THE INDIAN TONGUE

                      THE INDIAN TONGUE  

Centuries ago Charles Darwin gave the theory of survival of the fittest, which still comes as the ten marks detail question in sixth grade examination. And for ages we have memorized the example of giraffe and written in our answer sheet.

My research made me come up with other example of the most adaptable and fittest evolution of the modern times and that is the Indian tongue.

Any accent from any part of the world may be the bushman’s monosyllabic tic-tocs or heavy nasal thongs of Celt or just being simply Americans, we enunciate better than its actual owner. Our tongue is our proud asset.

MY TONGUE'S STORY

This gifted part of the body doesn't automatically starts its work, it requires years for perfection, precision and perseverance before it could make to deliver the result of excellence. Everyone have their reason to polish their tongue, like getting a job into BPO, dealing with foreign clientele, frequent foreign trips and on and on.

And since I have also been questioned again and again on the accent delivered by the locomotive action of my tongue, giving it a serious thought for a while I traced back to a series of events that lead to the evolution of my tongue.

WHEN AND WHERE

Back in year 1999, I was in ninth grade of Manav Sthali school and had a tongue more Indian than I have now, in fact very very Indian, as I spoke purest form of the language Hindi, moreover was highest scorer in this language and always competing for inter school Hindi debates and winning few. 

I won’t be bragging if I humbly mention that I was an asset for Hindi department of the school, bringing laurels and adding winning feather to their robin-hood cap.

I was also famous among my peer as I entertained them with gold quality pure Hindi words used in the ancient time and not for one single time tainting it with any other language vocabulary. They listen to me in awe. My popularity rose and while walking in the corridors of school I could sense being pointed and talked about and occasionally I was stopped and asked to deliver few fancy inciting words of the language. 

For two years it went around like this. It was in year 2001, that my tryst with the heavy accent American style English begin which till date refuses to desert my tongue musculature, irrespective of the fact how hard I try.

There was this English teacher in our school who had the record of delivering excellence in the boards result as well as the inter school debate or extempore. She was strict, hard core and her mere looks incited the fears in the heart of her pupils. She always had her ways around and the English debaters of the school find it difficult to work with her. 

Unaware of all these facts, one fine morning I was summoned by her. I walked to her chamber casually, greeted her and sat there talking to her face to face.

I was surprised at first, that the teacher of such excellent English credentials have no business to do with me, especially me, but when she spoke her mind I was petrified till my spine.

TONGUE TWISTER DAYS

She offered to be my teacher, she was actually my teacher but what she meant was that she wanted to train me for a very renowned inter- school English debate competition. She heard me many times in morning assembly delivering speeches of Hindi and she told me that she really liked me and was interested to work with me.

I told her that I have never done that before and she is risking much for her reputation relaying on me for the renowned competition. She said that she wanted to experiment if I say yes to her.

So for the next whole month started my vigorous training under her. Before meeting her I thought that all the things talked about her were mere rumors but it was only the close contact that made me taste the poison, I myself order for in the name of adventure. 

My day started with twisting my tongue with the heavy American accent, big never ending English words and my day ended with correction of my speech. Trillions times I wrote that speech, but she was never impressed and finally she decided to write for me and what she wrote appeared Latin, worse I have to cram it.

I was her shadow for whole day for whole month following her where ever she went and at night it was her turn to shadow me in my dreams. Hatred, anger, fear, sadness, tears, melancholy, and malice all these emotions overflowed in me.

 All I did whole day bunking my regular classes, was making my tongue American. 

In the restroom, in bathroom, in the library, in empty school room, in the corridors, the echo of my voice was heard. I was practically everywhere and people saw me with sympathizing eyes. I was a mess any my tongue was paying the huge price and I feared I was losing my mojo of Hindi language.  

TRAITS OF MY TEACHER- PHRENOLOGY

 Dominating – convex nose, tight upper lip

Perfection – long nose, tip pointing downwards, well curved nasal ale

 Optimism – well formed nasal septum

Strictness – tight upper lip and lack of fullness of lower lip, sucked in cheeks 

Obstinate - protruding chin

Precision – deep seated inner corner of eyes

Observation – well formed supra-cillary ridges {bones beneath the eyebrows}

Conscientiousness – broad chin

Good memory – broad forehead

Linguistic skills – big and shiny eyes

Management skills – horizontal wrinkles on the forehead

THE JUDGEMENT DAY

The wait ended and there came the day to test my true mantle. I was tense, perspiring and palpating. 

She could sense my nervousness. We didn’t talk that morning and neither had she asked me to rehearse the speech in front of her. We reached the venue and the great silence prevailed between us. It was more unnerving to consider it the silence before the tsunami.

And the moment we were waiting for finally came and my name was announced. I took a deep breath and got up from my seat and was about to walk that she held my hand and for the first time since morning she spoke, “good luck”. I just smiled back.

My speech started good, my confidence was awesome, my tongue was American and my teacher sitting in front of me was Medusa {mythological serpent hair lady who by her mere look turn her onlooker into stone}, a lethal winning combination which could never ever fail.

I started with a bang {surprisingly}, I was going with a bang {again surprisingly} but suddenly there was a bang {unfortunately}. Somebody coughed in the hall and all the well crammed matter in my grey cells vaporized in thin air and my American tongue begin to stammer. I thought I would win when I started but at that moment I was sure that I lost the chase.

I saw my teacher from the podium. She sat there with no emotions at all. I took a deep breath and somehow completed my speech.

 There was no need to wait for the result as it was quite well evident for me and both us were not curious at all to know who won it. We walked out of the hall and begin our journey back to school. The morning silence still prevailed between us. We reached the school. I looked at her before departing. She looked me in eyes and asked me to meet her tomorrow. I nodded and left.

I couldn’t sleep that night. Next morning I went to meet her in her chamber. She asked me to sit. Before she could start speaking I started the interpolation of my well rehearsed dramatic apology speech.

She cut me in between my words and said that she was not disappointed as I tried very hard. And then she told me something that I wasn’t expecting to hear, a dark secret.  

She said,” I choose you because I didn't have any options as no other student was ready to work with me may be because of my strict ways. Before you I called many, but everyone turned it down stating one or other reason. I have seen your performance in the morning assembly and thought why not train an amateur for a change. You worked really hard and I really appreciate your zeal and patience to tolerate my rough calls.  I know you will miss me and thank me one day.”

My head was spinning and I was just hearing without understanding. I left the room and thanked god for saving me from any kind of chastisement and rest of the things I didn’t feel to decipher that day.

AFTER – EFFECTS

I totally lost my Hindi mojo but at same time acquired a phiringi {foreign} tongue which made me a rock and roll in the college and every time without auditions I was the first choice to represent my college for an inter-college debates . 

Since that English debate debacle I haven’t lost any debate till now in my life. 

Guru is always a guru, who is there to teach us something or the other to deal with the life, difference lies in their signature style. But the base line is that we learn.

She was actually right. Every time I won any English debate I think about her for couple of seconds and then thank her from core of my heart.

MORAL

Quoting lines from Sukhmani sahib

“Gyan anjan guru diya,

Agyan andher vinash.

Har kripa te sant bhateya,

Nanak man pargas”

Meaning – 

the knowledge given by my guru have enlightened my heart and destroyed all darkness surrounding me. And I am thankful to merciful god for making me meet such a guru.