PVR INOX innovation - Flexi Watch Plan - Watch a movie only for as long as you want!

PVR  Inox  kicked  off  a  great  innovation  in  New Delhi. Christened the Flexi Show, it allows the viewers to pay for the time that they watch the movie.

Great innovation. Often students think that whatever must be innovated has already been innovated and that they are simply robots pushing buttons. They think of themselves as obeying orders and not as disruptors who will kickstart the next innovation.

It is not the machine but the man behind the machine that matters. In 1971, during the war, the Indian Air Force pilots were manning Knat planes, and the Pakistani Air Force had better and more sophisticated fighter planes, the F-86 Sabre. But it was Indian pilots who won the air wars, including the famous Longawal War.

Movie watching has stagnated, and many like me have even stopped going to the theatre completely. The entire process proves daunting and time-consuming. Go to the theatre, buy the inflated tickets, and then sit through the boring movie cursing our fate and burning a hole in the pocket buying obscenely highly priced popcorn and cold drinks. The result, in 90% of the cases, is total dissatisfaction and disgust and the hollow feeling that you have wasted money!. I have not watched a movie in a theatre in the last three years.

Blue Diamond and Emerald theatres in Chennai introduced an innovation that was a rage in the 70s and 80s. Blue Diamond and Emerald showed mostly English movies (English movies are of short duration and last mostly for 2 hours). Viewers were charged a 50% premium on ticket price. The huge attraction? Viewers could enter the theatre at any time and watch the movie as long as they desired. I remember watching a Jackie Chan movie twice, and the feeling was as if I had won an Oscar, pure elation.

PVR INOX is on the right path. This deal could mean that people like me could come back to the theatre feeling assured that we could walk away after some time and that our money and time would not be wasted. This would also mean that some people who only come to watch some parts of the movie would benefit.

Going further, I would think that some movies would be played continuously for 24 hours, and we would be charged for the time that we spend in a theatre. Also, the negativity that builds up in watching a boring movie in its totality can be avoided. Watching a boring movie fully might lead to dissatisfaction and even disgust.

Damn good idea. I don’t mind watching Ala Vaikunthapurramuloo in a loop. I can spend away time in an air-conditioned movie hall instead of waiting in a boring airport lounge. I would say that airports should start this innovation themselves.

Make AI Mediocre Again - a Cadbury Initiative when irrelevance becomes the new relevance!

What is happening? It is too much stimulation!!! Is it déjà vu? Or is irrelevance the new relevance? I am not sure, and I am sure many of our generation are floundering with the same type of doubt or self-doubt!

Of course, I am talking about the latest ad from Cadbury 5 Star. In the last decade, Cadbury Five Star has decided that its main target group is millennials and that it must shock people out of their pants to achieve that objective.

They have done many “in-your-face campaigns” that seem to resonate with their target group, like “Eat 5 star, do nothing” campaigns, and the latest campaign, “Make AI Mediocre Again.”.

My generation has grown up watching and admiring Cadbury’s iconic ads and campaigns, like Cadbury cricket, Khaane Waalon ko khaane ka Bahana Chahiye, Kuch Meetha Ho Jaaye, Khaane Ke Baad Meethe Mein Kuch Meetha Ho Jaaye, Shubh Aarambh, Raho Umarless, and Bring out the child in you, etc. This one is and sounds sacrilegious!

The ad talks about how AI is making our lives miserable and making us work more. The solution? Make AI mediocre by submitting a lot of trash in farm search engines. According to Cadbury, this will make AI mediocre again, and we can be back at our workstations—doing nothing but eating Cadbury 5 stars!

Is Cadbury serious! I don’t know. They ask us to submit our worst answers that will make AI mediocre! I scanned through the comments section of the ad airing on YouTube, and 99% of the viewers liked and even commented on how doing nothing is the best thing. I might belong to the minuscule minority, but I dislike the advertisement! I don’t get it at all. Can we fight AI? I suppose not! That is what Cadbury is trying to do!

This ad is prodding the millennials into inactivity! But active in consuming Cadbury 5 Star! Welcome to the digital world—where irrelevance is the new relevance!

Print Media is dead - Nope - It is alive and kicking - Next level Flipkart interactive Rubbable first page ad in THE HINDUSTAN TIMES

Print, they say, is dead. They snicker, "Who reads newspapers?" Reading is so boring, man. Everyone seems to be on the digital gravy train. Everything is online, including a country - Tuvalu. Tuvalu is furiously trying to become the first virtual online country. 

But popular beliefs, myths, and hearsay have no standing in real life. The Indian Newspaper Society (INS), the central organization of newspapers and periodicals in the country, said its member publications recorded an 11% rise in ad revenue for calendar 2023 at ₹16,472.40 crore, compared to ₹14,892.34 crore in 2022. 

Print is still a big draw, and its primary advantage is its credibility. Readers still believe in the printed word, and somewhere there is a grudging admiration for journalists and the editorial fairness and impartiality. Newspapers are still respected, and people working there are seen as part of a trained professional team. 

This is in stark contrast with the Wild West of social media, where anyone can be a digital creator. All one needs is a mobile phone. There is no training, qualifications, degrees, or communication skills needed, and best of all, no editing and censorship. One can do as one feels. The first page of a newspaper still has an irresistible appeal and still grabs instant attention. 

Headlines always make news, and they stay as headlines for a day, unlike digital media, where headlines can change in a matter of minutes. It was refreshing to see Flipkart and The Hindustan Times try out a new innovative print media advertising campaign. 

Last Sunday Hindustan Times newspaper readers woke up to an intriguing headline. The front page had a picture in which the milk was splashed liberally. The headline said, "Doodh ka Doodh aur Paani ka Paani Ho Jayega (meaning don't worry; everything will be as clear as clear water)”. 

The Advertisement also said, "Rub some water on the split milk and see what happens"! On rubbing or wiping the split milk with water or with a soft tissue, the message magically appeared: "Flipkart MINUTES—Everything in minutes, Toh Tension Mat lo. Khyunki Sab 10 minutes mey Replace ho jayeega (don't take tension; everything will be replaced within ten minutes)". 

The pitch was for the super-fast 10-minute delivery service from Flipkart. It was a wonderful attempt by all three parties: Flipkart, its advertising agency, and the Hindustan Times. They hit a bull's eye, garnered huge eyeballs and curiosity, and created a buzz on social media. It was a very innovative and creative interactive print advertisement that stays in the mind.

"THE TIMES of INDIA" does it again - Plays with its Masthead! But not the first Time!!!

At ICBM-SBE students are given two newspapers per day. "The Times of India and The Economic Times." Today they were excited to receive a third, the Paneer of India! Jokes apart, can you play around with the sacrosanct masthead? 

The Fake Masthead

The Real Masthead

This type of stunt was tried by TOI once, maybe 20-25 years ago for the first time. On that day the first page screamed, 

"LET TIMES OF INDIA WAIT" 

The body copy talked "breathlessly" about the impending launch of a new variant of chocolate (or something else; I don't clearly remember). The entire masthead was changed. It was the love of the lucre!!

The Puritans were furious with the wordplay involving the Sacrosanct Masthead. Arguments raged for weeks and months. But in the overstimulated modern era, anything is passé. Your opinions are welcome.

Thunder Strikes again - A perfect Match between Thums Up and Allu Arjun's Pushpa's 2!!!

“Thunder striking soon,” the latest campaign of Thums Up, has a twist. One needs to see it twice to understand what it is conveying. Show it to a Caucasian American, and he would be nonplussed. He would understand it as a promo, but it would not make any sense to him.

But for Indians and Indians throughout the world, it makes perfect sense. Thums Up has partnered with Allu Arjun; the Thums Up teaser is for the much-awaited movie Pushpa 2.

Does it make sense? You bet it does. For Allu Arjun, who is endorsing Thums Up, it is free publicity for his movie. For Thums Up, the teaser gets tremendous eyeballs, and the image that Allu Arjun portrays in the movie matches the positioning tack that Thums Up has consistently used.

The positioning is that of a macho man who wants the strongest cola in the market. And even better if that strong man borders on the line between lawfulness and lawlessness. That is Sona Pe Suhaga (That is the icing on the cake). The present generation wants to be a rebel—with a cause or without. A perfect marriage between the brand, its positioning, the brand ambassador, his on-screen image, and movie promotion.

What is Killing Movies?

What is killing the movie industry? OTT, high ticket rates, and movie makers' greed. OTT has become omnipresent, and for the cost of a single movie watched in a theatre one can buy the annual subscriptions of all the major OTT platforms. 

Then it is the greed of the movie makers. They are not allowing the movie to become popular. They exhibit movies only for a week or two before pulling the plug. People like me simply wait. So our release date is two weeks after the regular theatrical release. Check out Devara. It is coming to OTT within a month. Except for die-hard fans of Junior NTR, everyone will watch it on OTT at home in total comfort. 

And OTT has huge advantages. There is no dissonance, as we don't pay for the movie. We can

1) Watch it

2) Watch it in parts. 

3) Watch, stop, and continue. 

4) Watch partially. 

5) Watch only the punch scenes and fights. 

6) Watch comedy scenes. 

7) Skip songs 

8) Watch it many times. 

9) Pause 

10) Take calls and work on a laptop.

And right now, OTT streaming rights for movies are bought at a premium, so many producers are queuing up to show their movies at very short notice.  This results in many movies crashing onto OTT. It is like a tsunami of movies. For example, nearly 10–14 good movies have landed this week on OTT. 

For a working professional, it is difficult to watch more than a movie per day.  At best we can watch 7-8 movies a week. This results in watching fatigue, and many movies don't get good viewership even on OTT, an almost free-to-watch platform. 

Resultantly, only the best movies and the movies with a buzz get seen, and others disappear in the quick sands of time. Such a pity!!

Not so Sweet Jab: Paytm takes a playful dig at Zepto's free Soan Papdi Campaign!!!

Paytm's new campaign, ‘Iss Diwali gifting ka naya tareeka shuru karo (this Diwali starts a new trend in gifting),” comes as a surprise. Paytm is a fading brand in the payment apps. It is seen as a Nokia in that category. Just like Nokia, it grew the segment only to give way, market share, word of mouth, and top-of-the-mind awareness to Google Pay and Phone Pay. Phone Pay and Google Pay have become the default payment apps, and Paytm is slowly fading into the background.

The advertisement shows a family visiting their friend’s house on Diwali night. As they are ringing the bell, they hear voices from inside the house. The husband is commenting, “What did you get as a gift from your office?" His wife says, “Soan Papdi, what else? and adds, “If anyone else gifts me Soan Papdi, I will shove it down their damn throats.”.

Hearing this, the visiting couple hurriedly dumps the offending soap Papdi gift packet into the bushes. Pleasantries are exchanged, and the cheeky little boy asks, “Uncle, what gift have you brought us?”. The friend couple is nonplussed for a second but recovers dramatically and transfers Rs 1,100/- on Paytm, and the day is saved. But rubbing salt into the wound, he cheekily comments, “With that money, your dad can buy you gifts or can buy you—Soan Papdi!!!”.

In the present scenario, it is quite strange that Paytm launched this campaign. It was okay to talk about its own USP (it is no longer Paytm’s USP) and try to promote itself. Instead, it is trying to make fun of Zepto, who is trying to do a noble thing in trying to bring back glory for Soan Papdi.

While the Zepto campaign brings a lump to the heart and makes us smile, the Paytm campaign tries to be too smart for its own good. It is smart alerky and sounds like a campaign executed by a fresh behind-the-ears management school employee trying to be funny and falling flat on his/her face.

And while Zepto and Paytm have a symbiotic relationship. Each is dependent on the other for survival. Customers use Zepto and Paytm for convenience. So, is it worthy to make fun of your business partner? Not in my view. Both need each other to survive. All in all, a campaign that could have been avoided. 

Great one Zepto, "Make Soan Papdi Great Again" Campaign

In a world filled with overstimulation, overexposure, and Deja vu, I had to be triggered off my Sunday slumber to write this piece. This campaign shook me up!

In India, everything is a status symbol including sweets. Once Padma, my wife hesitatingly asked me, what is your favorite, "sweet?".  Without batting an eyelid, I answered "Ravaladdu". Padma watched me with a wide-open mouth. She was astonished "Ravaladdu?". 

She expected that my answer would be Ajmer Kalakand, Kaju Katli, Badam roll, dry fruit laddu, Matka rasagulla, or something costly and exotic. She sheepishly told me that her favorite was an equally humble sweet, "Jilebi". 

I could never understand how sweets could even become status symbols. I worked in a country where eating sweets was considered a sissy (girlish) habit. There are no sweet shops in entire Ethiopia!!

I am puzzled why Soan Papdi is the Butt of all jokes when it comes to sweets. It is not preferred and is among the least-liked sweets. It is rarely gifted during the festivals and even if gifted, is rarely consumed and the lovely Soan Papdi hardens into lumps and finally is thrown into the dustbin. 

What a pity. This mouthwatering sweet that is easy to eat, and ridicule is actually quite tough to prepare. It needs great muscle power to prepare Soan Papdi. It does not create a mess like the syrupy Gulab Jamoon or the Rasagulla. 

Thus it is heartening to see Zepto partner with a Soan Papdi maker to run the,  “Make Soan Papdi Great Again” campaign  

This festival season with every delivery,  Zepto customers would receive a free box of Soan Papdi and stand a chance to win prizes worth 5 crore rupees. 

Brilliant campaign Zepto!! You have hit the bull’s eye. This one resonates. Triple whammy I would Say. Firstly Zepto is giving a sweet box and receiving a sweet box is considered auspicious, secondly as the sweet is Soan Papdi, Zepto would get a great deal as it is a generic promotion for the product.

The cost of Soan Papdi is reasonable and Zepto would not have to burn a hole in its pocket to get huge quantities. The well-known Soan Papdi makers would give their Soan Papdi free to get favourable word-of-mouth publicity and to garner eyeballs. 

Thirdly as there is a chance to win Rs 5 crore worth of prizes many customers would switch to Zepto for their parcel deliveries. Great way to go Zepto,  a man biting a dog campaign.

update 23-10-2024

My Cousin Mrs. Vasundhara Nanjappa from Bangalore sent a WhatsApp message saying that 100 grams of Soan Papdi was given. Karachi Bakery a Hyderabad based company has tied up with Zepto for the supply of Soan Papdi. Thanks for the update. 

ICBM-SBE's PGDM is now MBA

 

When insulting customers becomes your USP (Unique Selling Proposition)!!!

 

I keep finding videos about this guy on my feed. Some find his kachoris to be excellent and some extremely bad! 

What is puzzling is this person's extreme rude behaviour. He is seen mouthing obscenities aimed at customers. He calls a customer "son of a pig". My point is if you dont like this guy then don't patronize his shop. As simple as that. 

The most appaling thing about this shop is the way the curry is scooped into the container made of leaves. It is sloppy and we can clearly see the spilled gravy. It is very unhygienic and it is true with many street sellers. 

These street sellers think that speed is the only thing that matters and they throw egg shells with impunity on the street. I have also seen dosa makers flip that extra batter at the edge of the tava directly on to the street. Many have developed quirky and funny ways of making these street food. 

For me the end product matters and I am not really impressed by the threatics. Threatics are best left to the actors!

Unlocking the Power of Experiential Marketing: Transforming Audiences into Advocates!!

The media explosion has left customers jaded, with a clear sense of déjà vu. They mentally yawn and say to themselves, “Oh yeah, so what? Bring on the next one." Nothing excites or stimulates them. They tend to pass on or ignore most of the promotions. 

Companies face a double whammy. They must think outside the box and invest significantly, as the media landscape is vast and highly fragmented. Creating a buzz around the brand and its promotions is essential.

Experiential marketing is a marketing strategy that creates unique and memorable customer experiences to engage with a brand. 

Handing out freebies and free samples simply doesn’t work any longer. Companies and brands must generate the "oomph factor" to make their brand stand out. Create a buzz that gets the customers talking and engaging with the brand. Create a unique experience that encourages people to share their engagement on social media. The promotional campaign should become the talk of the town, attracting enthusiastic participation in the experiential marketing effort.

Here are some highly innovative experiential promotional campaigns that evoked the "Voila, wow, c’est excellent" (Wow, that was excellent) feeling among the target audience.

Discover the 007 in you - Coca-Cola Zero Campaign!!!

James Bond is the most iconic spy character in the world. "I like my martini Shaken and not Stirred" and "My name is Bond, James Bond" remain etched in our collective memory. For the movie "Skyfall" the producers tied up with Coca-Cola. 

The campaign was titled "Discover the 007 in you". From start to finish the interactive campaign unfolds like a regular James Bond movie. The participants race against time to reach the predetermined spot. The successful participants earn free movie tickets. 

Coca-Cola and the movie makers should be appreciated for such a unique experiential campaign. I am sure that the participants would have enjoyed the contest and would have given it lots of free publicity on their respective social media handles.      

Live Angry Birds 

Smart Ford Electric Car 

Volkswagen

Yoplait - Yoghurt

Lipton Ice Tea Misting Stations 

Span Air - Christmas Gifts 

ASICS  Sports Shoes 

National Geographic - Virtual Reality 

Coca-Cola Hug Machine 

Coca-Cola Small World Machines 

Sprite Shower 

Taking Snaps with Super Models 

Nike Super Dunk 

Fiat Cafe 

Macy Example

ESAF Small Savings Bank's Dabba Savings Account - Inside the Dabba but innovative out-of-the-box thinking!!

Women are the backbone of the rural economy. Rural women manage everything, including the farms, working silently and without complaint. Once they are educated and empowered, the entire economy flourishes.

The population decrease in South India compared to North India is due to higher education among all sections, including women. When a woman is educated and empowered, she will have a smaller family, irrespective of her religious affiliation.

Indian villages lack basic banking facilities, and women, being natural money savers, found a solution close to their hearts and minds - the kitchen!!

Traditionally, women stored the surplus money in the rice container (sacred rice). They would bury it deep in the rice. Many stored cash in the Populla Dabba too. Women store their surplus Cash in a kitchen container or dabba! But the problem was that the other members of the family also knew about the dabba, and they would frequently take the money without consent.

ESAF Microfinance Bank hit upon a bright idea. It came out with an Inside the Dabba idea. Rather, very out-of-the-box thinking!! The scheme was the “Dabba Savings Account.”.

ESAF gifted a stainless-steel rice box to every woman.  

From the outside, the rice container looked like any other rice container.

The lady could store rice in the upper portion.

It had a secret compartment at the bottom. The secret compartment was for keeping excess cash.

Every week, the women go to a designated area in the village and deposit the saved money with ESAF bank officials. They got a passbook, which showed the deposited money. The money thus deposited earned interest.

EASF went a step further. It tied up all the shopkeepers and Kirana shops in those villages and supplied them with payment machines with embedded microchips. This helped the women make seamless purchases without paying cash.

They could pay at these shops with the money that they have in their ESAF bank account. The Aadhaar card was the interface, and the women could pay money through biometrics. All the transactions were visible through SMS on their smart or feature phones.

Brilliant campaign, ESAF! It identified a cultural nuance and came up with the concept of helping rural women. ESAF has expanded its own footprint. It also tied in with the local shops to make the process of using the deposited money as effective as possible.

ESAF understood that rural women save for their families and that the saved money would be used to buy household items. Thus, the entire rural economy would benefit from the catalyst, the ESAF Micro Finance Savings Bank.  

Brilliant Advertisement - Hats off Colgate Visible White - An Absolute Man biting a Dog!!

I often tell the students that it is not news when a dog bites a man. It is news when the Man bites the dog. Do something that makes people wake up from their social media-induced slumber and take notice. 

We are swarmed and bombarded by messages resulting in overexposure.  Most of us are jaded and are no longer stimulated adequately by media and promotional messages. 

So how to cut the clutter, especially in Print Media?  Print media is no longer the darling of the masses. The readership is dwindling and many advertisers are questioning its legitimacy and relevance. 

Print media still has a huge charm. Print media is seen as more reliable, and more responsible and it has the advantage of featuring an advertisement that can linger for a longer period and make a long-lasting impression. 

The precise reason why Colgate's visible white campaign chose print media. Check out the advertisement. at first glance, the ad looks innocuous but at a second glance, it looks as if the Colgate Visible ad is occupying the bottom part of the paper ( Like a solus or a single ad). 

But then we scan down and read the caption "Visible White  Saamne Aaye, toh Achhe Achhe Daant Chupayien (Meaning that even famous people hide their teeth when they come face to face with Colgate White or a person brushing their teeth with Colgate Visible white}. 

For a microsecond we are nonplussed. We don't get it and the people featured in the News items catch our attention. The movie watcher, The couple on a Goa trip, the Girl with the VR device, the author at the book launch, and the traveler to a foreign country are all "HIDING THEIR TEETH". 

Then it hits us. THE ENTIRE PAGE WAS AN ADVERTISEMENT. The ad drove us from itself to the so-called "New Items" Presented in the regular newspaper format. 

This is a brilliant concept. Well thought out and superbly executed. The next page also has an ad of Colgate Visible white.   

Copy writing Blunders - PhDs from WhatsApp University - Prakash Ads and Lalitha Jewellery

Common Sense is not common. It says "where culture and chaos coexist". Really why is it that no one found this offensive? The picture shows women celebrating the very iconic Battukamma festival the pride of Telugu pride!!!

BATTUKAMMA is culture or chaos? And who writes this type of copy? Maybe a Ph.D. from WhatsApp University with a Postdoctoral from Chat GPT!!!

Dictionary meaning of chaos "Complete confusion and disorder: a state in which behavior and events are not controlled by anything. For example, The loss of electricity caused chaos throughout the city. When the police arrived, the street was in total/complete/absolute chaos".

Maybe the greenhouse wannabe copywriter was trying to rhyme. Like they say in telugu, " ప్రాస కోసం పాకులాట"

Gundu sir is selling "100% No V.A Chargers". Another gem from PhD copywriters from WhatsApp University!!!

"Beeryani Beer" what next Dettol Chai!!!

Common sense is not common. Booze money is the engine that drives many states, including Telangana. One of the major reasons for Jagan Mohan Reddy’s rout in the Andhra Pradesh state assembly election was the allegation that "quality liquor from well-known companies” was not available during the YSCRCP rule.

Liquor is big business. The Telangana State Excise Department collected Rs 2639 crore without even selling a single bottle of liquor. This money came from 1.32 lakh non-refundable applications sold at Rs 2,00,000 each for the allotment of 2,620 liquor shops in the state.

The Congress government gave licenses to new companies to manufacture and market alcoholic products, including beer, in Telangana. One of the companies came out with the interesting brand name "Beeryani.”.

Yes, you heard it right. Beeryani is the bastardization of the word "biryani." Biryani is the most popular rice-flavoured mutton or chicken preparation in Telangana. And the company brands its beer “Beeryani”!. It is committing hara-kiri. The consumers will feel as if they are consuming spicy liquid biryani. 

A similar stunt was tried by Manikchand. Manikchand was a Gutka brand, and the company launched the wheat flour atta brand “Manikchand atta." 

Did the brand do well? Of course, it didn't. No self-respecting mother would make rotis with a flour named “Manikchand Atta’.

Simple marketing lesson. Don’t extend the brand too much. Nirma, the popular detergent company, launched a bath soap. It was not branded “Nirma bath soap.” It was named “Nima bath soap.”.

Keywords: Telangana liquor sales,  Jagan Mohan Reddy election defeat, Andhra Pradesh liquor availability, Telangana State Excise Department revenue, Liquor shop allotment Telangana, Beeryani beer brand, Biryani, and beer branding, Manikchand Atta marketing failure, Brand extension mistakes, Nirma and Nima bath soap branding, the Alcohol industry in Telangana, Congress government liquor licenses Telangana, Marketing lessons from branding failures, Consumer perception in branding, Liquor license applications Telangana

Red Bull and Sting, what a fight!!

Five years ago Red Bull had a market share of 75% in the energy drinks market. The price? Rs 100 to 110 for a can of 330 ml. 

Then Sting came along. It was a 250 ml energy  drink priced Rs 20/-. The market exploded and a complete new segment took to energy drinks. 

Today the market share of Red Bull has declined to 7% but the absolute sales figures remain the same. How? 

Let us figure this out. Five years ago Red Bull had 75% market share in a market that was let us say worth Rs 1000 crores. This means a sale of Rs 700 crores. 

Five years later the market had expanded ten times. Now the market is worth Rs 10000 crores and Red Bull gets the same sale, 750 crores. 

Should Red Bull be happy or worry. I would say worry more than be happy. Their absolute numbers have remained the same. 

Market expanded 10x but market share declined by 70%. Right now number remain constant but did not grow. 

The new users all seem to be lovers of Sting. Red Bull needs to rethink it's strategy. Introduce a low priced Red Bull at may be Rs 40/-. Will this move being in new customers from Sting or make old customers move away? 

Hard times ahead for Red Bull. Appears to be caught "between  a Rock and a hard place. 

"Lost in Translation: The Intriguing World of Indian Words with Dual Meanings"

The language learned at home is the “mother tongue." A friend said, “Oh yeah. Only the mother talks in the house, which is why it is called the mother tongue.” Jokes apart, the language spoken at home is the mother tongue, and that language becomes the primary language.

Unlike the popular belief that we need to be proficient in English only, we need to be proficient in our mother tongue too. A person who can communicate well in one language can do so in another too. For example, our parents, who studied up to 10^th grade in Telugu, learned English at a later stage of their lives and excelled in English too.

Being proficient in English is important. Native speakers have problems speaking in English as they form the conversation in their native language and mentally translate it into English.

We become proficient if we can swear in the local language. Next time, observe the language used after a road accident. In the road rage, the drivers (even though dressed nattily in suits) or driving fancy Mercedes cars would swear in Hindi, Telugu, or Urdu, just like the streetside urchins. In times of stress, they automatically go back to the language that they are comfortable with—their mother tongue.

All languages are sweet, but some are sweeter than others. Telugu is called the Italian of the East as the language sounds musical as many words end with the sound lu. Many other languages are great to hear too. The Haryanvi Hindi is very glutaral and rough, and Bhojpuri is quite entertaining. Punjabi is tough.

I asked my Sardar friend about the difference between Hindi and Punjabi, and he gruffly replied, "Nothing, Rey. Speak Hindi loudly, and when you swear in Hindi, it becomes Punjabi." Even though it is not correct, there is logic. Quite often, the language and the grammar given in Haryana are untranslatable.

A father often directs an unprintable gali (or a swear word) towards his son. The father is not serious about the gali. Often, it is the way of speaking or talking. In Hyderabad, the word salla is used often and is not considered a swear word. The word sala is used in the Thai language too. Also known as a Sala Thai, Sala Thai is an open pavilion, used as a meeting place and to give people shade. 

A South Indian was working in Kolkata, Bengal. His neighbour had called him one day for bhojan (dinner). The South Indian was excited. Bengali food is tasty and has mouthwatering fish curries.

He eagerly goes to his neighbour’s house in the evening. He finds all his other neighbours there as well. They were sitting on the floor and chanting hymns and prayers. This goes on for two hours. The South  Indian was getting frantic.

His stomach was grumbling, but he sat and waited. Maybe the bhojan will be served after the prayers! But to his dismay, a small amount of Prasad is served. All his neighbours were going home. Hurt and terribly hungry, he looks at his host. His host folds his hands and says, “Thank you very much for coming to our house to attend the Bhojan." The reality hits the South Indian hard. His neighbour meant “Bhajan—praying and singing—and not Bhojan eating." 

Similarly, a lot of words have different meanings in different languages. For example, at Bahirdar in Ethiopia, where I worked, I had an Indian neighbour named Chidambaram. His wife's name was Usha. She was constantly teased. Urchins would call after her “Ushe, Ushe, Ushe.”.

Ushe is the Amharic word for a dog. We had a teacher from Karnataka, Chika Swamy. Chikka in Kannada means younger. Chika Swamy was slightly eccentric, and his students quickly christened him Chigga Swamy (Chigga in Amharic is mad).

In Punjabi, the term "Munda" refers to a boy. There's a well-known Akshay Kumar song with the lyrics "Amma Dekh, Amma Dekh tera Munda Bigada jai (Mother, watch out, your son is getting spoiled)." However, in the Telugu-speaking states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, "Munda" carries a significantly different and derogatory meaning. Here, it refers to a woman who has lost her husband, a woman with questionable character, or even a prostitute. 

A Hindi-speaking boy had fallen in love with a Telugu girl. There was resistance from both families. But love prevailed, and the boy’s family finally retreated and accepted the proposal. The women from the boy’s side visited the girl’s house to discuss the marriage and the related ceremonies.

They knocked on the door. The girl’s mother opened the door and said, “Randi, Randi." The boy’s family simply exploded. “Humko Randi Bolte hai (she is calling us Randi)”. Upset and furious, they wanted to call off the wedding.

Nonplussed, a relative who knew both Hindi and Telugu intervened. He said with a huge smile, “Oh, no. Randi does not mean a prostitute or a sex worker. Randi, Randi means please come inside in Telugu. It is a very polite way of talking.”.

Similarly, when one says “Mota Bhai” in Gujarati, he is not making fun of our size. He is politely saying “Elder Brother." 

Ethiopian greeting for bye-bye is ‘Chao Chao’. It is easy for the Indians to pretend that they have quickly assimilated themselves and that they are one among the locals. I remember one Telugu teacher calling his wife and having a lengthy conversation. At the end of the conversation, my friends said “Okay take care, chao, Chao’.

The next day, my friend received an urgent communication from Dr. Naidu. My friend was received by Dr. Naidu, who told him that my friend’s wife had called. She was upset and concerned. She had asked Naidu sir “What is the issue with my husband? Why is he so angry? Is he not happy in Ethiopia? Why is he so upset with me? Why did he want to wish me death?” The poor lady was in tears.

 Dr. Naidu was concerned. He asked for an explanation from my friend and then his face lit up in a grin “Oh, oh, oh” he said “You wanted to impress your wife by saying Chao chao. You wanted to sound and act like an NRI who has settled in a foreign country for 20 years. You have forgotten that your wife does not know the meaning of ‘Chao Chao’ which sounds very much like Chavu chavu (the Telugu word for death). And, at the speed you talk during an international call, it must have sounded like chavu chavu”.

Dr. Naidu made my friend call his wife and made him tender a proper apology. Pray, tell me which wife would like her husband to call her from thousands of kilometres away and wish her death?  

So much so for the language. Learn the nuances of the other languages and don’t commit faux pas! 

Indian words that have a different meaning in another Language

	Word	Language	Language
1	Dabba	Hindi “Box”	Kannada Slang for “Waste /dumb, like dabba fellow”
2	Mota	Hindi “Fat”	Gujarati/Marathi “Elder Brother”
3	Kundi	Hindi “Door Latch”	Malayalam/ Tamil “Buttock”
4	Naayi	Hindi “Haircutter”	Tamil “Dog”
5	Chumma	Hindi “Kiss”	Tamil “Just like that”
6	Tatti	Hindi “Potty”	Telugu “A metal plate but spelt tatta”
7	Popat	Hindi “Parrot”	Marathi “Fool”
8	Kadak	Hindi “Strong”	Marathi “Awesome”
9	Chul	Hindi “Lust”	Bengali “Hair”
10	Munda	Punjabi “Boy”	Telugu “(Lady who lost her husband) also means a prostitute”
11	Pani	Hindi “Water”	Telugu “Work”
12	Batti	Hindi “Light”	Kannada “Copy in exams and in test”
13	Topi	Hindi “Cap”	Kannada “Cheat”
14	Gola	Hindi “Round”	Kannada “Torture”
15	Kal	Hindi “Tense (past, Present and future)”	Kannada “Flirt”
16	Thoka	Hindi “Crash/hot forcefully”	Telugu “Tail”
17	Chhatri	Hindi “Umbrella”	Kannada “Fraud”
18	Pungi	Hindi “An Indian instrument used by snake charmers”	Kannada Slang "lie”
Source:  coopwhoop.com/inothernews/double-meaning/
19	Randi	Hindi “Prostitute”	Telugu “Please come”
20	Chor	Hindi “Thief”	Malayalam “Rice”
21	Patti	Hindi “Bandage”	Malayalam “Dog”
22	Teri	Hindi “Yours”	Malayalam “Abuse/bad word”
23	Denge	Hindi, “Will give”	Telugu “F*** Off!”
24	Mool	Hindi “Speechless”	Tamil “Nose”
25	Kal	Hindi “Yesterday/Tomorrow”	Tamil “Rock/stone”
26	Singhara	Hindi “Fruit”	Bengali “Samosa”
27	Choti	Hindi “Younger sister or braid”	Bengali “Chappal”
28	Sollu	Tamil “tell me”	Telugu “Boring”
30	Sollu	Tamil “tell me”	Telugu “Saliva”
31	Nalla	Telugu “black”	Tamil “Good”
32	Illey	Tamil “No”	Telugu “Illu means house”
33	Irruku	Tamil “Available”	Telugu “Narrow Space”
34	Vannakam	Tamil “Good Morning”	Telugu “We will not shiver”
35	Pataka	Hindi “Firecracker”	Telugu “Flag”
36	Thali	Hindi “Meal or a plate”	Telugu “Mangalasutra”
37	Mitti	Hindi, "Soil" or "earth,"	Punjabi "Clay"
38	Lal	Hindi “Red”	Bengali “Loving, Lovely, very good”
39	Pata	Hindi, "Address" or "information,"	Bengali "leaf."
40	Chacha	Hindi, "Paternal uncle"	Urdu "Old man" or "elderly person."
41	Batti	Hindi “Light”	Telugu “Learn by rote or by heart”
42	Chai	Hindi “Tea”	Bengali Chal “Rice”
43	Romba	Tamil “A large quantity”	Telugu Rambha “A beautiful lady”
44	Pasi	Tamil “Hungry”	Telugu “Young like Pasivadu”
45	Selavu	Tamil “Expenditure”	Telugu “Holiday”
46	Thondere	Tamil “Problem”	Telugu “Haste”

  

Dabba, Mota, Kundi, Naayi, Chumma, Tatti, Popat, Kadak, Chul, Munda, Pani, Batti Topi, Gola, Kal, Thoka, Chhatri, Pungi, Randi, Chor