Every year April 24 is observed as National Panchayati Raj Day across India. While the significance of this day is huge and has to do with the 73rd amendment passed in the Indian Constitution, this article is not about it. We are here, in fact, to take a peek into an interesting aspect of the rich Indian culture- Indian Slang Words. Why? What’s the connection? Well, because the word Panchayati reminds me of the widely popular slang “panchayat” that means “to have unsolicited interest in the matters not concerning you”. Example- A not so close friend of yours asks you if you broke up with your current partner and you go, “Tujhe kya Panchayat hai?” Awesome, right? There are more interesting slangs like “Panchayat” used in India to help you easily express yourself! Here we go-
“Sara Plan Jhand Ho Gaya!”
Image Credit: Movie – Bhool Bhulaiyaa
Jhand literally means destroyed or wrecked. It can be used to describe a lot of things like your party plans, your dreams, your aspirations, and even your life in general. In fact, jhand is most commonly used with life, like- “Bhai meri toh life hi jhand ho gayi hai”. The emotions and the feelings hidden behind this one sentence or rather that one word is manifold and can only be understood by the person saying it or the “bhai” in that sentence!
“Ab Kya Kaand Kar Diya?”
The word Kaand makes me more emotional than any other word on the list. All of our college and schools days have been full of all sorts of Kaands. If you’re wondering, Kaand simply means “an incident where you fucked up”. You threw chalk at your friend but it hit your teacher, it’s a kaand! You start driving a car and accidentally bump it on another car, it’s a kaand! You went to Thailand to party and ended up sleeping with a stranger, oh boy it’s a KAAND!
“Wo Ek Number Ka Bakchod hai!”
Image Credit: Movie – Hera Pheri
Bakchod is a classical term used for someone who is very good at talking rubbish, wasting time, and doing all sorts of weird stuff. Say your sibling comes to your room while you are reading and switches off the lights. Your sibling is a certified Bakchod in the given example. You can call your sibling’s Bakchodi out but try not to use the word when you take the case to your parents. They may or may not understand the depth and significance of the word.
“Why Are You So Vella Dude? Get A Job!”
Vella is used for someone who is doing absolutely nothing. Before you start identifying yourself with the word, let me stop you there! It is NOT a good thing to be vella. Although it’s fun, admittedly! But it means you are too lazy, you have nothing to do, and you are more or less a loser. If your friend keeps annoying you with social media tags, calls, and messages; you are entitled to call them vella. But they might reply with another slang called “Ghanta!” which essentially means “nonsense” or “rubbish”. Oh, this is turning out to be more fun than I imagined! Bole toh Jhakkas! (Jhakkas is another Indian slang that means fantastic)
“Karte Hai Kuch Jugaad”
Image Credit: Facebook
You’d be proud to know that even the Oxford Dictionary identifies this famous Indian Slang called Jugaad. It defines the word jugaad as “a flexible approach to problem-solving that uses limited resources in an innovative way”. Indians are known for finding creative solutions to day to day problems. Jugaad is not just a solution; it is a way of life for us Indians. Remember when you forgot to get the cake for your sister’s birthday and your mom went, “Karte hai kuch Jugaad”. And she meant it, how delicious was that home-made cake made out of milk extracts?
The interesting aspect of all these slangs is that all of them are used lovingly and amongst friends. No Indian popular slang word is actually used to degrade a person. It is purely for fun and used in a “Bindaas” (chilled out) manner!
