Are you born or Kohomada?
I wonder if it has come to your notice, like it has come to mine, that “Foreigners” (tourists) visiting our lovely country say and do rather funny things. I was in the chaotic ticket office queue at Colombo Fort Railway Station at 0600hrs trying to get tickets to Kandy and there were two obviously foreign and blonde girls in short-shorts, skimpy tops and heavy back packs in front of me. They turned around, smiled, put their palms together and asked me if I was born!
Although this question came as a total surprise to me, I am well over 60 years of age and therefore definitely born many, many years ago; I recovered my poise and said “Yes, I was born. Thank you!” They looked puzzled. Obviously it was the wrong response on my part! They then got their turn at the counter and they asked the same question from the young ticket clerk, who looked a little bit embarrassed, smiled and just said “Good Morning, Madam!”
This is when the penny dropped! The two foreign girls were trying to say “Ayubowan.”
Admittedly, many years ago and in the 1950s to be precise, we greeted our school teachers by saying “Ayubowan Sir” or “Ayubowan Miss” but these days no one says that. Take this scenario for instance: Group of Japanese tourists get off a luxury bus, enter a supermarket in Kandy, the city where I live, and greet the checkout girls with, “Haa! Ayeyu bon?” Girls giggle, cover teeth with right hand, recover composure and respond by saying “Good Morning!” The result is a bunch of confused Japanese.
Nobody in Sri Lanka ever says “Are youborn”…er…I mean Ayubowan anymore; more about that later. So why do “foreigners” struggle to say that?
My scientific research identified two sources of serious misinformation: Firstly, travel guide books such as the “Lovely Planet” and secondly the lovely Peacock Sari-ed air hostesses of SriLankan Airways. Lovely Planet is out of date! They have not heard of the commonly used greeting of “Kohomada Machang!” which we regularly used in University. As for the lovely Hosties of SriLankan Airways, they are forced to say “Are You Born?” or they lose their jobs.
On the streets of The Old Republic it is different. My old mates greet me as “Ado! Kohomada?” or “Kohomada Yako?” Others, not on such familiar grounds with me, greet me as “Kohomada Sir?” or “Kohomada Mahattaya?” The operative word here is “Kohomada?” with an interrogation at the end of it.
My opinion is that this greeting should now officially replace the ‘traditional’Are you born. (A word of warning though: “Kohomada Hullo!” is a challenge and not a greeting. Avoid this situation, especially late at night in Colombo.)
Lorenzo de Almeida et al
When in 1505 Lorenzo de Almeida, an adventurer from Lisbon, made landfall in Sri Lanka with his drunken shipmates, the locals are most likely to have greeted them in typical Sri Lankan fashion: “Ayubowan!” and the chances are the response from Lorenzo et al was “Como estas?” Nice and friendly and just means “How are you?” and in the informal. This of course is the same as “Kohomada Machang?” and is probably the origin of “Kohomada?”
Fairly soon, relations between Lorenzo and the natives got a bit soured up and expressions like “veinte con losvientos!” from the Portuguese (Translation: Take yourselves off with the winds!) were no doubt countered by “Palayang Yako!” and “Mokada Hullo?” by the locals thus setting off the rather unpleasant situations that we all know about. We then had the Dutch and the Brits, the later going around saying “Good Morning, old chap!” which further confused the natives. Anyway, all that is in the past.
Practical advice for foreigners
By all means do learn how to say “Are You Born?” but do try to drop the interrogation or question mark. Use this greeting only when greeted similarly by the aforementioned Sri Lankan Airways peacock-sari clad lovely hosties.
At Immigration, just don’t bother. You could however start using “Kohomada?” with the lovely, over-made up and over-friendly girlies of the Duty-Free shops.(There are two Duty Free shops competing for gullible customers which explain their friendliness.)
Once outside the airport just use a friendly “Kohomada?” except when taxi touts try to Shanghai you in which case “Mokada Hullo?” or “Palyang Yako!” is more appropriate.
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Now you know. Welcome! Enjoy your stay! Have A Nice Day! Take Care! Do come back! And don’t forget to say “Bye Bye!” when you leave.