Informant: RL

Phone Call

10/27/20

Title: ಕೈ ಕೇಸರಡರೆ ಬಾಯಿ ಮೊಸರು

General Information About Item:

• Verbal Folklore, Proverb
• Language: Kannada
• Country of Origin: India
• Informant: VL
• Date Collected: 10/27/20

Informant Data:

RL was born and raised in Karnataka, India for the entirety of his childhood. He was born in 1968 and immigrated to the United States in 1998. RL was raised in a Hindu household speaking Kannada, Hindi, Marathi, and English. He was raised by 2 parents with 2 brothers who all reside in the state of Karnataka, India today. RL grew up in a town in Northern Karnataka and his father was the dean of a college and also a farm owner. As a result, RL has both an academic and modern background as well as an agricultural background. RL currently resides in Nashua, NH with his wife and 2 children, practicing Hindu and Kannada culture and traditions in their household.

Contextual Data:

RL was told this proverb from his parents as well as from some of the farmhands with whom he was friends with during his youth. Growing up, RL and his 2 brothers enjoyed spending time at the farm exploring the land as well as the jungle. Seeing the farmhands work on the farm firsthand helped them remember this proverb and ingrained the lesson into them.

Social Context:

In the agricultural society of India, curd/yogurt was the reward of a lot of hard work. It took a lot of time to get to this final product, and the product was greatly enjoyed by everyone. Several time-intensive steps had to be performed to turn milk into a product such as curd, yogurt, or butter. On a farm, you can see several people working to perform these steps and transform a starting product into the desired product and it is evident that hard work is necessary in order to get to this desired product. Without making an effort or putting in the work, none of this is possible and you are simply left with unpasteurized milk. Though milk may be enjoyable too, it is nothing like the luxury of having fresh yogurt.

Cultural Context:

Coming from an Indian middle class family, this proverb taught a useful lesson about the importance of hard work to attain success and make something of oneself. By heeding the advice of parents and the farmhands, older individuals who give advice and sage wisdom, one can prepare themselves for their own success. To enjoy a good meal and the fruits of your labor, you must be willing to get your hands dirty and work. Similarly, in order to be successful, start a nice family, and settle down (in the case of RL, in a new country) you must be willing to make sacrifices, work extremely hard, and do what others are not willing to do. By doing this, working to the best of your ability and putting in your full efforts, you can attain success and make something of yourself.

Item:

Orally Transmitted Proverb:

ಕೈ ಕೇಸರಡರೆ ಬಾಯಿ ಮೊಸರು

Pronunciation:

Kai Kesaradare Bayi Mosaru

Literal Translation:

If your hands get dirty your mouth will be rewarded curds/yogurt.

Translation:

If you get your hands dirty, you will be rewarded with curds/yogurt.

Informant’s Comments:

“I used to hear this proverb from my parents all the time when I was young, as well as from some of the workers at the farm with whom we were good friends with. They would tell us these lessons because they wanted to see us be successful. At the same time, sometimes my father would make my brothers and I work on the farm so we knew what it was like to perform labor. This proverb was important because the work on the farm helped me experience myself what labor was and what can come from it. The process of turning milk from a cow into yogurt or butter took time but the product is worth it. To achieve success, you need to be willing to work as hard as you can, and do the things other people aren’t willing to do in order to be successful.”

Collector’s Comments:

I have heard this proverb from my parents whenever I act lazy or don’t want to do something. I would be told that being lazy and trying to find the easy way out is not the answer to a problem or situation that is unfolding. This is a simple proverb that is easy to memorize, utilizing words and concepts that are common in a Kannada household. There is not really a rhyme as the proverb is so short and it is essentially just a single sentence. As a result, it is easily memorizable and easy to communicate and pass on to others.

Collector’s Name: Varun Lingadal

Hanover, NH

Dartmouth College

RUSS 013 Fall 2020

Tags/Keywords:

• India
• Proverb
• Hard Work