“When I proposed this idea to Meher (Marfatia) so many years ago, she coincidentally had the same idea along with her friend, psychiatrist Dr Parveen Dadachanji.
Article by Malavika Sangghvi | Mid Day
So it was a book that was meant to be,” said filmmaker and photojournalist Sooni Taraporevala, about Parsi Bol 2, a delightful compilation of insults, endearments and other Parsi Gujarati phrases, which in a new format contains Parsi Bol 1 (published and compiled by Taraporevala and Marfatia in 2013 and about 350 fresh phrases, along with an audio CD which has actor Boman Irani, along with others voicing the evocative phrases).
Meher Marfatia, Rutty Manekshaw and Sooni Taraporevala
“The phrases we’ve run with are mad, crazy, colourful – yes – but they also have amazing archival value because this kind of colloquial, picturesque, typically ‘Parsi Gujarati’ may soon die out if we neglect showcasing and celebrating them,” said Marfatia.
And if you want to revel in such idiosyncratic locutions as ‘Futteh kuro (Be victorious)’ or ‘Tumeh tumahroo foree lev’ (You do your own thing) or giggle over the rib- tickling visual interpretations of these phrases, or just want to exult in all things Parsi, then hotfoot over to where else, but that paean to all things bawa, BKC’s SodaBottle OpenerWallah where the authors, along with such Parsi icons as Bachi Karkaria and Cyrus and Ayesha Broacha, will be enlightening the world about delicious Parsi expressions as hej vej, oopra sapree, hureem dhureem and omtoo gomtoo!
And no, we don’t know what they mean – but they sound hilarious nevertheless!
