By Razaque Ahamat
Firstly let me start with some place names in New Zealand that I encountered during my 6-year stint there that would tickle the people conversant with Sinhala!!
There is a place north of Auckland where we normally stop for rest on the way to Whakatane (where my son was doing his elective from Edinburgh Med School..-- ( by the way WHAKATANE is a Maori word pronounced as....... "FUCK-A TARNAY"!!!) .... for rest & refreshments is called TE PUKE---- pronounced "THAY PUKAY!!!)---- where I bought "MY COCK"-- the larger than life-size cockerel carved from a single block of Jade.-- "JADED COCK"
On our way back, we take a route back via picturesque Taupo and a few miles south of here is a waterfall called HUKA FALLS!!! Then further north is a place where the Maori Queen lives in place and Maori sounds as NA RUWA WHAHAYA . I suppose in Sinhala may sound a bit rude!!
Further up the motorway, we pass the Anchor Butter Factory in a place called PUKE KOHI. Some of you may remember the Waidyaratnes--- Siri and Chula from the 6-months Course who have/had their practice. In the surrounding valleys and hills --- PUKE VALLEYS AND HILLS the Gujarathies from India have large farms of milch cows supplying milk to the near-by Anchor Butter Factory. Now we know from where we get our Anchor Butter from --- the PUKE HILLS AND VALLEYS.
The above, I think have said at different times in the past... yet it is worth re-writing!!
Now for another part of the world. I refer to YEMEN, where all of you may be aware there is a conflict on-going at the moment, to put it mildly. The two main parties in conflicts are the SUNNIS and HOUTHTHIES!!! The Houthies are from an area called HOUTHTHA and they mostly Shia- a Sect of Muslims. The other being SUNNIS and to which Sect I belong!!!.. In Tamil the word SUNNI means ----- wait for it .... the MALE GENITALS!!! This means, Metaphorically speaking, they are all ...... PAKAYAS in Sinhala!!! I think it is time for me to CHANGE SEX..........SORRY I mean CHANGE SECT, thank you!!!! So dare not give me another "Nick-name"... I have TOO MANY.....thank you, to cope with.!!!!!
Thanks Razaque! No wonder Pharmaceutical firms do a lot of research beforr they market drugs in different countries. It won't to much for their sales of Viagra in Sri Lanka if it was marketed as "Painoshakthi"!
ReplyDeleteI came across some interesting names in my trips to NZ too. The "Pukemanu Tavern" in Martinborough, the "Pukekura" district, "Pukekohe" Motel, "Puke Ariki" Mobile Library, "Puke Hikoi Hill" walk, Pukekohe Hill school, "Te Puke" (Kiwi Fruit capital of the world) - just to name a few. I looked for Puke Ginna but couldn't find it.
That Ayurvedic Physician in Warakapola specialising in Piles and Nervous diseases will do a roaring trade in New Zealand.
DeleteND
Mahendra,
DeleteThank u 4 ur comments.
Just imagine a Pharmaceutical Company in a sleepy village in SL called "BAKANA-HU-DUWA"--- brothers will be rushing to this place one after the other "AIYA- PASSENG"!!!!!.
Razaque.
Razaque
ReplyDeleteYour article took me on a journey - not to New Zealand or Yemen but on a journey back in time to our final year trip when everyone, every word and every move was funny. Those couple of days fuelled by alcohol must be the funniest I can recall. As I was fully immersed in that wonderful atmosphere I lost track of time. I returned to the real world when my wife asked me to mow the lawn.
Thanks
ND
Just a correction ---- Whakatane ---won't state the transliteration in Mari, is in fact SOUTH of Auckland and not North as stated in the posting..
ReplyDeleteAnother issue that worries some folk is Copyright -- I have no worries as all my "jokes" are based on my experiences and most often on ME . Of course there are a lot of nuance, paradigms ,metaphors, oxymoronic twists in transliterations and linguistic interpretations!!!.
Razaque.
Razaque
ReplyDeleteThanks for the correction. I don't allow those minutiae worry me. I appreciate your original humour straight from your own bat.
ND
Nihal
DeleteYou may or may not know that I was a reasonable opening bat and may have had a few snicks from the "edge"-- lost one early in life!!! but all in all a very straight bat and good timing!!
Razaque
Razaque
DeleteYou opened the batting for St Anthony's Wattala. Those are the thing we discussed while studying for the 2nd MB. I remember this but have forgotten all that anatomy, Physio and Biochem.
The brain know what is important in life !!!
ND
One more thing that I missed out----- in NZ near PukeKohi lives the rugby legend Jonah Lomu in his home in an elevated position and I am informed (may be false!!) that area is called PUKE HILLOCK!!!!
ReplyDeleteRazaque.