Move over, Mother Goose!

My family has always been big on poetry. Proof of this fact lies in the lyrical beauty of the doggerels that have been passed down over generations from father to daughter, mother to son, driver to ex-gardener... and finally down to me.

I have therefore decided to preserve the following family heirlooms in a stainless steel tiffin box filled with liquid Nitrogen. The tiffin box will then be jettisoned into outer space, as a complete representation of modern civilization on earth.

Move over, Mother Goose.

(Refer Glossary below for word meanings)

Announcements:

One ara two ara dikkara dun
Aval kaaval must be done
KaLLan KuLLan twenty one
Ah, you may bluqq.

(Tanglish + Gibberish:

A one, a two, a dikk and a dunn

Waiting watching must be done

Robber, shorty 21

Ah, you may bluqq

(gesture slicing throat with tongue out))

Son who temple salt flour needle gone

( Pun on Pillaiyaar koil Upma oosi pochu (Tamil)

=The upma in the Ganesha temple went bad)

Proposals:

Leaf lotus Only one pearl umbrella

(Pun on Yele kamala onde ondu muthu kodey (Kannada)

=Hey Kamala give us a kiss)

Travelogues:

Bambai ku jaana
Daarili obba koothidha
Ra, ra ani chepthe
Vardhille ant chonna
What shall I do?

(Pentalingual

Pig Hindi: When I went to Bombay

Kannada: A man was on the road

Pig Telugu: I told him "come, come with me"

Pig Tamil: He said, "No I won't"

English: What shall I do?)

Once I went to Vellayani *

There I saw a Kalyani
Sitting on a Mullani*
Eating Bombay Biriyani

Once I went to a Chinese Shop
There I saw a chinese lady
This what she said to me:
"Aye aye chick-a-dye
Um pum poori
Out goes you
And that is you."

I and Mary
Went for a waak
Mary fell
And tore her fraak

Appushasthri and Kuppushastry
Went to Kalahasthri
There they saw a

Kuppai thotti mesthri*
They took him to aspathri*
And put plasthri*

Philosophy:

Brandy ni thraagithe

Brahmandamga untaru

Whisky ni thraagithe

Vishwa roopam choosthaaru

Saaraayi thraagithe

Swarga lokam pothaaru.

(Telugu:

If you drink brandy

You'll be fantastic

If you drink Whisky

You'll see the real you

If you drink toddy

You'll go straight to heaven)

Mottai mottai molagu saar

Kambli mottai dei Kumar!

(Gibberish+Tamil:

Baldy baldy pepper sir,

blanket baldy hey Kumar!)

Perhaps Tamilized version of the Hindi:

Motey, motey, maalguzaar

Gamley motey de kumhar

(Fatty fatty landlord man,

Give you fat pots, the potter can.))

It adhu but aadre
What yenu??

(Kanglish:Translations inbuilt)

I naan, me naan
Thou nee, you nee
He 'van, she 'vaL
It adhu they 'vargal
(Tanglish: Translations inbuilt)

Sher-o-shayri:

Karuppu naayikki
(wah wah huzzoor, karuppu naayikki?)

Haan. Karrupu naayikki - vaal illeyyy
(mashallah! maar hi dalogey)
Karuppu. Naayikki. Vaal Illeyy...
Kaapi thaNNikki paal Illey.
(Waaaah wah wah wah)

(Tamil, in imitation of a mushaira:

The black dog has no tail

The black coffee has no milk)

Other contributions welcome. Nitrogen is expensive, and we have a whole stainless steel dabba to fill. Quick!

*Glossary:

Vellayani = a place in Kerala

mullani = foal

kuppai thotti mesthri = garbage collector

aspathri = hospital

plasthri = plaster