NEEND A RAHA HAI KYA We were in A term. New surroundings, New colleagues. Senior partners were watching our each and every step and checking us. There was this self study in the Apprentices’ Mess Dining hall. From 9 pm to 11pm. After a day of hectic activity on the parade ground/playground and the classes, self study in the mess till 11pm used to be very difficult. We would be waiting for the clock to strike 11.00pm so that we could go to our bed and sleep. In 1986, The BAAN division at INS Valsura used to consist of the A, B and C terms. I don’t know how it is now. A & B termers used to study in the dining hall and C term partners used to study in their respective dormitories. The scene in the dining hall used to be chaotic. It used to turn silent whenever some ‘C’ term partner used to enter the mess to see if the juniors are studying or sleeping. One day in the mess during self study, One of my classmates, a Keralite, sitting near to me was feeling too tired . He was struggling to keep his eyes open and concentrate on the books. At this time, our mess incharge, ‘C’ term partner, Ptr Verghese came into the mess for his rounds. Seeing this junior struggling to keep his eyes open, Prtnr Varghese came in front of him and asked in Hindi with a smile, “NEEND AA RAHA HAI KYA?”. Prtnr. Verghese was a bit fast in talking. My classmate who understood nothing suddently regained himself and asked back “Sorry Ptr?”. Ptr Varghese politely repeated his question, “NEEND AA RAHA HAI KYA?” Being a South Indian, my classmate was not fluent in Hindi. We were not supposed to speak in any other language other than English. My classmate, being a keralite thought that Prtnr. Verghese, also a keralite, was asking him in Malayalam,”NEENDAAN ARRIYO”. NEENDAAN ARRIYO in Malayalam means “DO YOU KNOW SWIMMING?”. My classmate replied “YES, PARTNER ”. At this Prtnr Verghese, now a bit annoyed, told him “Come outside”. He took my classmate out of the Dining hall and made him run around the BAAN division garden 10 – 15 times and some 30 pushups to help him overcome the sleep. My classmate walked in to the mess after about 20 – 25 minutes, sweating and breathing heavily and looking very confused. He came and sat near me. He was looking worried too. After some time he asked me, “WHY DID PARTNER ASK ME AT THIS HOUR OF THE NIGHT WHETHER I KNOW SWIMMING. AND WHY DID HE PUNISH ME FOR TELLING HIM THAT I KNOW SWIMMING?”. All of us burst into a loud laughter. I shared this incident with that classmate a few months ago, when we met and we both had a hearty laugh. Language and the accent can, at times, be very confusing
santosh V Santosh Kumar
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NEEND A RAHA HAI KYA...narrated by Santosh

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NEEND A RAHA HAI KYA

We were in A term. New surroundings, New colleagues. Senior partners were watching our each and every step and checking us.
There was this self study in the Apprentices’ Mess Dining hall. From 9 pm to 11pm. After a day of hectic activity on the parade ground/playground and the classes, self study in the mess till 11pm used to be very difficult. We would be waiting for the clock to strike 11.00pm so that we could go to our bed and sleep.

In 1986, The BAAN division at INS Valsura used to consist of the A, B and C terms. I don’t know how it is now. A & B termers used to study in the dining hall and C term partners used to study in their respective dormitories. The scene in the dining hall used to be chaotic. It used to turn silent whenever some ‘C’ term partner used to enter the mess to see if the juniors are studying or sleeping.

One day in the mess during self study, One of my classmates, a Keralite, sitting near to me was feeling too tired . He was struggling to keep his eyes open and concentrate on the books. At this time, our mess incharge, ‘C’ term partner, Ptr Verghese came into the mess
for his rounds.

Seeing this junior struggling to keep his eyes open, Prtnr Varghese came in front of him and asked in Hindi with a smile, “NEEND AA RAHA HAI KYA?”. Prtnr. Verghese was a bit fast in talking. My classmate who understood nothing suddently regained himself and asked back
“Sorry Ptr?”. Ptr Varghese politely repeated his question, “NEEND AA RAHA HAI KYA?”

Being a South Indian, my classmate was not fluent in Hindi. We were not supposed to speak in any other language other than English.

My classmate, being a keralite thought that Prtnr. Verghese, also a keralite, was asking him in Malayalam,”NEENDAAN ARRIYO”.

NEENDAAN ARRIYO in Malayalam means “DO YOU KNOW SWIMMING?”.

My classmate replied “YES, PARTNER ”. At this Prtnr Verghese, now a bit annoyed, told him “Come outside”.

He took my classmate out of the Dining hall and made him run around the BAAN division garden 10 – 15 times and some 30 pushups to help him overcome the sleep.

My classmate walked in to the mess after about 20 – 25 minutes, sweating and breathing heavily and looking very confused. He came and sat near me. He was looking worried too.

After some time he asked me, “WHY DID PARTNER ASK ME AT THIS HOUR OF THE NIGHT WHETHER I KNOW SWIMMING. AND WHY DID HE PUNISH ME FOR TELLING HIM THAT I KNOW SWIMMING?”.

All of us burst into a loud laughter.

I shared this incident with that classmate a few months ago, when we met and we both had a hearty laugh.

Language and the accent can, at times, be very confusing

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