5/24/22, 10:22 PM The unexpected origins of the controversial Myanmar word 'kalar' | Coconuts A Facebook post calling the late U Ko Ni “kalar.” Is this word dangerous? Is there any benefit to policing its use? An exploration of the word’s history complicates such a proposal. The Myanmar-English Dictionary, compiled and printed by the Department of Myanmar Language Commission under the Ministry of Education in 1993 lists the Pali word kula as the origin of kalar. Examples like these suggest the Burmese word kalar – the word for people of south Indian origin – is a hurtful, racist word and should be avoided. Certainly the word can be used as an insult, to highlight someone’s skin color or foreign ancestry as a sign of inferiority. But tracing the word’s origin and a more careful examination of its usage over time reveals kalar can be benign or hurtful. In U Hote Sein’s Pali-Myanmar Dictionary, the Pali word kula is defined as: race, noble race, home, one’s parents’ home, or a patron feeding and taking care of one. But somehow, over time, the word kalar in Burma became inseparably linked to people of Indian origin. Lentil beans, for example, are called kalabae (“beans of the kalars”); and a type of chili known for its extraordinary heat is called kala-awe thee (“chili that makes the kalar scream”). People with Indian ancestry who live in Burma may also refer to themselves as kalar lu myo (“of the kalar race”), and India as kala-byi (“the country of the kalars”). In these cases, the word kalar is devoid of toxic connotations. Nobody should be insulted by the word kala-bae or kala-awe thee (least of all, the lentil and the chili). https://coconuts.co/yangon/features/kenneth-wong-the-origins-of-the-controversial-myanmar-word-kalar/ 2/12