Posts Tagged ‘nostalgia’
Emden- What my Mom used to call me..
“Emden”- That was how my mom and my aunts used to call me (or any kid who was mischevious). Ofcourse, this was in addition to the hajar meanlingless mumbo jumbo of names that included ”bablimaas”, “paapoo”, “Ajli-bijli” et al…
My mom, ofcourse, like anyother mom of her times, had no clue how or why this word came about. For her, it was just another way of chiding me..that’s all. Probably, because of all the mischief, she was thinking i was a reincarnate of ”yama” and from “yamaden” it become “emden”…
However, I was always curious to know what Emden really meant. As any good researcher with lots of time on hands would do, i started looking at the etymology of the word….and guess what..Little did I know that there was a German/Japan/Madras connection to this word, that went way back to the 1st World War. Wow, mysterious are the ways that some words transform/mutuate themselves.
Sept 22, 1914. While the city of Madras was preparing for yet another tranquil night by the Marina beachside, the German cruiser SMS Emden suddenly woke up the denizens of chennai port with bombardment of relentless shelling. While the physical/property damage itself was minimal, it left a deep, physicological scar on the people of chennai. So much so that lot of people starting packing their bags and moved hinterland. Oh well… More info in this interesting blog
Here is another snippet from the NYtimes…
Emden cruiser_NYtimes
So, my mom, all this time, was comparing me with the “terror” that this Emden cruiser brought upon the chennai vaaz makkal?( Chennai denizens!) ..oh well, not a bad accolade to have, i suppose.
Ofcourse, I am doing my bit by calling my little nephews/nieces “emdens” whenever I spot them doing mischief. A family tradition, one might say, but also my way of ensuring “emden” stays in the tamil lexicon… I am sure, there are many more such words that we have lost track of ( What about the word “O.C”, which meant “Free?”…Maybe, that can wait for another blog?)
