Mumbai language: This special story is about silent language of gestures and signs Mumbaiites use in their day to day life

Mumbai language: This special story is about silent language of gestures and signs Mumbaiites use in their day to day life

“Le Parole est. d’argent, Le Silence est d’ore”- a French proverb meaning Speech is silver (but) silence is Gold.
Where thousand words fail to make an impact; silence works like a golden rule. An action narrates entire story. A gesture speaks thousand words. The silent language of gesture can whisper, rage, implore, accuse, burst into song, explode into revelation, stab the conscience and can heal a faith. Remember, a thumbs up gesture by a coach shown to tiresome loosing student, many a times, had changed the scene of a boxing bout. Fast bowlers during cricket match use movement of fingers and toes that change movement of 10 fielders minute by minute on ground and same movement of fingers up and down have changed the scene at baseball ground. Also, sign and gestures play an important role in game of gambling and looking at large picture they play a pivotal role in game called life.

Mumbai- city of dreams where many prepare to play game of fortune, some play it hard and few made fortune out of it. Here everyone plays arduously selling possession, commodity, body and even soul. Imagine 3 million plus population ranging from beggars (300,000 in 2004), vendors (250,000),prostitutes to Corporate selling and yelling at marketplace Mumbai. To avoid probable mishap, might be they have formulated, accepted and govern by a special language that Mumbaikar speaks. A verbal elucidation is not required. “Of course, in a city where business is done at jet speed and where time is money words consume time. This language of signs and gestures is cumulative effect of pressures that that time and space creates. But beware! Any stranger trying to divert your attention with unusual gesture like saying spontaneously that something is at your back, it is smelly or someone halting you midway asking for change when you are in hurry, either ignore or report to nearest police station as you could be in trap and at risk of loosing your valuables.” Caution Javed Ahmed, ex-Jt. Commissioner, Law and Order, Mumbai Police. “We in police community encourage this non verbal communication termed as non invasive communication through SMS among our colleagues to remind of things coming in way later on. We use it on day-to-day basis to understand and hatch crime plot. If we are able to decode gesture a crime than is prevented. For your information Mumbai police is considered to be one of the best in world after Scotland Yard police.” Informs Javed. He quote an incident where a drug peddler who manage to elude the police for weeks. They nabbed him after they understood gesture his man sitting at corner made just before their arrival. Where man chucked a vegetable piece when cops were few meters away and every piece had a different meaning.

Leaving apart underworld, this unique communication is pervasive in city and among its rehabitants. If you are an outsider having landed in the business capital of India one or two days back you will find yourself aloof and languishing in an unknown place like Dinesh Shakul. Shakul, a TV Actor and script writer discovered it same when he landed up here as budding actor and aspiring writer in 1981 “I had a heated argument with a young man on streets when he did “Smpooooch”, a sound produce when you smooch someone deeply.” A stranger will despised this form but this how they seek attention of strangers like a British seeking attention and saying, “Please excuses me Sir”. “I rented out a place on third floor and daily witnessed a boy on bike rolling his tongue producing “Thock, thock” sound and it was so crystal clear that boy at fifth floor attended to it promptly. This is how friends communicate I was told and later I start using the same” continued Shakul.

This place is like music. Once you know and have understood rhythm you enjoy listening/playing it. But at first hand you must ‘accept’ the music. Wander around Nariman point get your shoes polish before you go for an appointment. Boot polisher will make two different thumps with brush. One when he is over with one shoe and wants (requesting) you to place second one on stand. And second for money. The deal is done. During night take a stroll in alleys around Taj hotel. If you are a young man you will hear “chi-chi” and it means solicitation for paid sex. At prima facie you will be taken aback if not propositioned before. Than stare for a moment or two she will tilt her head pressing her right nostril with index finger and if you are arouse she will raise three fingers meaning INR 300. You are open to negotiate but if ready deal is done.

A Trip to Mumbai is incomplete if you haven’t taken a ride in the second-class compartment of a local train. During evenings it is difficult to find space to place your feet. But mobs in local train doesn’t roar, they observe, they read eyes, they read body movements and adjust for each other without making fuss out of situation and will help you to place your feet ‘comfortably’. If you manage to occupy seat and feel a slight jerk on your feet than don’t mistook it for kick else person is kicking is requesting you to shift like in British saying “Can you please move?” Before you board the train make it a point to buy a ticket because Mumbai train Ticket Checkers (TC) are smarter than Sherlock Holmes. “It is 90% accuracy in nabbing travelers traveling without ticket. For a fraction of second if he/she looses eye contact either in moving train or platform we ask ‘ticket please’. We are not imparted with any training and we follow learning by doing approach to grab the culprits,” states a TC on condition of anonymity.

Notice beggars who are thin almost to point of emaciation on platforms and streets and they clunk bowl when they are sure that they will get pie from you. Many a times they are not only beggars but also ‘informers’ of illegal street vendors. These beggars looking like peasant are located near to HQ of municipal corporation and whenever they see a demolition vehicle getting ready they alert someone at other end of street waving hands in special way and from there it is a whole chain placed strategically to communicate objectively. When vehicle arrives on the spot all vendors disappear in thin air cleaning the place too
“If you have received extortion threat than beware of unusual signs appearing around you at traffic signal or road turning where you slow down your vehicle. Moment you see anyone staring at you, dropping handkerchief, shifting specs, rapid moving eye balls than you can expect a sharp shooter near by”. points Sujit Nair, GM, Leo Burnett, humorously. He has been born and bought up in Mumbai. “As a salesman I noticed such communication. If buyer grills you, question you than be ready to go slow and close deal, as he is interested in the same. You have to notice his moving fingers, eyeballs and even direction of ashtray sometime to see and conclude if things are in positive direction. Typically, as seen, most of high profile executive if not interested in conversation often blame it on buzzing/beeping hand phone.”
One gesture wins you a client, a deal worth million. One movement of finger wins you a false friend and a true enemy. Once Aeschylus termed written words as ‘physicians’. Does it not make sense to term Mumbai language as ‘doctor’?