Could the notion be any wronger? :?

While I was returning home after work yesterday, a gal caught up with me and tried making acquaintance. Though I do not encourage strangers, I let her talk for some 'unfortunate' reason. During the conversation, she casually asked me what I was doing there, in the office.. I told her that I am a copy writer. The next thing she asked "Oh. DTP aanalle.!" [Oh, you are with some DTP work!]
I felt like banging my head somewhere hard and suiciding right then. :( Imagine, she was someone who worked in the next tower, in the sales of auto parts. :-|

Let's say, she has not been educated like hell and that her background is not too illuminating. But even people who are educated, when I tell them I work in an ad agency, sometimes ask me "Oh, agency-il analle. Company-il onnum kittilye?" [Oh, you are in an agency. Couldn't you find work in a company?]

I shared it with one of my friends in ad field. And his reply was a bit surprising.

In his words,
"I am not surprised. The awareness levels about advertising is very minimal/ non-existent in Kerala.

Years ago, my mallu colleague (who is a visualiser) in Bangalore had a bad experience when he went to Kerala for Onam.

His Neighbour: Bangalore-il entha joli?
[What are you doing in Bangalore?]

My friend: Njan oru ad agencyil visualiser aanu.
[I am a Visualizer in an ad agency.]

Neighbour: Visualiser-o? ennu vechaal?
[Visualizer? what is that?]

Friend: ennu paranjaal artist.
[Means, artist.]

Neighbour: Oh.... chuvarezhuthaanalle? Pinne boardinte mukalil keri paint adikkunnathinu nalla kaashayirikkum alle? Sookshikkane, ningalokke athrayum pokkathil keri nilkkunnathu kaanumbol pedi thonnum..
[Oh, wall painting! you must be getting lot of money for painting boards! right? Be carefu, when I see people standing up there and painting, I get really afraid.]

My friend (aatmagatham): poda #@%&!^ makane!! [I cant translate this for you. :P It is just "#$&*%^*%"!! :D ]
------------------------------
And, here's my harrowing experience, years back, when I had just joined ad field in Cochin:

My aunt: Mone, ninakku joli kittiyalle? Nannayi, pakshe govt jolikku PSC test ezhuthane? Enthu joliya ninte?
[ Son, didnt you get a job? Great. But try for some PSC or govt jobs as well.. What is your work?]

Me: Njan oru ad agencyil copywriter aanu ammayi..!
[I work in an ad agency as a copywriter aunty!]

Aunt: ngheh? enthunnu?
[What?]

Me: oru parasya companyil aanu njaan. Njan parasyangalku vendi ezhuthum
.[In an ad agency.I write for advertisements.]

Aunt: atheyo!!, nannayi!! onnu parichayamayi kazhinjal aadhaarmezhuthinu pokan pattum. Njan Rajuvinodu (her son who is a Sunday lawyer in Cherthala) paranju ninakku avante koode joli seriyakkan parayaam.
[Oh! really?! When you get familiar, you can start off with writing documents. I will tell Raju [who is a Sunday lawyer in Cherthala] and ask him to take you with him..]

Me (turning blood red with anger): athu venda ammayi. raju chettanu thanne case onnum illathe irikkuvalle? enikku sambalam polum kittilla. cherthalakku chettante vandi kooliyum njan edukkandi varum. Njan ernakulathu sthiram case-ulla oru vakkeelinodu samsarichittundu. nokkaamenna paranje.
[ No need aunty. Raju himself does not have enough cases to his credit. I would not even be getting a salary. I will even have to bear the expenses of his commuting. I have talked to a busy lawyer in ernamkulam. He has told me he will consider it.]

:D :D Wish I had replied something like this to that female. I saw her today as well, while I was returning. But I gave her a wider berth this time. :)

Comments

smokecanopy said…
Next time, don't give her a wide berth. Ask her what she does with all those flat tyres her customers give back or whether she gets bored selling nuts, or worse still, how many 'horns' she manages to sell in a day :D :P
Durga Nandan said…
:D :D :D
may be, i should. ;)

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