Madraseeeeeeeeee...........

It really irritates me, in Delhi (I don't know about the other parts of India) calling South Indians "Madrasi". I get annoyed with this word. Has it been the same in the other parts of India, I mean North, East, Western parts?

Oh yeah.. dont I agree with you !!

In Mumbai when I was working , I was always referred to as that "madrasi"... till I told them one day.. You call me Madrasi one more time, and I will call you Ghati.

Cheers
Bhooma

Hi,
In Dubai, anybody from South is referred to as Malabari. Immediately, we would retaliate..I am not Malabari.I am Madraasi. (Malabari for Malayalees)
I agree that it is very annoying being addressed thus.

Regards
USHA

yes i remember long back when i had a punjabi friend she used to talk very badly about the south indians though married to a pillai from south,
you people have to tie malli poo always with all those sarees and a whole load of flowers in your hair and gossipping all the time over the compound wall, always asking for something or the other like maami sugar konjam, or oorgai konjam and so on, i wondered what an exposure not all are like that.

in kolkate the burglars used to talk to each other if we can get hold of one thaali of a madraasi which will fetch 20 sovereigns of gold you know, so ladies started wearing thaali in silver to go out...

when in kolkata they have a habit of getting a gift of lal chudi, that is the red plastic thick bangle all wear, and one must see the effect.
while standing in a queue to go to vivekananda rock i found some one screaming across and running towards me and he was calling me bowdeeeee bowdeee u know it is the bhabhi in hindi and manni in tamil so i turned to see who could be saying this and i dont even know him, he pointed to the red bangle panting away and said bowdee apni bangalee, bhabhi are u bengali, i said in the negative and i spoke to him in bengali which thrilled him no end, he said vow to hear my mother tongue in this south india is a bliss in itself...so each one his own.so dont feel bad..sunkan

Even telugites are called as Golti which i hate

Hey, I think its a common problem everywhere..Tamilians called Madrasi, Telugu people called as Golti, Malayalees called Mallu, Gujarathis called Gujju...and so on.Never ending!! People Wake up.We are Indians...Arent we all?? Its really bad to address our fellow Indians by names like these.I fell irritated when any of these names are called or pointed out at.At the most , please avoid using these kind of names and be humans is my humble request.Please spread this message.Dont retaliate if someone calls you XYZ and you call them back ABC -Please!
Tanmayi - Thanks for bringing it up.
Sunkan -

As such referring to a person as Madrasee or Punjabi is not bad. It turns bad and ugly only because Madrasees are branded as people having some characteristics. Some people are not aware that there are 4 major southern states. They think the whole of South is Madras whose people eat idly and sambar and apply coconut oil to their hair. I am sure such people would not like to answer the question "Are you a Bihari?"

hi tanmayee,
i know it is irritating to be called a madrasee....as such, it is not wrong to refer to one from madras a madrasi ....but the ridiculousness is that for most north indians, anybody from south of the vindhyas is a madraseee....i was in ahmedabad a few months for my husband's project, and a lady there even asked me if "madrasi" was also the language we spoke at home.... i was apalled and shocked by the ignorance...
and coconut oil and kanjeevaram silks....these are things that complete a picture of a "madrasi" for a north indian....
i wonder if we could include lessons in our schooling to make children understand our regional differences better......