Bidexot Apun Manuh, meeting own people in a faraway land

“Bidexot Apun Manuh” is a famous Assamese phrase which describes a situation and feeling of a person staying far away from his homeland and meeting someone from his native place out there. In a broader sense it is used for people who go abroad and meet their own people out there. The dictionary meaning of "Bidex" is foreign country but the phrase “Bidexot Apun Manuh” is usually used commonly for a faraway place and/or a foreign country.  Let’s say a villager who never went outside his village and all of a sudden he had to go to a little faraway town for his livelihood. There is no doubt that in the beginning the town would have been like a foreign land to him and he probably felt very lonely out there. Now, if he gets an opportunity to meet someone from his own village there, he naturally feels very delighted and immediately the phrase “Bidexot Apun Manuh” generally comes to his mind.

In most cases people are extremely delighted to meet their own people far away from their homeland. But unfortunately exceptions are just everywhere. I am living in Bangalore from last 8 years and I remember one incident that cropped up about 3 to 4 years back. I have an old habit of talking to strangers if I come to know that they are from Assam. Whenever I hear strangers talk in Assamese, I usually interrupt in between. Sometimes I feel little shy, especially when the stranger is of opposite gender. But somehow I usually overcome my shyness and talk for a while, just to say “hello”  One day I had to buy some medicines and was waiting in a  pharmacy as it was little crowded out there. There was a young couple waiting to buy something and they were whispering in Assamese. They looked like degree students and they were discussing something non-veg. They had a mild argument on "which brand to buy?" The girl was little shy and said to the guy “you buy whatever you want, don’t discuss here.” The guy replied “Why you worry so much? We are talking in Assamese and who the hell will understand us?” Now as soon as I bought my medicines, all of a sudden, may be because of my habit, I just said to them in Assamese “So, you guys are from Assam?” It was really an embarrassing situation for them. They talked to me nicely but they were very shy, especially the girl.

Once upon a time one of my very senior friends from our college had to face a similar kind of situation. He was very happy that time as he joined his first job and was posted in Dehradun. He was quite thrilled to join a company that fed him lot of chicken during their training session. Training was very rigorous, about ten hours a day and in just one month it covered nearly one semester's course. His typical Assamese accent with his broken Hindi was quite entertaining for the other trainees as well as the trainers, but they all loved him so much. Every evening he used to get a little high with lovely spirit from a nearby "Deshi Sharab Ka Thekka” (local booze) There was hardly any holiday during his training days. Gradually after the initial euphoria he started to miss his native and his people way back home.

One fine evening he went to watch a movie in a local hall to find some refreshment. And to his surprise the refreshment was not from the movie but from a "looked like" newly married lady sitting next to him. Her hubby was sitting on her other side. Now, this lady was a little impish kind of and my senior friend felt a bit awkward at her seemingly innocent moves towards him. Now, in a different state and that too her hubby sitting next to her, he didn't have the guts for a counter response. He was not able to concentrate on the movie properly as her innocent moves made him little uncomfortable and the couple were also whispering in each other's ear. Now instead of concentrating on the movie he started to concentrate on their whispers. All of a sudden he heard her hubby saying “Oi, xeitur logot ga ghelabo nalage tar phale goi goi!" (“excuse me, no need to go too close to that guy and make unnecessary body contact”)

Now my senior friend was totally shocked to know that her hubby actually spoke in Assamese. The lady replied "eeh, moi kot juwa dekhise? apuni je ki koi? Moi ako kiyo tar logot ga ghelabo jam?" (“When did you see me doing that? Why should I make unnecessary body contact with him?”) At that moment the phrase "Bidexot Apun Manuh" came to his mind. All of a sudden there was total brightness in the hall as the interval bell rang. After some hesitation my friend approached her hubby and said in Assamese "Dangariya apuni seat tu xolai mur usorote bohok" (“Gentleman, I think it will be better if you can change your seat and sit next to me”) Now it was so embarrassing moment for the couple and my friend still remember the kind of facial expressions they had that moment.

Later somehow they again met and my friend came to know that the hubby was actually an army man and was posted in Dehradun that time. One day the couple even invited him for a dinner.I think we shouldn't worry much about these small incidents, as few exceptions cannot change the broader meaning. "Bidexot Apun Manuh" definitely brings lot of happiness in life.