Migrants' trail in words and proverbs Frederick Noronha f...@goa-india.org
Konkani proverbs have a certain charm about them. Not only do they reflect the reality of the region, but these pearls of wisdom take us back to another time -- when Goa was an agrarian, rustic, even more of a gender and class-dominated society. There are quite a few titles in the market already. But this is such a bottomless pit, that however many the books that come out, there is still more ground to be covered. We already have books on proverbs by V.P. Chavan (AES, 1995), S.S. Talmaki (1932), Manohar Pai Dhungat (Goa Konkani Academi), Shripad Subrao Sukhatankar's Konkani Mhaniyo (1995), S.S. Talmaki (Popular). Late Jesuit Antonio Pereira's book was well received. Expat Goans in Canada Damian and Domnic Lopes crafted a book called 'A Handful of Grams: Goan Proverbs'. Domnic Fernandes of Anjuna and Tony Fernandes of Guirim/Canada have also done work in collecting the same. So have other Konkani enthusiasts in cyberspace. Engineer-turned-writer Jose Lourenco has also done useful work on this front, by way of a desk-calendar. This book before us comes from Kerala. It is written in English and Devanagari Konkani (though not necessarily in a dialect the reader in Goa might be familiar with). The author says at the start itself: "The Konkani-speaking people include various communities such as the Gowda Saraswat Brahmins, Vaisyas, Kudumbis, Christians and Muslims. The present study is restricted to the Gowda Saraswat Brahmin community." Unlike earlier books on sayings, this one doesn't comprise of neatly laid-out, topic-wise lists. Instead, it has a large number of Konkani sayings, all woven into a wider theory that the author builds to paint the socio-cultural background of the Gowda (or Gaud) Saraswat Brahmins. Page after page is peppered with a lot of sayings from the past, amidst explanations of the social context. So that makes for an interesting read, whether one is interested in the wider point or not. It recreates the vision of the past, through sayings like: "A look at the courtyard will tell you about the quality of the house" (p 2) or "He who eats salt will [sooner or later] drink water." (p 99) This content is scattered within five different chapters, and a conclusion. To begin, aptly, is an overview of Konkani proverbs. Next, proverbs are linked to the social structure and the history of the GSBs. Further chapters look at the relevance of proverbs to customs, manners, dharma and values. Dr Bai initially tackles proverbs related to society ("The bridegroom looks at the bride's face, the priest looks for his dakshina." "He never gave food to his father when he was alive; after death he offered him rice balls.") She suggests that the proverbs reflect "the true picture" of different relationships among members of society. Grandfathers, sons-in-laws, daughters-in-law, mothers-in-law, and others are touched on. Coming from those times, one interesting and forward-looking perspective: "Don't be sad that a girl is born to you, she will grind the coconut for you; and don't be happy that a son is born to you, he will torture you in many ways.") There are other hints of changing power equations. The mother-in-law, at times, looked upon her son's wife as a slave. On the other hand, the elderly woman also lived in constant dread of her daughter-in-law. The sometimes adverse position of a newly-wed in the husband's home is also alluded to in some sayings. So are marital relations touched on: "If the husband and wife agree with each other, they can sleep even on a tamarind leaf." Some proverbs from the philosophical arena sound too idealistic. For instance: "The wealth you receive is proportionate to your work." And: "If you commit a sin today, you will answer for it tomorrow." Life can be much more harsh! But some proverbs (related to moral and ethics) really sound true and insightful. "Anger is the cause of self-destruction and happiness is the cause of the destruction of others." Or, "If you lie you will gain a coconut shell (a mark of poverty)." Given Goa's agrarian background, it's not surprising to see the number of sayings connected with birds and animals: crows, pigeons, parrots, cocks, hens, cuckoos, elephants, dogs, cows, buffaloes, cats, tigers, donkeys and jackals! Here's an unusual one: "How much does the rat excrete and how many cakes are made from the excretement?" There are others on trees, plants and even cereals! Some proverbs deal with the history of the GSBs. Says the book: "The Konkani language is supposed to be the main carrier of the culture of the Gowda Saraswat Brahmins." Also interesting is the reflection of caste in proverbs. The potter comes in ("The potter has no unbreakable pots.") So do goldsmiths, barbers, carpenters, fishermen, the basket-weaving mahars, We're told: "The Kunbis form a constituent part of the Gowda Saraswat Brahmin society.. (who) greatly depended on the services of the Kunbis." There's material for a sociologist here. Family relationships are studied. Father-son, mother-son, children in the family, daughters, daughters-in-law, husbands-and-wives, and widowhood are touched on in some detail. Dr Bai goes further and delves into proverbs dealing with customs and manners. These include guru-shishya traditions, dress and ornaments, food and drink, trade and wealth. The last is interesting: Wealth has got feathers. If you have wealth you will be able to move a hill. Where there is wealth there is respect. A wealthy man has many visitors. Wealth flows to where there is wealth. Utter the word 'money' and you can see even the corpse gaping! Then, there's a hint of the outward-focussed vision of the Konkani trader. Take a look at sayings such as: "Gold has no value in Lanka." "As the mouse went to Malacca." In the section on dharma, there are references to sayings on deepavali, holi, chaturthi, and other sayings. The book ends with a section on ethical values. Some might see the book as being uncritical about its subject and theme. Its cover is simple in its design, almost plain. So don't judge the book by it. At Rs 150, it is reasonably priced. If your interest is in language, understanding the attitudes of the past, or even the sociology of Goa and its migrant communities, contact the publishers in Kerala and order a copy. This book comes from the Sukrtindra Oriental Research Institute of Kochi. The institute works to promote "Oriental learning" and Indological subjects (Sanskrit, Indian culture, literature, history, philosophy, the arts and architecture). Its manuscript library, we're told, contains several palm-leaf manuscripts in Sanskrit. It undertakes research, conducts seminars, publishing books, brings out a research journal, and offers diploma courses. We're being reminded of the timelessness of such sayings. Unlike the Konkani saying, "Aaji ashillo, fayee na". Or, here today, gone tomorrow. Proverbs are the mirror of the society through which we may feel the pulse of the particular people. -- Socio-Cultural Background of the Gowda Saraswat Brahmin Community as Reflected in the Konkani Proverbs Dr. L. Suneetha Bai Pp 176, June 2012 (2nd edition) Rs 150 in India $15 elsewhere Sukrtindra Oriental Research Institute, Kochi 682032 sukrtin...@gmail.com (0484)-2349563 -- Published earlier in The Navhind Times.