- SAMETALU (With transliteration and English translation) Translator Dr. VVB Rama Rao C P Brown Academy The Alpha Foundation Hyderabad, India - Sametalu (Proverbs in Telugu) Managing Editor: GRK Murty Senior Consultant: M Hanumantha Rao Consulting Editor: SS Prabhakar Rao Associate Editor: G Ramesh Babu Editorial Support: Y Anand, C Rama Devi, D Sujatha Devi T Rajendra Prasad, V Aruna Devi Chief Visualizer: A Bangaru Babu Cover Design and Illustrations: B Anjaneyulu @ 2008 C P Brown Academy. All Rights Reserved. Every effort has been made to make this book the most accurate, veritable and helpful means of its kind. However, the publisher regrets any error that may yet have crept in. The information contained in this book is merely for reference and must not be taken as having authority of or binding in any way on the authors, editor, publisher or sellers. Neither this book nor any part of it may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, microfilming and recording or by any information storage or retrieval system, without prior permission in writing from the copyright holder. Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks, and are used only for identification and explanation without intent to infringe. Only the publishers can export this book from India. Infringement of this condition of sale will lead to civil and criminal prosecution. First Edition: 2008 Printed in India Published by C P Brown Academy The Alpha Foundation 8, Dwarakapuri Colony, Punjagutta Hyderabad - 500 082, India. Website: www.alphacharities.org, www.cpbrownacademy.org Printed at: M/s. ICIT Software Centre Private Ltd. 1, Technocrat Industrial Estate Balanagar Cross Roads Hyderabad-500 037, India. Preface Proverbs are perhaps as old as human civilization. As man started living in groups, new relationships came into vogue – both with people and places and the nature around them. This ‘togetherness’ of living might have provided a rich platform for the wise to observe the evolving group behaviour keenly and hypothesize on how and how not to conduct oneself for a better living. Every society and every language have proverbs. They are not the exalted words written by literary savants. They are mere utterances of the common man. They are the very ideas, views, and conceptions of evolving man. They are the manifestations arising from everyday life. They are, perhaps, a reflection of the “common consciousness” of mankind expressed in ordinary language. But their greatness lies in their pithiness. At the same time, they are statements of profound wisdom. They constitute oral literature of every society. Yet, owing to their enlivening and refreshing nature, they survived for generations. Quite often, the underlying meaning of the proverbs in different languages appears similar. But their expression acquires a native tang, for they have evolved out of one’s own living experience amidst a particular society and its dynamics. They are mostly influenced by local experiences. They, thus, acquire an aura of ‘nativism’. And so, they sound dearer to its clan. They mean so much to the society from which they emerged. But it is this native thwack that at times makes it difficult for outsiders to appreciate them. - - - - For instance, the underlying profundity of the saying–Mrugas´ira kartelo musileddu kuda . ranke-stundi–can be well appreciated only by those who know what Mrugas´ira ka-rte stands for, the energy status of a musileddu – old ox, and what its ranke–bellowing– - - - denotes. As Mrugasi´ra karte succeeds Rohini Karte that is known for its scorching . temperatures and baking heat wave, it brings in its wake cool pre–monsoon winds and showers. These cool showers obviously rejuvenate even the old bull that suffered - the worst during the preceding karte. And as the shower so softly touches the old ox, it also bellows in ecstasy. This whole truth has been decocted into that pithy statement. Thus, proverbs are to be understood, not in isolation, but only in conjunction with the prosaic activities of mankind against the backdrop of changing nature and its products. The Brown Academy of Alpha Foundation has taken up the task of transliterating the proverbs into Roman script and present them in a book form with a commentary in English, for the benefit of those who cannot read Telugu script. We shall feel satisfied if it serves its intended purpose. Feedback is solicited. GRK Murty Transliteration Scheme of Telugu Alphabet JK°Ç •ó ° Vowels ( : Acculu) J P W D L T – – – a a i i u u |°° |°¶ Z U – – – ru ru .lu .lu e e .S .X F B JO J— – ai o o au am ah . . ‚ì¬ •°•Á ° Consonants ( : Hallulu) H› Y Q® „°¬¦ VVV . k kh g gh n KÇ K•Ç [ ~¡- & ~ c ch j jh n @ ~”¡ _È _•È } t th d dh n . . . . . `Ç ^ŠÎ ^Î ^•Î # t th d dh n „¬ „¬¦ | ƒ•’ =° p ph b bh m †Ç° ~¡ • ˆ× = y r l l v . ‰× +¬ ‹¬ ‚ì¬ H›Æ • ´ s s s h ksh r . . Introduction Adages, aphorisms, maxims and proverbs are short pithy catchy utterances. Alexander Pope’s poetic witticisms, La Rochefocauld’s Maxims are different kinds of sayings. But they are all stylistically crisp and eminently thought provoking. Proverbs are unique in that they open windows on the culture of a speech community. Regional variations apart, they are understood and appreciated in the larger language community. The sayings are witty, telling and appropriate to the context in conversation or an informal written discourse. These are products of observation and analysis with incisive insights into human nature. And then they are unique to the culture from which they come. Defining a proverb is as difficult as defining poetry. It is simply not possible to include all the different qualities of these expressive devices in a short definition. We must finally say that a proverb is what a proverb does. When in an expansive mood we can say that proverbs are perceptions as varied as men (or, women for that matter) and nothing is unsuitable to form the basis of a proverb. These are products of a language region and everything that is seen or heard could provide an occasion for the making of a telling, apposite proverb. Broadly, we may describe proverb as the quintessence of the collective experience and inherited value system and social ethos. Telugu language region abounds in villages, hamlets and ‘satellite villages’ in the present day scenario. They represent a stance of the ‘sayer’ of the utterance. These utterances draw liberally from the environment—social, occupational, religious and ethical—and carry on the age-old wisdom to countless future generations. A - - quick example is this: taticettu nida, which is both an idiom and a proverb too. The . .. . shade of the tall palm tree is useful neither to itself nor to the wayfarer in the hot sun. This is sometimes useful while speaking of a singularly unhelpful person. The - - - - palm has given occasion to other utterances too. Tati cettu kinda palutagina....... . .. Even if one drinks milk under the palm tree one is thought to be drinking only palm ale, an intoxicant. And drinking intoxicants was not ‘respectable’ at all. And then - - - - there is this: taticettu ekkevadiki entavaraku egadoyadam? How far can one push a . .. . . man trying to climb the palm tree? There are people who have a way of exaggerating things, or making habitual overstatement (considered an Indian habit opposed to the British understatement). 5 - - - - - One comes up with the utterance golconda miriyalu tati kayalantesi. The person . . - alluded to says that pepper seeds in Golconda (name of a place, near Hyderabad, . - the seat of Qutub Sahi kings) are as big as palm nuts. . - Many proverbs bring in animals to provide humor and sometimes a sly sting. - - - - - Andaniki nenu; raganiki ma appa This is supposed to be uttered by a camel: me for beauty and for voice and song my elder sister: the donkey. The camel is not the acme of beauty nor the donkey the doyen of music. Unfortunately the use of proverbs in common conversation is a habit fast disappearing in the present day urban people. It is heartening that among the rural folk the habit prevails. Certain very common names of vegetables are brought into proverbs. Here is an - illustration: kandaku leni durada baccaliki. Why should the leafy vegetable baccali (spinach) feel the itchiness that the Elephant’s Foot (kanda) does not have. This is used when the targeted one keeps silent and someone else takes offence for - something said or done. Vistaraku is a ‘leaf’ plate in which people have their meal. - - There are some proverbs making use of the word: Vistaraku morri samsaram morri - - tirca lemu. It is impossible to fill the gaps in the leaf plate and the household. While stitching the leaves together, gaps persist in the leaf plate. There is always shortage - of something in the common man’s household. There is another viramma pettuki .. - - - vistaraku ela? Why a leaf plate for what Viramma (a woman not very generous) gives (in charity, perhaps). There are some proverbs where the word kund.a (clay pot) is used. An ordinary clay-baked pot is used as a symbol of the human body. It is used occasionally in spiritual discourses. Familiarity with the language to the extent of the three R’s would not be enough to appreciate the use of a proverb or use it in an appropriate context. It needs a deep understanding of the culture. Some proverbs have similar ones in other - - languages. For example, the idiom/proverb pogaloninci sega loki – from smoke into (the heat of) fire is similar to the expression in English - ‘from the frying pan into the fire.’ Proverbs are products native to a given language. Some are spicy and enrich the persuasiveness or effectiveness of the speaker. Some have universal appeal as in: - - - - - ad.d.alalo bid.d.alu kani ge.dd.aloccaka bid..dala? While in the lap they are kids, but when 6 they are growing beards, are they so? The implication is that they are not to be - expected to be as obedient or loving as when they were kids. Mappavaccu kani - tippalemu suggests that it is easy to familiarize one with something, or teach, or do something but it is not easy to turn one away from that. If you make a beggar accustomed to be given alms, it would be quite a job to turn him out without giving alms. If a child is given to pampering, it would be an uphill task to wean him out of that. There is another, which has a similar import: you can plant something, but - - - - - - plucking it away may not be that easy. Veste vepakomma, tiste ammavaru. When it is planted it is a neem plant. But you cannot pluck it away at will; it turns into a goddess. The neem tree is believed to be goddess by the rural folk. The following are some broad heads into which proverbs could possibly be grouped: i. those dealing with human nature ii. those with social aspect of living and life styles iii. those relating to matters ethical iv. those dealing with inter–family relations v. those revealing insights into public life For Telugus themselves there is no guarantee that all the proverbs in the language are understood automatically. With changing times, changing lifestyles, community living and family setups, the younger generations and those mostly living in places far away from Andhra Pradesh and the diaspora may find themselves confused and clueless when confronted with them. - The proverb bataka leka badi pantulu may seem odd. Literally, unable to live . (making a living,) one becomes a schoolteacher. Badi usually is an elementary or primary school where in those days of distant past teaching did not require any prior training for a teacher and the compensation was too meager for the teacher to make a decent living. It is not really so now. This we can call a ‘period piece’ among proverbs, which demands setting up a category for itself. Some proverbs gently pull the leg of people who have kinks in character. For a - - man who is showy and pretentious with no wherewithal this is used: ambali tage 7 - - - - - vadiki misalette vadokadu. For the one slurping gruel, another to lift his moustache . . . (to facilitate the intake). For the literary translator rendering these into an outside culture poses tricky and intriguing challenges, which call for his ingenuity to meet them successfully. Long explanatory notes would be needed. But for a reader they are a drag whether embedded in the text or included as glossary. (For example, the idiomatic expression kukka muriki in Telugu signifies plentiful availability or ubiquitous presence, equivalent to ‘dime a dozen’ in American English. The two words in the idiom mean literally kukka – dog and muriki - dirt). Interestingly, in English they say dirt-cheap. Perhaps in both languages dirt is something that is found everywhere. In Telugu, proverbs are used extensively in conversation. Usually as one grows older, the tendency to bring in proverbs becomes more and more marked. They are used as brilliant stylistic flourishes to drive home a point or even to start a discourse. Thinking of apposite proverbs and the contexts in which to use them come with experience. To listen to good proverbs with very accurate and expert use, one must listen to actual conversations among the old people, people with a good deal of experience in life and knowledge of men and matters. They enrich the command over language. Here are a few Telugu proverbs in Roman script followed by meanings of a few difficult words, their English rendering and a brief comment. It is hoped that the present offering will help the enthusiastic Telugu people as well as people of other linguistic communities in India and abroad to have a taste of the rich wisdom contained in these storehouses and profit from them in molding their own lives and progress towards happier and more meaningful existence. I express my gratitude to the authorities of C P Brown Academy for sponsoring this effort and providing me an opportunity of pleasant association with the project. b 8 - 1. Akali ruci yerugadu, nidra sukham yerugadu. - Akali=hunger; ruci= taste; nidra=sleep Hunger does not know (need) taste and sleep knows (needs) no comfort. Comment: When a person is very hungry anything tastes good; when very sleepy, one does not require the usual comfort one looks for. - 2. Aru nelalu sa-va-sam ce-ste- va-ru vi-ru avuta-ru. Literally, six months' company makes one the other. Comment: Being together makes one absorb the ideas of the other to the extent that there appears total transformation in both. This is usually when the change is not for the better. - - - - - 3. Antya nisturam kante adi nisturam melu. .. . .. - Ni.s.turam= blame Better to get the blame (for an action or for help asked) earlier (at the beginning) than later. Comment: Before taking up any activity, it is better to get to know the objections or criticism of others, so that one need not regret one's effort at the end. 9