As we all know, Malaysia is made up of a variety of diverse cultures and ethnicities, which means each of us have our own unique experiences that make us who we are as Malaysians. This is of course true for Malaysian Indians, who make up a large part of this country’s minority population.
As minorities, we’re often faced with pretty hilarious remarks and questions from our non-Indian peers that can get a little annoying after hearing them for the 1000th time. Here are some of those instances:
1.”Yenga poringe?” “anene!”
Ah yes, fake Tamil. the pinnacle of comedy. Please continue while we scream internally.
2. *lights go out* “Eh? Where did _______ go?”
Haha! So original! Never heard that one before!
3.”Are you Christian or Indian?”
Do you think the two are mutually exclusive or are you assuming Christianity’s a race or that “Indian” is a religion? Now you’re confusing us!
Source: The Verge
4. “I need to stay out of the sun! I’m becoming dark like Indian!”
What’s so bad about dark skin, lah? Join us and become un-fair and lovely!
5. That “accent” your friends suddenly develop when they talk to you
Dei, don’t think we don’t notice what you’re doing okay!
6. “Do you speak Indian?”
Since when was “Indian” considered a language? I also don’t know this brand-new language, lah!
7. When people think Tamil people are the only Indians that exist
If you don’t already know, there are loads of other Indian ethnic groups here besides the majority here, which is Tamil. You may have heard of Malayalees, Telugus, and Gujaratis just to name a few of them! Each group also has their own distinct traditions and languages, too! #EducateYourself!
8. “Why are Indians so hairy ah?”
For the millionth time, we don’t know! Anyway, what’s so bad about body hair? That’s how most of us were born!
9. “You some Indian gangster from Klang is it?”
You know, when your friends try to tease or taunt you and relates you to the gangsters from Klang… Not all gangsters are Indian okay! And why must all of them come from Klang?!
10. When everyone remembers Halloween but they forget Deepavali
Yep, don’t act like you don’t notice it too! We see all these events and lifestyle posts related to Halloween, but it’s super rare to see anything Deepavali-related. :'(
To our non-Indian friends, of course we don’t take these things too much to heart. We understand you guys mean no harm. All we ask is for you to be aware of what you say sometimes, and probably never to try these things ever in your lives.
As for our fellow Indians out there, we wish you all a happy Deepavali! Just know you’re not alone, guys!
Also read: What Never To Name Your Malaysian Chinese Kids
