Life changes persistently; so does the life style – the way of thinking and perceiving things. But some memories just aren't meant to be forgotten, while some secrets are simply meant to be unveiled. Now that I am in 2011 and the Indian team has finally won the World Cup Cricket after a gap of 28 years, I think it's high time that I reveal my 8-year-old secret.
I know you all are confused thinking how can my secret be associated with cricket!
Well, the story goes like this: It was March 2003. I was due to give my board exams. At the same time Indian Cricket team has passionately made their entry in World Cup Cricket final along with its counterpart and the then all-time-favorite Australia. I was so obsessed by the game that I related all my answers in my board exams with cricket. Yes, I did that. And I scored impressively as well.
2003 witnessed a new wave in Manipur. Technological innovation was one of the major changing trends in Manipur. Here, I am particularly talking about the internet revolution. I was an active part of that revolution. In fact, there wasn't a single person, especially the school goers who didn't have their mail IDs. It was a must for one to have an account on Yahoo Messenger at least. Chatting was a kind of in-thing at that time. And I fully utilized that feature of Yahoo during the break after the board exams.
I was obsessed by chatting to the extent that I would sit inside internet cafes for long hours, chatting with unknown lots from the UK, the US, Canada, Australia and the like (now, I wonder if they really were foreigners at all!!). Yeah, I had this craze of chatting with Whites as I like their red cheeks with golden spiky hairs.
Not just pass time, chatting had become my passion. I would collect posters of celebs downloading them from net. By the way, I only collected posters of that special one. Actually, I fell in love with Mr Lee. No...No...No...don't misunderstand me ...it's not Bruce Lee. It is the dashing, amazing, stunning and handsome mate, Brett Lee.
I loved him. I still do. I like the way he runs and releases the bowl from his right hand in style embossed with speed; I love to see his eyebrows raised when his bowl is being smashed to the boundary; I like the way he irritates batsman and then gives him that taunting smile – the smile that always brings a smile on my face. Yes, I like him to an extreme of craziness.
Today, in the quarter-finals of WC 2011, I was pretty much happy with India beating the Aussies. But somewhere in my heart there was a deep and subtle pain, for the obvious reason that: my Lee was out of the WC 2011. And I would not be able to see him in remaining matches of the tournament.
It has been 8 long years ever since I first liked Lee. Though the intensity my this one sided relation now is not that high as it used to be earlier, I am still crazy about him. Craziness, of course, has a limit; but I had, probably, crossed all of them. My first mail IDs on Yahoo and Gmail were an amalgamation of my name and his name (mehnaz_lee@yahoo.co.in). And because of my mail ID, everyone now thinks that 'Lee' is my surname.
Till I was a student, it was acceptable to keep a lid over it. Now that I am working, I think it's high time that I reveal my 8-year-old secret. So world, my name is Mehnaz Nasreen and I am not a 'Lee'.
Showing posts with label manipur. Show all posts
Showing posts with label manipur. Show all posts
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Sunday, February 6, 2011
I'm a Hindu-Muslim-Punjabi-Manipuri
So you are a Manipuri? Yes, I am. But then, why don't you have 'chinky' eyes? How can you speak Hindi so fluently? These are the common questions which I have been shot at wherever I go. Then the whole process of explaining my identity takes place. It goes like...well, I am a Manipuri, born and brought up in Manipur, but my origin is of Punjab. As soon as they hear this word Punjab, their level of curiosity rises and before I could complete my explanation, they would shoot another one - Punjabi, you?
Yes, I am a Punjabi as well as Manipuri, I would reply every single time. My ancestors came to Manipur eight decades ago from a village called Majitha located in Amritsar, Punjab. Surprised to know my origin, they would react, 'Great! now, we know the secret of your Non-Chinky eyes'.
The curiosity of this inquisitive lot doesn't end here. They would question me more as if they are some CBI agents and I am an accused of some murder case or so! For instance, they would ask, Why your ancestors left Punjab? Why they came to Manipur? If you are a Manipuri then do you eat pork and dog? Well, I failed to understand how they so beautifully connect Manipuri or any other Chinkies with dogs and porks. Perhaps, they might have come across people who enjoy eating those non-vegs or is it that Chinkies do not have any other unique features apart from their chinky eyes and being dog-eater ? I can only wonder. May be, these lot aren't aware of the progress that these chinky eyes people have made. May be, World Boxing Champ Mary Kom, CWG Gold Medalist Suranjoy Singh are just another dog-eaters for them.
While wondering which one to answer first, one would again question me, Have you ever tasted dog meat or pork? Annoyed with their stupid questions, I would reply promptly that I am a Muslim and pork is haraam (forbidden) in Islam. Silence would prevail for some time, and I know what made them speechless. Yes, I being a Muslim is another shocker for them.
Even if they are confused with my identity so far, they would never stop inquiring. Now, their target is to find out what I speak- Urdu is what you speak, right?, they would ask. Big no is always my reply. I know it's a common confusion that Urdu is the language of Muslim. Here, I would like to clarify that Urdu is not every Muslim speaks (though majority knows the language). I speak Manipuri as it's my mother tongue and a Muslim in Kerala would converse in Malayalam, same goes with Kashmiri Muslims, they would obviously talk in Kashmiri not in Urdu.
To satiate their curiosity of my origin, I would start explaining my family tree. Basically, my ancestors were Hindu of high caste from Undivided Punjab. Yes, they were Brahmin and converted to Islam way back in 19th century. During the partition, my great grandfather preferred Manipur to any other place in India or rather Pakistan as Manipur then was a tranquilled land ('was' because the adjective is no more valid with the advent of militancy) and is really close to nature. Shocker again for them, this time it's the Hindu connection that was surprising to them.
Confused with the bombardment of information, they would ask me to stop. And they would conclude by themselves that you are a Punjabi Manipuri Muslim now residing in Delhi. Ammm...No, I said and corrected- I am a Hindu-turned-Muslim-Punjabi-Manipuri now planning to settle in Delhi. And that's my identity or is it an Identity in crisis? I wonder.
Yes, I am a Punjabi as well as Manipuri, I would reply every single time. My ancestors came to Manipur eight decades ago from a village called Majitha located in Amritsar, Punjab. Surprised to know my origin, they would react, 'Great! now, we know the secret of your Non-Chinky eyes'.
The curiosity of this inquisitive lot doesn't end here. They would question me more as if they are some CBI agents and I am an accused of some murder case or so! For instance, they would ask, Why your ancestors left Punjab? Why they came to Manipur? If you are a Manipuri then do you eat pork and dog? Well, I failed to understand how they so beautifully connect Manipuri or any other Chinkies with dogs and porks. Perhaps, they might have come across people who enjoy eating those non-vegs or is it that Chinkies do not have any other unique features apart from their chinky eyes and being dog-eater ? I can only wonder. May be, these lot aren't aware of the progress that these chinky eyes people have made. May be, World Boxing Champ Mary Kom, CWG Gold Medalist Suranjoy Singh are just another dog-eaters for them.
While wondering which one to answer first, one would again question me, Have you ever tasted dog meat or pork? Annoyed with their stupid questions, I would reply promptly that I am a Muslim and pork is haraam (forbidden) in Islam. Silence would prevail for some time, and I know what made them speechless. Yes, I being a Muslim is another shocker for them.
Even if they are confused with my identity so far, they would never stop inquiring. Now, their target is to find out what I speak- Urdu is what you speak, right?, they would ask. Big no is always my reply. I know it's a common confusion that Urdu is the language of Muslim. Here, I would like to clarify that Urdu is not every Muslim speaks (though majority knows the language). I speak Manipuri as it's my mother tongue and a Muslim in Kerala would converse in Malayalam, same goes with Kashmiri Muslims, they would obviously talk in Kashmiri not in Urdu.
To satiate their curiosity of my origin, I would start explaining my family tree. Basically, my ancestors were Hindu of high caste from Undivided Punjab. Yes, they were Brahmin and converted to Islam way back in 19th century. During the partition, my great grandfather preferred Manipur to any other place in India or rather Pakistan as Manipur then was a tranquilled land ('was' because the adjective is no more valid with the advent of militancy) and is really close to nature. Shocker again for them, this time it's the Hindu connection that was surprising to them.
Confused with the bombardment of information, they would ask me to stop. And they would conclude by themselves that you are a Punjabi Manipuri Muslim now residing in Delhi. Ammm...No, I said and corrected- I am a Hindu-turned-Muslim-Punjabi-Manipuri now planning to settle in Delhi. And that's my identity or is it an Identity in crisis? I wonder.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)