I have been called a lot of things in different languages in my existence so far. It all started(as far as my memory goes) when my sister started calling me Ashobho (uncultured),Jongli(wild) and Janowar (animal). It was said all together in a rapid fashion and with an acute sense of anger (and most probably i deserved it all the time), but surprisingly rather than being disgusted or peeved i took these rhyming words ( repeat it for 100 times and you will feel the rhyming part in your bones :D)as a compliment. I don't exactly remember the first time i heard it , but knowing myself i think i would have felt a sense of accomplishment. And "praise the lord above" today i felt the same along with a sense of immense pride when called an Atel . Of course when the word was first bestowed upon me i had no clue of its meaning, but did recall having heard it before somewhere (probably heard it from vinmoo). Initially i thought that it was some kind of softer synonym for Gadha(literal meaning "Donkey" but actually implies stupid or idiot) , which oddly enough ;) i have been called quite a few times followed by lots of "@#$#$^%$#@#@" (silently of course, people i mingle with are not as Ashobho, Jongli, Janwar as i am). So on hearing it and not being offered a meaning by the plaintiff, when asked , i took it upon myself to find out what it meant. So using my best friend "goggle" i found this Blog entry by "Imhotep's Asklepion"which describes the word Atel and Atlami. CCPing off his blog the definition of Atel and Atlami and giving the unknown original author the full credit(the blogger mentioned is a member of the same CCP crime syndicate).
...to trace the root of the Bengali word "Atel", with the nasal chandrabindu over A and the soft T.
My guess is that it comes from an abridged version of the French pronunciation of the word "intellectuelle". The "in" is pronounced as exactly we say A with a chandrabindu over it. And the "t" is soft.
So Bangla "Atel" is basically the French "intell".
"Atlami" is of course the Bangali's attempt to form a Bangla noun about the vocation of the Atel. So, Atlami is the Bangla bastardization of what is known in romantic European languages as "intellectualism".
"Atlami" has the same negative connotation among Bangalis as intellectualism has in the west."
Assuming this definition quite plausible, i found it highly acclamatory. I have to check with vinmoo regarding the validity of the definition before i proudly start proclaiming myself Atel, along with Ashobho, Jongli, Janwar and Odbhut. Odbhut being the previous kudos by the same plantiff, although i have been called Odbhut(meaning weird) in at least 6-7 different languages and dialects(counting only the ones i could decipher). Another surprising fact is that me being an"Atel" was the gist(she didn't use the word Atel , and i am pretty sure she doesn't know it either)of a 2 hour long argument with my sister just the day before. I personally feel a conspiracy by the universe against me as i tend to get most of the similar kind of adjectives heaped on me from different(completeley unrelated) people within a very short time frame. It also makes me ponder whether i change my attributes on a fixed time basis from one to another like the Chinese calender (e.g.year of the rat or donkey or cock..... :D). If i was in the medieval times i would blame it on the celestial orientation of the stars, planets,the sun and the moon but that not being the case lets analyze it intellectually :D wheteher it is a compliment to be proud of or to rectify.
WARNING: The intellectual analysis will be a pure form of "Atlami" and readers(if any) will probably feel an utmost urge of bestowing some adjectives on me(the good part being that you can use "#@$$##$#$#%$%@@" as loudly as you want as you probably are not near me :D).
I do agree that i tend to vigorously judge people,according to my own rules(which i have noted and modified (when needed,but it seldom does :D)during the course of last 23 odd years, and probably am in a situation where it can no longer be modified), but who doesn't. Every single person is judging everybody else all the time and for small and irrelevant reasons(e.g. habits, sexual preferences, financial situations, dressing etc). At least i judge people for one reason only,i.e them being stupid or not. My sister blames the effects of Oscar Wilde (my favorite author) for my behavior or the lack of it .
To quote Oscar Wilde (who will definitely be one of the prominent Knights of the round table of Atel's if not King Arthur ):"there is no sin except stupidity" .Of course the definition of stupidity has to be thought out by the person himself as OW said "A man who does not think for himself does not think at all" and will probably not concur with any other person in the world. But the gentlemanly thing to do is agree to the other persons intelligence when witnessed, if not immediately then later (at least silently :D). I don't know why people get pissed off when i call them stupid (more by my actions than words, thats what i have been told) when they by themselves know where they stand(if they don't know,they won't know it even if they were hit by a truck saying stupid on it in bold letters), which wouldn't change even if i keep calling them stupid for the rest of my life or theirs. Actually its the semi-intelligent people (i am an optimist and don't like calling people semi-stupid ;) ) ,i.e. the people who know they are not entirely stupid but are not confident enough to stand by themselves,who yearn for being noted . I wonder if i constantly tell people all the nice things they want to hear will they ever call me an Atel . That's something i probably will never know as buttering people without a motive is not my cup of tea.
Now looking at in a different way, i get numerous advise from people telling me what i am doing wrong with the intention that i should change at least in front of them(i am excluding my sister from this analysis as she always has my benefit in her mind when giving advice by the truckload:D). Isn't giving advice to anybody(not that i am complaining about the advice given as that keeps me on track ;) ) and calling somebody Atel is a form of Atlami by itself.I on the other hand tell them what i feel is stupid, in my opinion (as they do to me) but i do not ask them to listen to me or change in any way. Then why isn't everybody calling themselves Atel? If we pay attention to the fact that any human with even a little bit of gray matter will become an Atel at some point of time and will immensely enjoy it (though they won't agree to it openly) then actually Atlami is a charecteristics not to be shunned but embraced with open arms.
My words sometimes sound harsh or maybe even impolite but if change the way i say things just to make it more politically correct and so that people can take it down easily then i am committing the crime of being untruthful to myself which is something i don't intend to do until and unless it's absolutely necessary.
I don't know what made the plaintiff call me an Atel this time around but i have always known when i have been an Atel and i am most of the time self aware of my behaviour(maybe i don't say it loud) when sober. I would like to end this session of Atlami by saying that i am proud to be an Atel than being called a stupid as being an Atel means that i have atleast something intelectual in me.
I have tried to analize things in a gentalmanly (i pride myself in being one...heheheh...) and intellectual fashion .I will like to finish by quoting OW.
"A gentleman is one who never hurts anyone's feelings unintentionally".. :D
PS: if you don't get the joke read it again and again (but after 7 tries give up :P)
WARNING: The intellectual analysis will be a pure form of "Atlami" and readers(if any) will probably feel an utmost urge of bestowing some adjectives on me(the good part being that you can use "#@$$##$#$#%$%@@" as loudly as you want as you probably are not near me :D).
I do agree that i tend to vigorously judge people,according to my own rules(which i have noted and modified (when needed,but it seldom does :D)during the course of last 23 odd years, and probably am in a situation where it can no longer be modified), but who doesn't. Every single person is judging everybody else all the time and for small and irrelevant reasons(e.g. habits, sexual preferences, financial situations, dressing etc). At least i judge people for one reason only,i.e them being stupid or not. My sister blames the effects of Oscar Wilde (my favorite author) for my behavior or the lack of it .
To quote Oscar Wilde (who will definitely be one of the prominent Knights of the round table of Atel's if not King Arthur ):"there is no sin except stupidity" .Of course the definition of stupidity has to be thought out by the person himself as OW said "A man who does not think for himself does not think at all" and will probably not concur with any other person in the world. But the gentlemanly thing to do is agree to the other persons intelligence when witnessed, if not immediately then later (at least silently :D). I don't know why people get pissed off when i call them stupid (more by my actions than words, thats what i have been told) when they by themselves know where they stand(if they don't know,they won't know it even if they were hit by a truck saying stupid on it in bold letters), which wouldn't change even if i keep calling them stupid for the rest of my life or theirs. Actually its the semi-intelligent people (i am an optimist and don't like calling people semi-stupid ;) ) ,i.e. the people who know they are not entirely stupid but are not confident enough to stand by themselves,who yearn for being noted . I wonder if i constantly tell people all the nice things they want to hear will they ever call me an Atel . That's something i probably will never know as buttering people without a motive is not my cup of tea.
Now looking at in a different way, i get numerous advise from people telling me what i am doing wrong with the intention that i should change at least in front of them(i am excluding my sister from this analysis as she always has my benefit in her mind when giving advice by the truckload:D). Isn't giving advice to anybody(not that i am complaining about the advice given as that keeps me on track ;) ) and calling somebody Atel is a form of Atlami by itself.I on the other hand tell them what i feel is stupid, in my opinion (as they do to me) but i do not ask them to listen to me or change in any way. Then why isn't everybody calling themselves Atel? If we pay attention to the fact that any human with even a little bit of gray matter will become an Atel at some point of time and will immensely enjoy it (though they won't agree to it openly) then actually Atlami is a charecteristics not to be shunned but embraced with open arms.
My words sometimes sound harsh or maybe even impolite but if change the way i say things just to make it more politically correct and so that people can take it down easily then i am committing the crime of being untruthful to myself which is something i don't intend to do until and unless it's absolutely necessary.
I don't know what made the plaintiff call me an Atel this time around but i have always known when i have been an Atel and i am most of the time self aware of my behaviour(maybe i don't say it loud) when sober. I would like to end this session of Atlami by saying that i am proud to be an Atel than being called a stupid as being an Atel means that i have atleast something intelectual in me.
I have tried to analize things in a gentalmanly (i pride myself in being one...heheheh...) and intellectual fashion .I will like to finish by quoting OW.
"A gentleman is one who never hurts anyone's feelings unintentionally".. :D
PS: if you don't get the joke read it again and again (but after 7 tries give up :P)
Copyright@ 2008 Rahuljit Pal
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