This is a post for those who are familiar with the terms Mahajir or Hindustanis or Urdu speaking people.
They are an incredibly varied form of people who not only differ in customs, culture and heritage but language as well in not just different parts of India or its provinces but in many cases one single city alone.
Urdu though being a single language has more dialects than any language known…There’s the Purvi, Delhi, Hyderabadi, Bihari, Lukhnawi and God knows how many other variations of just one language…(My personal favourite is the Purvi for it is most romantic and spiritual…)
I shall attempt to break down as many different Mahajirs as I can remember or time permits…That way you can get an idea of how to approach them and what to expect of them when dealing with them.
I shall attempt to break down the most major ones and add others minor ones as I remember them.
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Delhiwalas:** They are the diplomats of the Mahajir circle. The best way to describe them would be as silver tongued devils and in some cases, just as menacing. The most famous saying about Delhiwalas is that they carry two tongues in their mouth. They can be praising you and at the same time a third person would know that you are being insulted. Their sweet tongues can make you feel good or it can cut you open.
Delhiwalas are divided into two main groups. The city class and the trader class. They both speak the same dialect however their demeanour is completely different. They have a high tolerance for anger as they make use of their speech most effectively. No one can argue with a Delhiwala. They make the finest politicians and lawyers.
In the case of losing their tempers, they can resort to violence however this trait is mostly reserved in the trader class of Delhiwalas.
Almost all the butchers in Mahajirs are Delhiwalas from the trader class.
Their Urdu is slow and flowing with most adjectives ending in the suffix ‘iyo’.
*
Aray bhai mian, aik kaam to kariyo, zara mujh ko aik paan to khila deejiyo.*
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Hyderabadis:** They are the orators of the Mahajir circle. Not even an Irish can outspeak a Hyderabadi once he starts going.
In the war of culture between Delhi, Lucknow, Calcutta and Agra, Hyderabad was the odd man out. So Hyderabadis developed a culture all their own along with an Urdu all their own. Its Nawabs which ruled Hyderabad, had always had a disposition of rebelliousness against the crown in Delhi, as a result Hyderabad’s culture flourished under the Nawabs far from the courts of the Mughals with a taste of its own.
It would not be wrong to say that Hyderabadis are also the gourmets of the Mahajir world with no other type of community coming even close to equalling the number and variety of dishes and flavours that came out of Hyderabad not mention the Achaars or pickles that Hyderabad is famous for. it is famous for its khatta (sour) dishes such as khatti daal, khattay pasanday, khattay baingan and an incredible array of curries unmatched in any community.
Hyderabadis, however, are not famous for loyalty and fealty…Their Nawabs had a history of disputing with the crown going so far as to create their own armies and a few even siding with the English against the crown.
Not to mention, the greatest traitor in Asian history was a Hyderabadi, a despicable person called Mir Sadiq, who betrayed the noble Mujahid prince Tipu Sultan.
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Nang-e-Deen, Nang-e-Duniya, Nang-e-Watan,
Jaffar az Bengal o Sadiq az Dakkan…*
Despite getting a bad rap from other Mahajir communities, the Hyderabadis continue to remain easy company. They make friends very easily, they are easy to get along with and most of them with a cultured upbringing are most humble and accomodating. One can never be bored in the company of a Hyderabadi as they will always find something to talk about, good or bad. That’s probably why, three of my closest friends are Hyderabadis.
Their Urdu is fast and static sometimes to the point of incoherence and not given to frivolities. Some letters are substituted for others while words not usually found in the Urdu language are quite common.
*
Ari maatthi millay, kkhai ko mera dimagh khatay, ji? Ziada mere saath moon maari nai kkharnay ka warna apnay pottay sai keh ker teri dhullai karwana, ji…*
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Biharis:** They are the brains yet the most unappreciated of all Mahajirs. Extremely hard working, capable and intelligent, they have developed a bad rapport amongst the other Mahajir classes.
Their falling out of graces with other Mahajirs can probably be attributed to the fatc that they are extremely innovative and creative. They have an extremely high tolerance for anger and for the most part are very forgiving.
A famous saying about them is:
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Jo na katta aari say, woh katta Bihari say…*
Meaning, him who cannot be cut with a saw can be cut with a Bihari. I still haven’t figured out the implication of that saying, but whatever it means, it in no way justifies the Bihari mindset. They always keep to themselves, are non-obtrusive and for the most part quite shy. They don’t bother anyone and usually keep their affairs to themselves.
I have yet to figure out what gives these people their bad rapport for almost every Bihari I have met, I have met none from whom I felt malice, threat or deception.
Their Urdu is divided into two parts but having the same phonetics. The Urdu is divided into the city class and the farmer class.
The city class is proper Urdu which would be spoken with a hint of Purvi thrown in, but would be proper Urdu. They like to refer to themselvesin the third person perspective. Both dialects are slow and measured and emphasis in the end of sentences.
The farmer class Urdu that Biharis speak would be what Lalu Prasad Yadav would speak with a heavy emphasis on Purvi. But they too refer to themselves in the third person perspective.
Both dialects have flowery embellishments.
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Ji, Hum keh rahay hain na ke hum sai yeh nahin hoga. Hum ko na tung karain hum keh diye hain.* - City class.
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Ari, hum keh diyat hain, keh hum eeh kaam nahin kar sakat hain. Hum ko tung na karo, hum keh diyat hain, bus…* - Farmer class.
More to come like Rajasthanis, Lakhnawis e.t.c. and others I may remember…
Add your own if you belong to or know about other classes…I would be most interested…
) of putting the relative before the name, for example instead of Aslam Bhai, they say Bhai Aslam because according to them its impolite to say the name of an elder directly.