Saturday, June 2, 2007

Tamizh Penn - Quiz No. 1

Since the people who read this Blog seem to be nice enough to let me know what they feel about my posts and are far more articulate than I can ever hope to be, I thought that I should check with them on some questions that have troubled me the last few days.

Almost a week of Blogging and I have concluded that the world is truly a global village, and the men, no matter where from, seem to be the same.

So, I wish to ask the women readers of this Blog, who seem to be so much nicer and far more intelligent, the following:

Who is likely to feel the most brave when he is anonymous?
a) Iyengaar Boys
b) Nadar Boys
c) Non Bharadwaja Iyer Boys
d) Other Non Brahmin Tamizh Boys
e) North Indian Boys
Who is likely to be the most moronic of all these boys when they leave a comment?
a) Iyengaar Boys
b) Nadar Boys
c) Non Bharadwaja Iyer Boys
d) Other Non Brahmin Tamizh Boys
e) North Indian BoysBrahmin Tamizh Boys
And my third question is open to all Tamizh people. Which of these are the most likely reasons for the non Tamizh people to have as a complaint against Tamizhland:
1) Disproportionate amount of Foreign Direct Investment into the state
2) The very very unattractive Tamizh women
3) The auto drivers of Chennai
4) Our fantastic sense of self perception

And while we are it, can somebody tell me, why does nobody complain about unattractive Tamizh men as a reason to dislike the place?

Can one therefore derive that Tamizh Payyans are very studmuffin like? Should we not use that to our advantage then? We must export our men, out of Tamizhland. It has three advantages the way I see it:
a) Tamizhland will be a better place by getting rid of` them. The women will either be much happier or begin to appreciate the men more (parting ~ heart fonder; also ditto for men). Win:Win either way.

b) The rest of non Tamizhland will also convert to Tamizh by virtue of being patriarchal societies

c) The lack of Tamizh boys will lead to large scale Tamizh women-Non Tamizh men pro-creation. The strength of the Tamizh woman gene will ensure that we produce children who are as ugly as we are. The world will be uniformly unattractive in a Tamizh way. World peace huh?

What fun no?

By the way, a quick clarification seems to be in order. I will be damned if I need to feel apologetic about my being an Iyer, a Brahmin, of Bharadwaja Gothram, being from Thirunelveli and of course being a T Nagarwaasi. You can choose to agree, disagree, agree to disagree, disagree to agree or whatever else works for you. But please do not – WHINE.

And all of those things are my currency for Tamizhness, and I shall feel superior about it also. If you don’t feel superior about your Tamizhness, nobody else can do it for you on your behalf.

Also, my request to some of the people who commented, please don’t refer to me as “dee/di”. Even amma never says that to me. Thank You.

36 comments:

Anonymous said...

Giggle
I am with you on this one! :D

Anonymous said...

Completely agree with you on Tamizh(!) men.
Sweetie, look at North Indian men as the way forward. Especially men from Rajasthan! :D

Anonymous said...

TP,
"I will be damned if I need to feel apologetic about my being an Iyer, a Brahmin, of Bharadwaja Gothram, being from Thirunelveli and of course being a T Nagarwaasi"
- Feeling 'proud' is not the problem here. The problem is when you write things like "Tamil food is simple and mild like idly, morkuzhambu etc"... You are implying that Tamil=Brahmin. How about say, Chettinad, duh!???
Don't speak for all Tamils through a Brahmin's "mouth".

"If you dont feel proud of your identity no one else will do it for you"
- You speak for yourself. The issue is not about you talking about "your currencies". Rather, its about you trying to reduce Tamil identity to a Brahmin identity.

Anonymous said...

My dear girl, surely you don't need the Blogworld to tell you something that one has known all along?
That Tamizh men are generally dumbass and ones who Blog are still worse.

~A said...

rastafari - spot on!! Same feeling here...

A good writer writing with a shortened tamizh view...i wish our tamizh penn writes on Chettinad, Naadars and thevars (from her own place!! Tirunelveli! And yes, I am an Iyer from the same place! But I know for sure that's not the identity of tamils in general - far from it!) et al! They don't eat idly with Sambar and Chutney!! They eat with heavy duty non-veg curries!! Now it isn't all that simple...right?

But she talks only about!! Tamil Brahmin!! Mylapore, T-Nagar! KumbakOnam Kaapi!! Idly and mor kuzhumbu (I know tamils who hates the sight of morkozhumbu or vella seedai for that matter!!).

TP, going by what you wrote (irrespective of what Nilu is trying to portray - I don't understand it yet!!), I felt you write well - there is something fresh in your words and I liked it. But the aspect brought on my Rastafari started annoying me as well! You being proud isn't a problem at all. Your currencies are just "your" currencies. But asserting wrongly based on that is. If you are just passing time, like so many others (including myself) do, then I don't have any problems...But, I thought (or assumed) you are going to be some serious material...May be my mistake.

Anyways, this post is good (but for the ridiculous generalizations based on few comments!).

~A said...

Anonymous-1,

"My dear girl, surely you don't need the Blogworld to tell you something that one has known all along?
That Tamizh men are generally dumbass and ones who Blog are still worse."

And you are still anonymous!

Thanks.

Anonymous said...

Dear ~a,

Mukhtaar Singh ka naam suna hai?

~A said...

suna hai...so what now?

Anonymous said...

utter crap

Anonymous said...

Obviously there is a deliberate attempt to create controversy here. And she is doing it well also!

Anonymous said...

Now you are digressing and becoming like Nilu.

Be short, crisp and simple like you usually are

Primalsoup said...

Funny, but not needed ma. And don’t turn so cynical at twenty three, wait for a few more years! :)
And I am with you on the quest to make the world uniformly unattractive in a Tamizh way!

anantha said...

Rather, its about you trying to reduce Tamil identity to a Brahmin identity.

Rastafari: It's about HER Tamil identity. Is it so wrong that Tamil identity and her identity as a Brahmin are the same? Brahmins are people too, right? And she never said she was trying to speak for all the Tamil's in the known world. So lighten up and take your bigotry elsewhere. Such bigotry is so 1950s.

a~: I dont understand your wish. If she is not Thevar or Naadar, how would she write about that identity? Do explain on how you want that to happen. If I am convinced, I will start writing about about my expedition to study the mating habits of the Patagonian toothfish and living with the Ilama herders in Andes.

I said...

rastafari: yeah, take bigotry to my blog wonly.

Asal Tamil Penn said...

To whomsoever it may concern: Free aa Vidu.

Anonymous said...

Anantha,
Bigotry-a?????

"It's about HER Tamil identity"
- *Boss*, she said "Tamil food is simple like X,Y,Z", to take one example. Obviously, she is not just implying HER Tamil identity. Did she say "Tamil Brahmin food"? No! She, in other words, speaks for others.
When did i say that ATP having her own Brahmin identity and feeling proud is a problem???
Cool it a little bit, i say :)

I,
idho varen!

~a,
Like Anatha says, why should she speak about Thevars or Nadars? (aahaa.. who are we to decide what she speaks or doesn't but what the heck, adhu illama blog-a?)
Its just that for her, Tamil food is simple, mild etc.. which is NOT true, whichever Gothram she might be in or whichever identity she feels proud of. In short, she made a false generalization

anantha said...

Rastafari: Go ask "Arusuvai" Natrajan, even he will disagree with our gal here. For a different reason though. I mean, for a good cook, nothing is simple. Hell, even an amatuer cook could tell you that. Well, what I am trying to say is that its all opinion. And it is you who said Don't speak for all Tamils through a Brahmin's "mouth" after conveniently assuming what you thought she implied. Whether she implied that is another matter altogether, but you assumed that she did. And why should she qualify it as "Tamil Brahmin" food? As if the other communities in Tamilnadu run away if faced with the prospect of eating morkuzhambu or idly.
It appears that everytime someone born within a certain community refers to that community, he or she is immediately chastized, even if the mention is rather innocent (like this one).

Anonymous said...

Anantha,
You keep missing the point. FYI, i also belong to "that" community.

Let me make it more "simple" here.

She said (not verbatim) "Tamil food is simple and mild like idly, morkuzhanbu, x, y...".
Factually wrong. Irrespective of the fact whether she is a Brahmin, i am a Brahmin, you are a Brahmin, or whether she feels proud to be a Brahmin. It is like saying "Indians are dark-skinned people" - there is nothing left to assumption here when i say thats a sweeping generalization, and factually wrong, naturally. No matter what Arusuvai Natarajan opines.
When she generalizes that Tamil food comprises only of what she eats (what Brahmins eat), she is not merely stating her opinion. She is making a statement which is wrong and/or which tantamounts to speaking for others.

I reiterate, the problem is NOT with ATP talking about Brahmin currencies or feeling proud about it. It is in her implication (NOT my assumption) that *Tamil currencies*=her currencies.
Do you have a problem with that??

Talking about assumptions, it is you who has assumed a lot of things which were neither said nor implied.

Unknown said...

Enga ponnalam controversy daan create panuvai, right?

~A said...

Rastafari...

I meant to say our asal Tamizh penn writes inclusive of Naadaars, Thevars et al! For instance, when talking about food, the way they eat idly isn't all that simple...So, instead of making generalization based on TamBram view alone, she can be more inclusive before making statements in the name of asal tamizh penn.

As you say, it's her blog...but the generalizations she seems to make (food is simple..tamil boyz fight a lot..etc etc) are pretty shallow in my opinion...

~A said...

Anantha,

"As if the other communities in Tamilnadu run away if faced with the prospect of eating morkuzhambu or idly."

Some of them do. And many of them eat idly in a not-so-simple way...Going by the way TamBrams eat idly/dosa and calling it 'simple' in terms of preparation and digestion is far from the truth!

"Thevar or Naadar, how would she write about that identity? " - She wouldn't, unless she moves around with them and observes. Till then, she can call her assertions as TamBram assertions, I have no issues.

"It appears that everytime someone born within a certain community refers to that community, he or she is immediately chastized, even if the mention is rather innocent (like this one)."

No..This is wrong in this context. I am from the same community. I am not feeling anything about her currencies. But she is making assertions on a broader base. If you call it "her" opinion, I am with you and we have all the rights to let our opinions known too. So, there is nothing wrong in this. What's the problem? Either you side with her opinion or voice yours.

Anonymous said...

Dear Tamil Penn,

Can you please ban ~A’s IP from this Blog. Orrey the hard only he is trying.
Mudiyalai.

Thanks
XQter

Asal Tamil Penn said...

You boys are managing most well without me, so I will just watch.

@XQter: Banning etc konjam over pa. Free aa vidu.

anantha said...

A~: Some of them do

Funny!

She wouldn't, unless she moves around with them and observes.

Yup, she wouldn't. So why the hoopla over what she wouldn't or what she hasn't?

And many of them eat idly in a not-so-simple way...

And who decides what's simple and what's not? Again.. why do you say that what she mentioned is "Brahmin food". You assume something and use that assumption to nitpick. Take a step back and think about that.

My point is that you need to let go of the nitpicking. You don't tell her what to do. Take what you get here and use your own blog to write what YOU want to read. Okie, may be you are allowed to request, but not complain. Again, you might ask, who am I to lay down the rules. I am nobody, but these are the rules I work with and those rules have served me good enough.

Rastafari:
It is in her implication (NOT my assumption) that *Tamil currencies*=her currencies.
Do you have a problem with that??


I don't have a problem with that because her "currencies" are ALSO a part of what is commonly seen in Tamilnadu. And, IMHO, nowhere has she implied that what she says are the *only* hallmark of a thamizhan. If she had talked about aaloo gobi or panneer butter masala instead, I'd have pongi-ezhundhufied!

Anonymous said...

Anantha,
Final attempt!
If i call myself "Asal Indian" and say "Indians are dark-skinned people", what would your reaction be?

1) This is a sweeping generalization and is factually incorrect
2) This is just my opinion and hence it is fine
3) Indians *also* include darks-skinned people. So, this statement is true and there is no problem with that

anantha said...

Rastafari: My last statement, I promise!

A lady calling herself Asal Tamizh Penn and say "Tamizh food is mild", that is a sweeping generalization which is a matter of taste.

But if you call yourself "Asal Indian" and say "Indians are dark-skinned people", that is a sweeping generalization which is matter of POOR taste.

So the comparison sagikkala.

Besides, do you think her assertion is that serious a crime against the Tamizh identity as a whole? Gimme a break!

Anonymous said...

Anantha,
I thought that would be the final but then, tussi great ho!

Ignoring your points irrelevant to the discussion, your answer is (1). Which means that you agree with what i've been saying but its just that you have failed to understand what i'm saying.
It's stupid to see it as anything more than an analogy - like going into the question of which is a bigger crime.

Thanks :)

~A said...

"And who decides what's simple and what's not? Again.. why do you say that what she mentioned is "Brahmin food". You assume something and use that assumption to nitpick. Take a step back and think about that"

no, you are wrong again. Her reasons for being simple are explained in her blog and going by that, if an idly can be deemed as a simple food in terms of digestion, that implies the brahmin method of eating. Eating a idly with chicken curry will fail her definition of simplicity.

I am not telling her what she should or should not write about. But her method to describe her taste seems to be say that's Tamilian taste. I don't agree to this. As simple as that. I have commended ATP well because I liked what I saw in terms of freshness in the way she write. I am not here to nitpick and waste my bandwidth. I guess, you are.

And yes, Rastafari's was an analogy and that matched with the context of what we are discussing - to show how generalization is different form opinion. Why are you attaching more meaning to an analogy?? I guess you are goanna defend her for eternity. Let me stop here.

Unknown said...

Dear TP,

Who are all these boys?
Please announce who the winner is? Or alternatively who the loser is?
I am putting my money on dear boy ~a.

Asal Tamil Penn said...

Since everybody wishes to have the last word and since this is MY Blog, can I please tell all of you - Pongo (said in manner of the Bingo chips advert)!

anantha said...

Taking note of Tamizh Penn's obvious disgust, I renounce all claims to the last word.

I accept defeat! I don't have a white flag. Following the finest tamizh traditions, I am willing to waste a perfectly new white Tantex cut banian, by waving it as a flag.

So, you win, A~. You win!

Rastafari: Tussi bhi great ho. But tussi A~ sey great nahi ho. So you lose too. Wave a Tantex banian too, pliss!

Anusha: En peru Anantha. Ennaku innoru peru illa.

Tamizh penn: Poitten!

The Kid said...

Adei vetti pasangala! She has outright demolished any vestiges of dignity of Tam boys, and you are offended at how she chooses to eat her idlies. Is there no end to this lack of self respect?

btw tamizh ponnu: may be all the guys you know are ugly ducklings... but I am a manmadha kunju ! :)

Robin said...

LOL..(On reading the comments)..
I am a tamizhan & a Tirunelvelian.. But was outraged on you still sticking with the 'caste' mentality(Trying to create a difference between a 'Nadar', 'Iyer', etc..] of the last century. Hope you become more open minded in the future..

- Robin

Anonymous said...

I am a tambram penn from Tirunelveli too. Looking at the way tamizh men run after fair skin (atleast in movies) I think we have to look elsewhere. I wouldnt be so particular about gothram and caste if I were you. There are loads of nice guys out there who dont care whether you are from this or that caste..

Dew Drop said...

:)
Fantastic expression.

Hope to meet you someday,

Deepa

suganya sadasivam said...

Well said revathi..Rolled off my tongue..Perfect!