Clichés by Ananya

Blog post by Ananya Swaminathan

Going into the society as a brahmin girl is very difficult because people have pre conceived notion about us. Being a non conventional brahmin like me has made it tougher. Ok, going by my name am not as non conventional as two states Alia Bhat , eating chicken and drinking beer, but except that am not the Chamathu Iyengar ponnu I should be.

Starting from academics , am not the first bench girl who serves as the notes engine for others and cries for scoring one mark less than the maximum. I comfortably sit in the last bench and arataadichify. I don’t cry even if I get fail mark

Reaction:  neelam iyer veetu pona? Nambave mudila! epdi? neengalam LKG padikambodhe second grade maths poduveenglae.

Next comes the selfish part! Most of the brahmins do not go out of the way and do something to their friends, by compramising their comfort or their priorities. Namaku elaam shemama nadandhurthuna, mathavalauku seiyalam … asadu aatam munadiye poi avaluku edavathu senjutu nee pujiyama thirmbi varadha is what all our parents teach us. It is called samarthyam but most of the times it comes across as selfishness. And am not really selfish because I rarely have something to give to someone, because all they can ask is eraser from me and not my physics notes. So I happily give it away.

Reaction : ae ava bramhin a irundhalum kena … keta odana kuduthruva.

Then comes my language, Ok am from.chennai and I love the chennai slang as much as I love brahm slang . So my dialogs mostly go this way “aei koobae theertham evlo nerama kekardhu unta … adingu left la aducha munji rightka thirimbuku“

Reaction : stunned silence .

Finally its the religious part, I do totally believe in umachi and worship him, but am not that girl who knows all the pasurams, slokams and puranams . And I don’t go to temples too often. Actually being in Chennai for the past 21 yrs I have never once visited Mylapore kabali kovil (pls mamas and mamis, manuchrungo …adiyenoda thapudhaan.. kudiya seekram poidren).

Reaction : hey neelam agraharam ponnu nu nanchom , ipdi panreenglae ma .

Idhulendhu naa ena solavarena stop thinking brahmin girls will be like thalapathi shobna or sethu abithakushalambal. We do go partying, we do love spicy food and we do drool over hrithik and mainaa we do not know to dance and sing! What is this with all brahmin girls knowing to sing? Hey nanga ena taperecorderaa … face it I do not sing even in bathroom.

By any chance if you are reading this to your patis or ammas I know their reaction , “ ama , gali thavala dhaan satham podum , ena indha ponnuku edhume varadham , iva namba gothrama irukanum , nambloda raghu ku indha ponnu poi alliance pathra porom “