My tamizh aint the best. I concur. But it isn't too bad either. I think it must the Dubai effect. As a child, I grew up in the Middle East - away from Chennai and its lingo. I did formally learn the language in primary school. But spoken tamil has always been a bit of a problem - at least the world makes it seem so. Whatever I learnt, I learnt from amma. But some how nobody ridicules her. I end up bearing the brunt of it all. I sometimes wonder why. Mostly I ignore. I think it is because of the way my brain processes it. Perhaps I think in English and then translate my thoughts in to Tamil and by the time it actually makes it out of my mouth it sounds like the "Junoon" tamil or something like that. I also like to coin words - which really dont make much sense as such, but they do have context. So then there's "loosaandi bulbul", "vetti peas", "ulu ula" etc. And then there's loosu pattani. I've been asked on several occasions to offer a sane explanation as to what it actually means.
So here goes:
Loosu Pattani: (Adj) Literal Meaning - Crazy Peas. Contextual Meaning - It can be used pretty much anywhere. Mostly coined to affectionately abuse friends.
The word caught on and I got christened "Pattani". So that's that.
So then there's this blog that was named by one pattani! And then there was a tamilgrounds account that was given the same name by another one. Recently during a bizarre conversation with my sis-in-law's fiance Anand, I was pretty amused to find out that half of America's Tamil population had perhaps used this account for viewing Kollywood's movies during summer of '05. It was supposed to be a "top secret" account created only for the viewing pleasure of 8 souls who had split $10/month out of their poor grad school pockets to catch up on all the Tam movies they had missed since they'd stepped in to the US of A a year ago. But of course secrets are always meant to be shared- and so there were tam students in California and New Jersey and Ohio and Florida that logged in to loosu pattani and watched all they could and ofcourse they never knew who it was or what it meant.
So Anand knew "pattani" even before he knew me! And now I am curious. I'd really want to know how many people really used this acc. If you were one of those who did, then leave me a comment. I think you owe us one! :)
19 comments:
Let me be the first one here! Although I did pay for it if I'm not mistaken. Count - 1
I used it too - and I certainly didn't pay for it :D
Well Neela, you are mistaken. I think I am the one that paid for that account!
But you may have had a hand in leaking it.
I remember a friend of mine in New York who referred the account back to me a year or so later when the account had expired!
Anand
Hate to be pedantic, but Loosu Pattani would be a noun and not an adjective!
On a related note, do you also plan on elaborating on the etymology of the great lost nickname "Aatha"?
Anand
Aanu - I'd appreciate it if that'd be our little secret. :)
Aanu, send me your bank account da, will send you my share :). Not sure I remember how I'm responsible for the leak.
Well i used it too but not often - Nobody asked me for my share....am i responsible???? Neela should have given the log in details to me....
I used this account a lot. But archu I paid you by showeing blessings to you and the people responsible after every movie..:D
When someone with as terrible a memory as mine still rememebers not just this username, but also the password, it says a lot. And when it says a lot, I have a lot to say about it too.
When one is the quintessential pauper of a grad student and finds out that his dear friend has the login to a paid site hosting tamil movies of excellent quality, it is but natural to coerce him by all means necessary to provide you the same, even when it is claimed to be highly confidential of the nature that could endanger his life if known to his paying partners. But granted, Neela was one tough cookie and he can seek solace and protection in that fact. Yet, no match against the much potent horriblesentimaarastra. Not to worry, I told him as he lay defeated, I am a honorable warrior even when I am drunk on sweet victory and will not spread the love. For the record, I intended to keep my word and I did.
Much time passed and one particularly boring cold night in Cincinnati, me and my roomies were huddled restlessly around a laptop, trying in vain to hunt for a decent copy of some tamil movie, (unfortunately, I don't remember which one - refer to first line of post) when one of us remarks regretably, if only we had an account in tamilgrounds, they have a very nice copy of this movie. The man of integrity that I am, I strongly fought the urge to be garlanded with roses, trumpets and much fanfare as hero of the day, or night rather, and was barely managing to keep the much vaunted "top secret" just exactly that.
Which was when one Mr. Ashwin Leelanath Samarao from BITS, Pilani walks in from the kitchen and exclaims, "Oh tamilgrounds has it! Why didn't you say so earlier? loosupattani : chint..." His voice was drowned out by the above said trumpets and much fanfare. At this point, it is worth mentioning that he has no connection whatsoever to Minnesota. It is also worth mentioning the look of shock on my face while I sat there gaping as I realized that if even *he* was privy of this login, then there had been gross wastage of an invaluable astra. And no rose garland on my neck also. Honor and integrity have no place in this dark world.
This, my friends, is the true story of the events that triggered the mutation of the white knight Harvey Dent into the unscrupulous Two Face.
PS: Count - Unknown, as it was never bothered to be traced when occupied with the mutation process. But conceivably large, I reckon.
I've ofcourse used this account.My ex-roomie had a friend in Minneapolis who told her the "Loosupattani - Chintoo" magic words, who then dutifully told me.. and I told Anand and all of his roomies in Harrison, NJ. So thats how all of us spent a wonderful 2005- 2006 watching tamil movies only until the guys in tamil grounds became cautious and froze the account. Actually a few weeks back just outa sheer vettiness I tried the login name and password in tamilgrounds.. but obviously it dint work! :) But thankyou creators of "loosupattani" ! :)
Adding one more to the (most probably endless) list
One more faithful user of Loosepattani!
I will totally agree with Anand... after every single movie we uttered the words "machan (or maapley or maapi) indha loosepattani account-a create pannavan nalla irukanum da!"
So to Archana & Neela... though we dont know eachother personally... we have wished you well tonnes of times!
I did too...watch it.but very less (but I know for a fact that my roomie watched it on a daily basis almost)...as Sudhon has mentioned in his earlier comment...a certain Mr.Ashwin Leelanath Samarao was the source...:)
In any case,Thank You!
Had used it years back..Good old days;)
I'm also one of the many culprits :D
I used the account as well! how bizarre is this! If I am not mistaken I think I got the info from Ashwin Samarao as well..:)
So did I! Ashwin gave me the information too!
Your blog keeps getting better and better! Your older articles are not as good as newer ones you have a lot more creativity and originality now keep it up!
great post. I would love to follow you on twitter.
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