Thursday, October 12, 2006

Ever Been To Jugarat?

As a student, there are lots of parties one could attend here. Welcome parties, potlucks, barbecues, international students' parties, Indian parties, departmental parties, you just name it. There were enough to make sure that my weekends were full, and some of my weekday evenings too.

That wasn’t so much good news for me. I guess I’m rather introverted, especially after evenings, when I like to retire with a book or a movie. Crowds intimidate me. Unknown faces do so more. Even if I was forced to attend a party, you’d find me at one corner, with a glass of water, watching the crowd from a distance. Sometimes, I get into a different mood and dance the night away. But that happens rarely. 

So here I was attending another of those parties arranged to welcome international students. I had gone there straight from my classes, and it’s just the white hat on my head (the one that I’d got from a dollar store) that distinguished me from my “jeans and tee shirt” student look. It was amazing how the other students, so young and from such distant countries found their way so easily here, laughing and dancing and making international friends. I was feeling utterly uncomfortable amid unknown faces. So I settled at one corner of the room, a glass of water in hand. There were beer and steaks and sandwiches too. But I had no appetite. 

I saw that girl from New Zealand who had long, Maggi-like hair, giving her a nice electrocuted look. I saw that mathematics student back from Siberia I’d met a few days back. And then there were these guys from Korea, and this pretty female from Sweden. I’d been introduced to them a few weeks back. I am not very good at remembering names. Indian names, maybe sometimes. Non-Indian names, no chance. I had strangely remembered that girl’s name who was from Sri Lanka, but I don't remember it anymore.


I guess I was never going to learn to go up to a group and introduce myself. People call it being a social outcast. I see it as intellectual lethargy. If everyone talked in a room, who’d listen?

So here I was lost in my thoughts when a girl came waving at me. She must have deciphered the SOS message on my face and came to give me company. Well, I could actually do with some company. Before this, I was talking to a good looking man from India. Okay, not really good looking, but it reminded me of someone. Weird lines of thought. There are some faces you remember, even if they do not fall into the typical “good looking” category. An engineering graduate from Ahmedabad, he was the only Indian I’d met so far.

So this girl comes up to me and introduces herself. As usual, I did not get her name. But I got it that she was from Spain and was a graduate student in engineering.

So wee-rrrrrr yu frrmm? 


India.

Oh wow. I love Indian food, she chimed enthusiastically.



Ah, yes. India is a great place.

Aww yeah, I know. I was there for a couple of months.

Really?

Yeah, I went for a 3 month project from my department. You know, I was mainly interested in topography analysis. With this, she went on to give me a detailed account of what she was doing there, most of which went as indigestible as the food here.


So where in India did you visit?, I asked.


She looked a little confused, looked up the ceiling, and said, ummm… this place on the west, very hot.


Rajasthan?

No…..Jugarat.

What?

Jugarat?


It took me a lot of effort to not laugh out loud. 


Well, do you know the place?, she asked me.


Of course. It’s Gujarat.


Jugarat?

Gujarat. Gu-ja-raaat.

Ju-ga-raat?

No, see it goes like this. Watch me do it. Gooo-ja-raaat.

Jooo-ga-raaat?

Gu. Gu. Say goooooooo. Gooo... as in Google?

Goooooo?

Yes, very good. Now say, gooo-ja-raat.

Jooo-ga-raaat.


Suddenly, the teacher in me took over and I was hell bent on making sure she said it the right way.


Common, let’s do it once more. Gu-ja-raat.

The poor girl seemed flustered. Ju-ga-raat?

Oh God, just forget it. I surely wasn’t going to spend this evening caught up between the gu-s and the joo-s. People around me would freak out. 

Gujarat, I said one last time.


Ju-jugarat.


Well, Jugarat is also fine. Just practice a few times in front of the mirror and I’m sure you’ll do better.


After exchanging a few more words which didn’t start with a G or a J, she went back to her crowd. I looked around and saw the good looking man from Ahmedabad. May be he could teach her how to pronounce it the right way. As if reading my mind, he turned to look at me. He smiled. I smiled back.

I hadn’t realized that my friend (the girl I’d come with) was back from socializing. She was sitting beside me, watching me smile at the guy from Ahmedabad.


So who is this young man you are smiling at?

What?, I was startled, not expecting to find her behind me.



This handsome man?


Oh, he? He is an engineer from Jugarat.

What???

Oops, I’m sorry. I mean he is from Gujarat. Ahmedabad.


My friend gave me the weirdest look. Was she eyeing me with a mixture of suspicion and pity?


Okay, that was just a slip of tongue.


You know, I really believe you are stressed. Jugarat? 


With this, she swayed back into the crowd, leaving me sitting alone with my water and wondering, Jugarat? How could I have said that?

sunshine.

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

Yeah, I have been in 'Jugarat' for 4 years... and no that isn't the worst thing you could do to that name :)

But why are you missing out the party like that? I forced myself to go to all such parties and actually met quite a few nice people there. Just pull yourself along... and go hunting for 'faces you just like' in them if need be. :D

Anonymous said...

Your blog is brilliant. Keep writing.

ggop said...

LOL - you have to see the sketch in Goodness Gracious Me where the token white guy in the desi company tries to help them pronounce "Jonathan" via syllables.

(The one where he finally changes his name to Joginder Pal Singh or something)


Very tongue in cheek!

gg

Anonymous said...

great story .... it might be something to do with the Spanish pronunciations of 'g' and 'j', which are quite different from english

Life Lover said...

I've lived in Gujarat for long too...thanks for your perseverence in turning her 'jugarat' into the rightful 'gujarat'. I applaud your efforts but sometimes hard work doesn't pay! :)

Life said...

nice one.
but life is not about standing alone in a corner.
If you go inside that crowd, there will be a lot many corners that you can find.

Its initiative that is where the problem lies. SO enjoy the parties
and try exploring the crowd.
ak

Anonymous said...

I went to interenational party only once....only attraction I found there was free food and a russian chick...rest was all desi.It was actually a desi party with few invited guests.

Anonymous said...

This is one one of the most hilarious posts u've written so far..keep writing more !!

Di said...

tysynhhe he..i totally understand!! im the kind that gets people to pronounce words right too.. ;)