On being Oriya
mypajama.com is all about storytelling. Stories and essays are published at an alarmingly infrequent rate. Subscribe with RSS or via email.
I am an Oriya. Which is another way of saying that I hail from the south-eastern Indian state of Orissa. You might remember it from news footage of 1999 when a super cyclone killed thousands there. Lately it has jumped in and out of news because of a six-year-old marathon runner, a sicko (with whom I share my second name) who raped a German tourist, and a regular starvation death story that is never far from the surface.
I am no ardent proponent of Oriya nationalism but the common Oriya nevertheless, is pretty much faceless. Think about it, ever heard an Oriya joke? Think Sardars, think Madrasi, think Mallu, Think Bong. An Oriya, on the other hand, comes from a state that, to all appearances, doesn’t even exist.
So here’s what you always wanted to know about an Oriya but were afraid to (read ‘didn’t bother to’) ask. Lot of stuff here might shake you out of much cherished beliefs. I suggest you brace for the impact.
For starters, the question ‘So, what is Orissa like?‘ (considered an ice-breaker when conversing with Oriyas) is very likely to get you an empty stare. At the most you’ll get a “so, so” or a “umm… hmmm… huh?” sort of answer. Orissa is a state like any other state. Full of Oriya speaking Oriyas. There are the temples and the beaches and the thousand-year-old townships to be sure but seriously… which state doesn’t have them?
You will also do well to remember that the ice-breaker question in question is often a dead giveaway that you are trying to break the ice.
Also, not everyone in Orissa battles starvation on a regular basis. The state has more than its fair share of poverty yes, but I have seen obscenely obese Oriyas as well. Skinny specimens such as yours faithfully have different reasons for being the way they are.
Someone once walked up to me in Chennai and told me that his cook back home was an Oriya. I noticed that the gentleman was pleasantly plump and I was proud of my fellow Oriya. I for one, can’t cook even if my life depended on it. Many Oriyas can’t. Many can. Its just the way things are.
As far as I can tell, Oriyas also tend to congregate less than others. Oriyas outside of Orissa very rarely seek out other Oriyas to start something of an Akhil Bharatiya Oriya Utthaan Samiti. They usually mix in with whatever people they are surrounded with. You won’t know there’s an Oriya amidst you until you ask out aloud, “Is there an Oriya amidst us?” in which case he will raise his hand.
This is not to say that there haven’t ever been roaring Oriyas. Look up a gentleman called Fakirmohan Senapati. He didn’t roar as much as he could have but he drove people mad all the same. If he had lived in this age, I am sure he would be an A-List blogger.
I personally feel Oriyas mellowed down after they discovered it works better than tearing down buildings and rampaging across nations. If Ashoka could be tamed by doing nothing, could the rest of the world be much harder to calm down?
Hold your applause. Call us the first civilisation to realise the importance of silence. Thank you! Run to the nearest Oriya and get an autograph. Now!
Posted on Thursday, June 8th, 2006 at 5:15 pm and filed under people, personal, essays.
Do you believe in destiny? Click here to read a random post.
I publish new stories and essays with alarming infrequency. To stay updated, subscribe to the RSS feed or get email updates.
Visit me at my new blog: http://www.vmohanty.com
Oh, so the kid is having a blog! hmm..
[…] Vijayendra explores his Oriya identity. Being a fellow Oriya, I really enjoyed this post ! […]
My fiancee is an Oriya and I have heard tons of stories, good and bad about Oriya culture. You are right that we usually don’t hear much of Oriyas and probably your observation that “they do not seek out other Oriyas to start something of an Akhil Bharatiya Oriya Utthaan Samiti” might have something to do with it. Thank heavens for that!
Oriya power brother! No but seriously, I’m glad you put this thing up. Since I’m not even a whole Oriya I need people to stand up for my cultural identities! Hmm… maybe I can get Kaushik to write something about Maharashtrians next
That was so true a description. One more thing I’ve noticed is the fact that they will always greet you with the pranam, no matter what. On a lighter note, I wonder if Oriyas have kindve mellowed down because of the ostentatious Bengalies of the neighboring state. I wonder where would the Bongs go if there was no Puri or Chandipur.
A fellow blogger who has lived in the state for 17 years. Man, you made me so nostalgic.
came here via desi pundit
chill…you might get the same reaction from other states except, maybe, bihar
Vijendra,
kudos to you. This post hit home hard.
Though technically i am a “mallu” owing to genetics, i was born and bought up for the first twenty years of my life in Orissa (Rourkela). My folks still live there. Most of my childhood friends are all oriyas and i still rush back to the state given the sligtest oppurtunity.
Apart from all that you mentioned i proudly introduce the state to “Orissagnorant” folks as the state that has given the country, Odissi Dance, Konark, Puri and the Lingaraja, the Kalinga War, Maharishi Ved Vyas’s birth place and so many more things the knowledge of which is so uncommon.
One irritating question everyone asks me when I tell them I am an Oriya is, “Isn’t Oriya very much like Bengali?”. What do I make out of it? No one ever asks a Tamil, “Isn’t Tamil very much like Kannada?”. My current answer is “If you are asking ‘Is Bengali very much like Oriya’, the answer is yes”
amar: get a life. some people i know blog anonymously.
patrix: am not quite sure why you are thanking god
gopal: get kaushik to blog first
sunshine: thanks for sharing the nostalgia. bongs are a part of life. must learn to live with them
shankar: pinch of salt buddy, pinch of salt
shibu: spread the word with gusto comrade. we need as many voices as we can have.
Amaresh: u bet man. i have even been called a quasi-bengali. but as before, i suggest u read Fakirmohan Senapati.
Your website has been read with much anticipation. Preetika doesn’t forget to remind me of the dynamic presence you have in her life. Anyone so highly thought of by my alleged soulmate deserves their share of respect. And I must say, You are fantastic (Read: Whoa!!!) at what you do.
I’ve just read the post on Oriya’s. Witty. I was going to ask you why you ever so casually overlooked the existence of the Khajuraho Temples but sense prevailed and I asked my good friend Google about the location of Khajuraho and got a rude shock when I realised its in Madhya Pradesh/Chhatisgarh. Now instead of making you blush, I have my own little tale of ignorance.
I know more now, Thanks.
Thanks for the kind words Tanmay. You are too kind. So is Preetika. Life is good. Keep coming back.
LOL on Khajuraho.
Brilliant post, and that compliment is coming from an Oriya. Couldn’t agree more especially about Oriyas being inobtrusive and averse to congregating, and more so with mistaken to be a quasi bengali.
Mo: Actually you could. Think about it. But being an Oriya, meybe you wouldn’t want to
Came here via Selective Amnesia (hey, somebody had to do it! :p)
My friend, you are awesome. And now that I have said that, (I only had that to say when I read the post) and now need something else to fill in this comment, I am going to pick on your commenters.
Amresh - Tamil isn’t like Kannada, Kannada is like Tamil. There. Parochail defending of the mother-tongue done.
When I wrote Parochail, i meant to write Parochial. Obviously.
Hey thanks!
Incidentally, are you calling me Parochial?
I am calling myself parochial
For the record… I did get it the first time.
There are many Orissaa students studying some professional course in CHennai, what i find is their English slang is totally different, i dunno to expres it something kinda weird. When i heard a person speaking in english i could not understand a bit, it was realli alien.
And you are totally wrong that orissa people mingle with others, they infact dont speak with other language people may be because of communication barrier. They always prefer to be in oriya speaking or Hindi speaking group.
But they are hard working guyz..( in studies)
Hey Nixon! Welcome.
I know what you mean. Having experienced the nuances of quite a few accents. But the communication barrier thing would work with people of any state na?
If they feel they don’t fit in, they will obviously flock elsewhere.
But the group they choose to be in isn’t Oriya. It’s just a place where they feel ok. This goes for anyone really. Let’s not generalise.
(oops, i just did!)
For the record, I don’t see anything wrong in being parochial.
[…] Vijay (mypajama.com) has written a wonderful article ‘On Being Oriya‘ exploring his identity on being a Oriya (People from the India state - Orrisa)! Oriya is actually pronounced ‘oDiya’ […]
http://vinu.wordpress.com/2006/06/13/my-times-in-orrisa/
check that out
Nice post ! Have never met anybody from Orissa that I know of yet. But hey, maybe I just never asked them if they were Oriya.
A friend (incidentally, a bong) has helpfully offered the names of two Oriya chicks whom we forgot. Mo’ specifically:
“Ujjwala Raut, dude. Dipannita Sharma.
Uncool?”
I have been to Orissa as a part of a cyclone relief team in 99 and I absolutely loved the state. I was in Ersama block .. and the place was just totally ravaged by the cyclone .. with uprooted trees and fallen houses and water and more everywhere .. but somehow the whole place was just calm and serene. I have never seen a more flat land than where I was. We stayed in a fisherman’s hut and used to work all day and cook and eat with them at night. Man .. that guy knew how to cook his fish!
And the prices!! By god .. you can have a meal there for four rupees!!!
Oh and I had a Odiya roommate too - but he somehow always ended up in Bengali circles .. probably bcos there werent enough Odiyas to go around!
Ravages: Some would say parochial is narrow-minded. Am with you though.
Vinu: Left a comment.
Swapna: See? Seek and you shall find.
Mo: Whoa! Didn’t knoe Dipannita was Odiya. Raut though… you sure? It’s not exactly an Oriyas-only second name.
anya: I remember the state of Ersama. Second you on the fish.
wow! amazing post!
The brief mention of Fakirmohan was a nice pointer to the literary treasures that are yet to be explored by people from other states.
Stories like daka munshi, kansari etc. are masterpieces!
… but there is something magical about Oriya people. No sign of ego and devout. I am stereotyping, but there is something sweet about Oriyas. Something I would be proud of if I was an Oriya.
you are awesome brother.your write up,what i say makes me proud of being an oriya.
How true. Reading this post many questions came to my mind, only to be answered in the next sentence. I know many from Orissa and can vouch for the authenticity of your description.
Hi Vijendra,
I dropped by your blog as guided by search og blogger. Read your post. It’s awesome. It’s not about pure creeping, though some love to do that. Even this morning we had a round of discussion: why then not Oriyas?
Oriyas are famous for being the most skillful plumbers in the subcontinent. If elsewhere people don’t know about the state, should we call our lack of prominence or their lack of general knowledge? Of course They understand more if told about Jagannath Puri than about the State.
People ask why in Orissa ladies don’t wear blouse. When they see people fit and trim, they say people are famished. Of course some appreciate this comparing the copious obesity in their places.
Admittedly, our people have their accent that is different from the standard one. But I’ve the familiarity of English spoken by a Malayali, a Bengali, a Jharkhandi, a Telgu, a Hariyanvi because I’ve worked at those places. A Malayali in kerala would be speaking “ink” as “ing”, a Telgu would speak “give” as “geeu” or “air” as “aeer”, a Hariyanvi or for that matter a UP-wallah would say “property” as “praparty” and a Bengali would say—leave it. So nixon should not feel weird about that.
I’ve never felt difficulty in adjusting with people of other states–rather people have loved me. An Oriya in Orissa is different from an Orissa living/working outside. This is true of a Kerali.
Thanks for sharing.
Sincerely
Nanda
_________________________
http://books.myvisitindia.com
http://ramblingnanda.blogspot.com
Been comin here for a while now. Nice blog. Especially this post. I am a Kannadiga, and people in Calcutta (where I live now) or in the North generally call me a Madraasi!!! This, in a time, when almost everyone you know knows someone who’s living in B’lore.
Only after I stepped out of Karnataka, did I realise the level of ignorance about Karnataka. So, I could just ‘find and replace’ Oriya with Kannadiga
Hi Viju and welcome. We’re all in the same boat friend.
i have copied the stories . we will read them good work .tata
Hi Vijendra,
I felt like reverting to your post just to record one thing: Mr RUSKIN BOND has given a warm-hearted foreword for my book “The Remix of Orchid”. He didn’t think that Oriyas are less capable while he said: ‘With “The Remix of Orchid” you will not be disappointed’.
In the jacket of the book, while introducing me the author, I’ve started: ‘An Oriya, born in 1959….’ So, there is a lot one can gain by highlighting one’s origin. It’s a different thing that as Oriyas we know too much about us, which makes us point out our failings. It’s always good to be aware of them.
Thanks.
Nanda
http://remixoforchid.blogspot.com
Hey
Who told you Oriyas don’t ‘congregate’ like others do? And who told u Orissa has a dim profile?
May b its true down south in hardcore Tamil areas…and to some extent u r true that Oriyas aren’t joked abt -but if u ever visit iit kharagpur campus, u will find a big Oriya (aka Uddu) lobby, lots of talk on Orissa and lotta happenings on Oriya Culture (odissi etc)
Dude!
Orissa does have a dim profile. I have eyes for God’s sake!
And sorry about the former. I should have said, “I have never seen Oriyas congregate.
The word is ‘Odu’
Hi,
I have always been proud of being an Oriya. My mission was to prove to people that Oriyas can do really well in life. Your post strengthens my belief. And I was elated to see the comments section where many non-oriyas agreed to your perspective. Cheers to the Oriya spirit!
Though late considering the post originated sometime in 2006, Ujwala Raut is not an oriya but a maharashtrian
@Vijayendra:
If you get a blank face when someone asks that “What is Orissa like”, then “You are not an Oriya”. Sorry for sounding harsh, but here we are not talking of a normal, semi-literate person.
Even if you a semi-literate person from Punjab, Maharastra, Tamilnadu, Gujurat, West Bengal; again it will bring a blank face also.
I am sure you will know how Orissa is different from other states and I do not want to write on it. Shibu (”mallu” as he wrote) has put quite a few for “Orissagnorant” though. I am proud of you Shibu.
I will just comment on the last line where you have mentioned regarding the power of silence.
I would say it is “power of being peaceful and power of staying co-operatively in a country like India”.
Have you ever come across a news in Orissa where they fight with Telugus in South Orissa, or Bengalis with North-Orissa or Hindi people from West Orissa, though their population is significant. I can bet you have never seen; though the state was formed in 1937. And it has been over 70 years since then.
Now coming to other states, I have seen tremendous division. Every other day there is an agitation of anti-Tamil in Bangalore/KA, anti-North in Chennai/TN, anti-Bihari/UP in Maharastra, anti-Bihari in Assam etc. and sometimes even anti-India like in Punjab. The list goes on.
The question is about acceptance. I can bet Oriyas score much higher than any other state.
Now is it because we are less industrialized, less urbanized etc. Oh, hell NO. A proud culture accepts other with open arms.
Having said that I am not saying that other states cultures are not proud. Yes, they are equally proud. However, when it comes to acceptance, then it becomes tough. And that will divide India someday, if not checked properly. And I can proudly say that Orissa will not be a party to it, never.
—
Reply
Hi Satya,
Thanks for dropping by on my blog.
I don’t think you need to feel sorry for sounding harsh. But I must say that there is nothing with being speechless at times. I for one, think an answer comes when it has to and not sooner or later. I would feel offended if I had to explain Orissa to someone who is ignorant about it. Orissa is just a state like another state and if I were to get sentimental about my heritage, I would be no better than those who fight over theirs.
About the rest of your comment we pretty much agree.
But then again, my post was not about bringing out the worst in other states by comparing them to Orissa. You didn’t get the point.
Keep coming back.
Hi Vijayendra,
That is contradictory!
Quote:
“I would feel offended if I had to explain Orissa to someone who is ignorant about it”.
Next Quote:
” if I were to get sentimental about my heritage, I would be no better than those who fight over theirs.”
Nothing wrong in being sentimental. I am sure everyone of us is in someway or other attached to our roots. But why you equate it with fighting?
I think you are referring to xneophobic (for lack of better words) as ideally it is having a phobia for foreigners. But there is no term to define when people from one state hate/kill people from other states, and they belong to the same country. Nevertheless, it is current India.
W,.r.t xenophobia, every state has its share. Orissa is not immune to it. The question is about majority, as their say become final.
—
Reply
Ah there. Fundamental difference of opinion my dear man.
I am no expert in the field of nation-building. But I do feel sentimentalism is a force. One that can go both ways. Often times, it is used to incite the wrong kind of emotions in the people.
I do not believe people of Orissa are a more enlightened race of beings. Just that we have not faced such situations. We may. We may not. That is beside the point. I am not proud of being Oriya. Nor of being Indian. These are sentimental issues that block the path of clear thinking.
We do need sentiment though. And that is where you come in. About the contradiction you mentioned. I didn’t understand. Come again?
I am sure you will know it. Just a ref for “sentimental”:
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/sentimental
Nowhere it mentions or equates to hatred, fight or xenophobia. So I really doubt sentimenalism is a right word here. Hence I mentioned about contradiction.
And, you are rigth when you say that it can go in a
+ve or -ve way. Froim that perspective you are right, which is actually xenophobia (as dictionary is yet to have a word where people from one state hate someone from other state of the same country, may be some day India will invent it!).
Btw, Orissa has seen a number of aggressions and only when it crossed limits, there is a fight, like the Kalinga war. And that is pretty old. Here we are more with respect modern India.
Even today there are good number of areas which are in Chattisgarh, Jharkhand and populated densely by Oriyas. Can you imagine the same with any other state?
We still accept our CM as he is an Oriya, though he can not speak it. Can you expect anything like that in any southern state?
IIT-Kgp, IIM-C has been passed over to Bengal (very good evidences there). We do not fight and throw Bengalis out.
We had good number of representations from Orissa via BJD in parliament in NDA. Do we fight that we need to have the most investment.
We accept people if they can talk in Hindi (and people from southern states do speak Hindi when they come to Orissa), but is the same allowed when you go to South (not by most)? As we understand one can not overnight speak Oriya nor we do expect everyone to speak in English.
Have you even seen any anti-nation activities like LTTE, Khalistan, Naxalism (I know a number of people will jump, but it is not from Orissa), ULFA, MNS in Orissa?
There are many more…And states in India have history of going violent over many trivial things.
Hence, as I say it is tolerance and accpetance.
Bottomline is this:
People from any state by nature are good and honest. (I have been across 7 states). It is the narrowed minded politicians who create all the problems. The problem they create resonate for 100 of yrs even if there life span is 60/70 years.
I had written a couple of blogs on this long back (and I know it is a big issue in India and some day it will divide India).
http://satya-dash.blogspot.com/2007/10/where-to-live-north-or-south-can.html
http://satya-dash.blogspot.com/2007/10/where-to-live-north-or-south-2.html
Your comments are very much welcome.
Hi vijay,
I read your Blog about Oriya’s I liked the way you started a unique way to say something about Oriya’s coz there is nothing such found in anywhere where we could say something of these for our own community. Basically what I would like to add is that we can find many people in many respectable position in different companies but then also we could not see any of them trying to do anything for the language or the community, as for the example we can name SANAK MISHRA the current head of the ARCELOR MITTAL project. We also have many of the oriya guys in the premiuim institutes of india. No body has still tried to make our language or state known cause still now in many of the parts of INDIA if we say orissa then they can name 2 cities i.e PURI & BHUBENSHWAR.From this we can know that how our state is famous. Another GREAT example which I would like to give is in the movie ‘CHAKH DE’ where though for INDIA almost half of the players are from ORISSA but then also they didnt take any of the oriya gals in the movie through this only it is understood that we on our own hav to do something for our own language.Another example wich we can take is that almost every state is having their own BATTALION in ARMY but hav you heard about ARMY BATTALION OF ORISSA and As like Hindi though it is not accepted all over INDIA but all over in INDIA people should know that ORIYA people are also capable of doing many things.
On a sudden we cant do a drastic change but slowly and steadily we can try to bring our language to the light.So we should all giv it a try to do something for our language.