Sahi hai ...

We (He and I) called an old friend up the other day and she said, “Wow it’s amazing!! Your accents haven't changed one bit!!”

I managed a faint smile at my friend sitting opposite me. He grinned.
(Marvellous no? This speaker phone contraption).

We talked a little longer – about this, that and the other and hung up swearing to think about each other each time we did something wonderfully symbolic of our friendship, like hear a Backstreet Boys' song.
(You know, one of those standard things adolescents do to swear their undying love for each other?)

I looked across at him … He stared back at me wide-eyed. Wondering where I was headed on my newest “philosophical trip” (a term of his own devising I assure you).

“She thinks we talk the same," I said.
“Haan tho? Theek hi tho hai. Tereko accent bilkool nahi hai, mereko bhi nahi hai.” he said.
“Woh maloom hai re, lekin accent aane ke liye angrezi mein baat karta kaun hai?”
“Sahi hai … yeh baat bhi sahi hai.”
"Kya na, humlog bombay mein bhi itna hindi mein baat nahi karte the na?"
“Haan re. Apna mummy-bapu apna lingo sunega tho unka dimaag hatega nahi?”
“Maa kasam! Fight ho jayega. Woh log bolega - tereko mein Stanford, MIT iske liye bheja kya!!”

*laughter

“Aur Xavier’s jayega tho log terko dekh ke bolega – kidhar se aaya atrangi?”
“Baat sun, udhar jayegi na – professor log ko hi hello bol ke somdi me vat lena- kissi ko maloom bhi nahi padega.”

*silence

"Tereko yaad hai kya, mast english mein baat kaisa karne ka?"
"Haan, sort of. I mean, I haven't completely forgotten the language or anything. Matlab I can still baat karofy in english, its just that hindi comes more fataak se."
“Tu jaldi upar jayega beta”

*more laughter

No, my dearest, I don’t have an accent – however, there might be other things about my verbal communication skills that you need to be concerned about.

I do think about you although I rarely listen to BSB.