In his 2010 film Phas Gaye Re Obama, Subhash Kapoor introduced us to the ‘Mango People.’ A throwback to a catchy label flagged by Imtiaz Ali’s Love Aaj Kal ‘Mango People’ is a literal, but lol worthy, translation of the Hindi expression Aam aadmi, or the common man. The language of the Mango People is a unique Mango Language, exemplified by the scene above. Distinctive from what is understood to be ‘correct’ English, this variant is resolutely a language by itself. Sure, it is a reminder of the widespread use of English in India (and the Indian Subcontinent), a colonial residue. But it is also a far cry from the colonial dream.
As the official language of the country, English is used extensively in India. Like most multilinguals English speakers in India speak in multiple languages simultaneously. As a result Indian English is entirely customizable,
every speaker has their own unique vocabularyand adds their distinct quirk to the language while using it. Sentences are regularly splattered with a variety of words and phrases from various vernacular languages. Combination words, a portmanteau of say English and Hindi, or Tamil, or Bengali, or Gujarati is common. These instances of ‘corruption’ are often hilarious but simultaneously an act of claiming a language arguably not our ‘own.’ It is this sense of ownership which results in jugaading new words.