Owing to the various dialects in the South of India, as a matter of
convenience the English language is much used for personal communication
by the natives of different parts of the Presidency of Madras. Mr.
Edward Lear, who has travelled much in that part of the country, gives
the following interesting account of a journey:—“I was in a second-class
railway carriage going from Madras to Bangalore. There was only one
other passenger beside myself and servant, and he was a Brahmin, dressed
all in white, with the string worn over the shoulder, by which you may
always recognise a Brahmin. He had a great many boxes and small
articles, which took up a great deal of room in the compartment, and when
at the next station the door was opened for another passenger to get in,
the guard said:—
“‘You cannot have all those boxes inside the carriage; some of them must
be taken out.’
“‘Oh, sir,’ said the Brahmin in good English, ‘I assure you these
articles are by no means necessary to my comfort, and I hope you will not
hesitate to dispose of them as you please.’
“Accordingly, therefore, the boxes were taken away. Then the newcomer
stepped in; he was also a native, but dressed in quite a different manner
from the Brahmin, his clothing being blue, green, red, and all the
colours of the rainbow, so that one saw at once the two persons were from
different parts of India. Presently he surprised me by saying to the
Brahmin,
“‘Pray, sir, excuse me for having given you the trouble of removing any
part of your luggage; I am really quite sorry to have given you any
inconvenience whatever.’
“To which the Brahmin replied, ‘I beg sir, you will make no apologies; it
is impossible you can have incommoded me by causing the removal of those
trifling articles; and, even if you have done so, the pleasure of your
society would afford me perfect compensation.’”