Just came across the marathi phrase गनिमी कावा (guerrilla tactics) after ages and remembered a sweet and funny story from over 15 years ago. I was at a fancy resort in Lonavala for a corporate retreat. Ever the early riser, I was up and in the lobby cafe waiting for sunrise.
That's when a party of 3 walked in. An Indian lady in her 50s, a white lady about the same age (I'd later discover they were sisters in law), and a driver with a Hertz shirt. First, I found it very nice that the ladies insisted the driver join them for breakfast.
It was just me and them very early and this was before the days of smartphones so I pretty much followed the whole conversation without actively eavesdropping. They were sisters in law from the US here for a family visit. The indian lady originally from Delhi. Driver marathi.
The driver was talking to the indian lady in very marathi-ized hindi, who then translated it into english for the white lady and vice versa. I was just having coffee and finding their genuine friendliness and chattiness with the driver very sweet. Driver seemed delighted too.
My ears perked up when I heard their plan was to head out for the Lohgad-Visapur hike (link below), one of my favorites! Car rental was so he could drop them off at the start and then later pick em up at the end. They were asking him questions about the
tripoto.com/lonavala/trips…
tripoto.com/lonavala/trips…
..region and the forts and he was doing his best to answer them. He was a Hertz driver, not a guide. I was very tempted to jump in with a "well actually" and show off my knowledge of maratha history. But I didn't want to be over-familiar so just kept listening. Now the point.
Driver: Idhar pe Shivaji ke time mein bahut "ganimi kava" karte thhe
Now this is how a lot of marathi people speak hindi and vice versa. The syntax rules are almost identical and half the vocabulary is the same. So it's easy to slip in a word that is not in the vocabulary.
Now this is how a lot of marathi people speak hindi and vice versa. The syntax rules are almost identical and half the vocabulary is the same. So it's easy to slip in a word that is not in the vocabulary.
If you know both languages, you know he meant "In Shivaji's time, there was a lot of guerrilla activity here".
But Delhi lady only knew hindi.
"Kya karte thhe?" (What did they do?)
"Ganimi kaava... matlab..." long pause "guerrilla fighting. Mavla army guerilla fighting!"
But Delhi lady only knew hindi.
"Kya karte thhe?" (What did they do?)
"Ganimi kaava... matlab..." long pause "guerrilla fighting. Mavla army guerilla fighting!"
Just as I'm thinking, shabaas driver, what an instant accurate translation,
Her: Sach? Guerrilla fighting? Idhar?
Driver: Ekdum. Expert guerrilla fighting Shivaji maharaj ka army.
Her: Wow, mujhe nahi pata tha! (I had no idea)!
I thought okay, delhi woman so why should...
Her: Sach? Guerrilla fighting? Idhar?
Driver: Ekdum. Expert guerrilla fighting Shivaji maharaj ka army.
Her: Wow, mujhe nahi pata tha! (I had no idea)!
I thought okay, delhi woman so why should...
..she know tactical history of 17th c Maharashtra. But then she started translating for her white nanand
"So I just learned this. Apparently the Maratha army under Shivaji used gorillas in the battles here! I guess with this terrain, it must have been useful."
Me having juice:
"So I just learned this. Apparently the Maratha army under Shivaji used gorillas in the battles here! I guess with this terrain, it must have been useful."
Me having juice:
My marathi pride was activated and this misunderstanding I could not abide. I turned and said,
"Sorry to jump in, but he didn't mean gorillas. He meant guerilla."
Maybe it was my Kothrud accent, but the ladies first looked at each other and then at me, confused.
"Sorry to jump in, but he didn't mean gorillas. He meant guerilla."
Maybe it was my Kothrud accent, but the ladies first looked at each other and then at me, confused.
Lady: Kya?
Okay, let's try this in Hindi
Me: Woh gorilla nahi, guerilla bol rahe hain. Guerrilla tactics. Marathi mein ganimi kava kehte hain. Hindi mein.....
And I'm stumped. For all my above average hindi lit for a marathi guy, I have no idea what it is in Hindi 🤣🤣
Okay, let's try this in Hindi
Me: Woh gorilla nahi, guerilla bol rahe hain. Guerrilla tactics. Marathi mein ganimi kava kehte hain. Hindi mein.....
And I'm stumped. For all my above average hindi lit for a marathi guy, I have no idea what it is in Hindi 🤣🤣
The driver, who was in my position just seconds ago, throws me a look like to say "I know, right?" and tries to explain.
"Wohh aise jhaadi mein chhup chhup ke mughal pe attack karte thhe."
Desi Lady translating: The gorillas would attack mughals from the foliage.
Me:
"Wohh aise jhaadi mein chhup chhup ke mughal pe attack karte thhe."
Desi Lady translating: The gorillas would attack mughals from the foliage.
Me:
I started making a second attempt in English
"He is saying guerilla. G-U-E!"
The ladies look at each other and just as my phone starts ringing, says,
"I'm pretty sure gorilla is spelled with an O."
Call was from my super-boss and we had a BIG pitch meeting soon.
"He is saying guerilla. G-U-E!"
The ladies look at each other and just as my phone starts ringing, says,
"I'm pretty sure gorilla is spelled with an O."
Call was from my super-boss and we had a BIG pitch meeting soon.
So I had no option but to leave this matter unresolved. You know how calls about bank servers can be. It took a while. When I was done, they had left.
If you ever hear an American somewhere say that the Maratha army had gorillas, you now know why. 🤣🤣🤣 /Fin
If you ever hear an American somewhere say that the Maratha army had gorillas, you now know why. 🤣🤣🤣 /Fin
P.S. Google has no idea either. This has a verified badge and all. 🤣🤣🤣 
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