International Mother Tongue Day: How many of these Telugu saamethalu have your heard of?

“Desa bhaashalandu Telugu lessa”, was no exaggeration by Sri Krishnadevaraya, the ruler of the Vijayanagara Empire in the 1500s. It means that Telugu is the most beautiful and supreme language in the country. Telugu, the most poetic language, came to be known as the ‘Italian of the East’ because all Telugu words end with a vowel sound as in Italian. The beauty of any language lies in its local dialects and slang. It is a region’s way of owning the language. But whether one has a Srikakulam yaasa, Telangana slang, or Chittoor accent, one cannot forget that the roots of Telugu lie in Sanskrit. A number of sayings in Telugu aka saamethalu showcase the beauty of the language in a sarcastic yet meaningful way.

The new generation is to blame for the invention of Tenglish (Telugu+English). As much as the meme culture makes it look fun, it has forced the authentic Telugu language into oblivion. The humour generated in daily conversations, literature, and cinema with the usage of archaic idioms and riddles is unparalleled. This article aims at reviving a few dying words and phrases. At the risk of sounding like one’s grandmother, the article attempts to test the extent of one’s knowledge in Telugu by throwing age-old idioms at the readers. One is bound to be surprised by how fun adopting these into our daily language can be. The agenda is to make the readers reminisce, realize or learn, depending on which generation one belongs to, the glory of Graandhika Telugu.  And what better mode than cinema to connect with all age groups?

On the occasion of International Mother Tongue Day, let us take a look at these Telugu saamethalu.

Adaganidhey amma ayina pettadhu (అడగనిదే అమ్మ అయినా పెట్టదు)

Translation: If you don’t ask for food, even the mother won’t feed you.

Context: This is one of the most commonly used Telugu saamethalu in households. It means that you must demand what you want.

Adusu tokkanela kaalu kadaganela? (అడుసు తొక్కనేల కాలు కడగనేల?)

Translation: Why step in dirt and then wash your feet?

Context: It is used when someone takes a wrong step and wastes their time to correct their actions.

Aalasyam amrutham visham (ఆలస్యం అమృతం విషం)

Translation: If you delay even nectar turns into poison.

Context: It means that one should not delay availing of an opportunity. This saying points out the importance of time and punctuality in one’s life.

Munjeti kankanaaniki addhamenduku? ( ముంజేతి కంకణానికి అద్ధమెందుకు?)

Translation: Why do you need a mirror to look at a bracelet on your hand?

Context: This Telugu saying is used when something is obvious without having to explain it.

Aaru nelalu saavasam chesthey vaallu veellu ayinattu (ఆరు నెలలు సావాసం చేస్తే వాళ్ళు వీళ్ళు అయినట్టు )

Translation: Friendship between two persons will make them behave alike.

Context: This idiom is used when two friends replicate each other’s mannerisms, behaviour, and thoughts.

Minga methuku ledhu meesaaniki sampangi noone anta (మింగ మెతుకు లేదు మీసానికి సంపంగి నూనె అంట)

Translation: There is nothing to eat but he still applies oil to his moustache

Context: This is used when someone is faking to be rich or famous when they are neither of those.