Chaila

There are a lot of words that are bewildering in the Mumbai lingo, but I love the city’s slang in particular. There are so many interesting connections to it that can be fun to explore. Of course, not in South Bombay. They speak only in English there. Frankly, one of my favourites is to ask people to go get tea for me in Marathi, chaila. It leaves people confused. That term is so diverse. It can be a curse or an exclamation. The term is also a very Mumbai thing, and I don’t even think it is a complete word in itself. It is more of a sentiment that people in the city have. It does not matter whether you speak Marathi or not. I can bet everyone around you has said it at some time. It is universal, almost. 

Zervaan Bunshaw is an actor-comedian