri means legs, moori/kapar is head, oongree finger and thor is lips. Indeed Biharis can''t thank enough luminaries like Shekhar Suman, Shatrughan Sinha and Manoj Bajpai, for bringing Bihari terms and accent into national focus. And not to miss out the politicians. "Elevation of a large number of Bihari leaders to the levels of Union ministers in the past few years has also meant that the accent and dialect has acquired a national and even authoritative character," adds Raghunathan referring to the likes of Ram Vilas Paswan, Shahnawaz Hussain, Nitish Kumar, Sadhu Yadav and Raghuvansh Prasad Singh. As someone rightly said: The time has certainly come to raise ekadhgo (one or two) toast to the longevity of the Bihari language. "Teengo" cheers to that!</div> </div>

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