Mumbai: Megastar Amitabh Bachchan has talked about a hilarious anecdote about how people have reinvented English words, sharing how "shrubbery" became "sarbari" and "radiator" changed to "ready water." Big B first started his blog with a clarification about his delay with his fans.
“Nahi nahi nahi, abhi abhi so kar nahi utha hoon! Kaam chal raha tha, toh us vilamb ki baat kar raha hoon. Ef se milkar hi kaam samaapt hota hai – hai na!!!" "(No, no, no... I haven't just woken up! I was referring to the delay because work was still going on. After all, work only feels complete after meeting the 'Ef', isn't that right?,” he wrote.
Talking about the linguistic adaptations, poetic in their own way, the icon said such expressions add beauty to language and warmth to everyday life. “Ye bogan villa (bougainville) ya 'Sarbari' Jalsa ko sushobhit karti hai! 'Sarbari' shabd ke baare mein kisi ne poocha nahi? Rochak kissa hai! Shabd angrezi ka hai shrubbery. Maali ko angrezi bolne mein kathinai ho rahi thi, toh usne saral kar diya – shrubbery ko Sarbari!”
"(These bougainvillea, or what we fondly call 'Sarbari', add to the beauty of Jalsa. No one asked about the word 'Sarbari'? It's quite an interesting story! The original English word is shrubbery. Our gardener found it difficult to pronounce, so he simplified it and turned shrubbery into sarbari.)"
“Aur jo shabd bana, woh angrezi shabd se kahin adhik romanchak hai. Hain na!!!!" "(And the word that emerged is, in many ways, far more delightful and fascinating than the original English one. Isn't it?)” “Aise hi, jo gaadi chalate hain, motor car – sahi tarah radiator nahi bol paate hain, toh unhone shabd bana diya 'Ready Water'. Unhein laga ki radiator mein paani bhara jaata hai, toh Ready Water hi hoga!!!”
"(Similarly, those who drive motor cars often can't pronounce radiator correctly, so they came up with their own version 'Ready Water'. They assumed that since water is poured into a radiator, it must be called 'Ready Water'!)"
Big B added: “Uchcharan bilkul sahi... sunne mein shrubbery aur radiator hi sunaai denge... par apni lay aur uska uchcharan apne dhang se banaakar, kitna aur sundar kar diya hai!!!"
"(The pronunciation is remarkably close… to the ear, it still sounds like shrubbery and radiator. Yet, by giving these words their own rhythm and flavour, they've somehow made them even more beautiful.)” He concluded: “Bhale angrezi na jaante hon, lekin apne roop mein dhaalkar, bahut hi kaavyaatmak bana diya hai!!!! Is ghar ko aur bhi sundar bana dete hain har Ravivaar ko aap sab jo, prashansak ke roop mein aate hain…"
"(They may not know English, but by moulding the language into their own expression, they've created something truly poetic. And every Sunday, all of you who come here as admirers make this home even more beautiful)."