Simpson's Apu - Bengali???!!
Michael Josefson
(The following explanation about Apu is for anyone on the soc.culture.bengali
newsgroup that I crossposted to who may not be familiar with "The Simpsons". I
assume that the readers on alt.tv.simpsons are)
The US animated series "The Simpsons" features a character called Apu
Nahasapimapetalon, who is the proprietor of the local Quik-E-Mart. In one recent
episode , he was referred to as "the Jolly Bengali". Now, I am not Indian, nor have
I ever visted there, but from my limited knowledge of Indian culture it seems to me
that Nahasapimapetalon could not be a Bengali surname. If it is in fact a real
Indian name, and not just a fabricated mock Indian name, what group would it belong
to. It sounds to me as if it would be a South Indian-Dravidian name(e.g., Malayalam,
Tamil) and not Bengali. I would appreciate any Simpsons fans of Indian background to
clear this puzzle up for me..
Vasant Ramamurthy
In article <4ppsuv$h...@news.earthcom.net>,
Michael Josefson <mjo...@earthcom.net> wrote:
Nahasapeemapetilon is, indeed, not a real Indian name. It's just to make
fun of notoriously long Indian last surnames. And, of course, the name
"Apu" is inspired from the famous Indian filmmaker Satyajit Ray's set of 3
movies, called the Apu Trilogy, of which Matt Groening and James L. Brooks
are fans of.
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Thathachari
Michael Josefson wrote:
> The US animated series "The Simpsons" features a character called Apu
> Nahasapimapetalon, who is the proprietor of the local Quik-E-Mart. In one recent
> episode , he was referred to as "the Jolly Bengali". Now, I am not Indian, nor have
> I ever visted there, but from my limited knowledge of Indian culture it seems to me
> that Nahasapimapetalon could not be a Bengali surname. If it is in fact a real
> Indian name, and not just a fabricated mock Indian name, what group would it belong
> to. It sounds to me as if it would be a South Indian-Dravidian name(e.g., Malayalam,
> Tamil) and not Bengali. I would appreciate any Simpsons fans of Indian background to
> clear this puzzle up for me..
The last name Nahasa-whatever does sound south Indian (esp. Tamil). Most Tamil names end
with a -an or -am. But the name 'Nahasapimapetalon' does not mean anything in Tamil or
Malayalam. It is probably a made up name. Also, in the Proposition 24(?)' / Illegal
Immigration episode Apu is seen graduating from CalTech (Calcutta Institude of Technology).
So he is probably a Bengali. As an Indian planning to immigrate to the US I think that the
Proposition 24(?) episode was very near the truth on immigration and what an indian
graduate student goes through in the US.
Thaths
Pia Mukherji
In <31C171...@utxsvs.cc.utexas.edu> Thathachari
<tha...@utxsvs.cc.utexas.edu> writes:
>
>Michael Josefson wrote:
>> The US animated series "The Simpsons" features a character called
Apu
>> Nahasapimapetalon, who is the proprietor of the local Quik-E-Mart.
In one recent
>> episode , he was referred to as "the Jolly Bengali".
>
>[snip] Also, in the Proposition 24(?)' / Illegal
>Immigration episode Apu is seen graduating from CalTech (Calcutta
Institude of Technology).
>So he is probably a Bengali.
>Thaths
In spite of both that and the last name, I suspect that they didn't
think about it (him being Bengali) much. I mean, Bengali rhymes with
jolly-- isn't that the important thing? Plus, his accent is not
Bengali, it's the generic Indian immigrant accent.
Pia
David Yates
On 13 Jun 1996 20:16:31 GMT, you wrote:
>(The following explanation about Apu is for anyone on the soc.culture.bengali
>newsgroup that I crossposted to who may not be familiar with "The Simpsons". I
>assume that the readers on alt.tv.simpsons are)
>
>The US animated series "The Simpsons" features a character called Apu
>Nahasapimapetalon, who is the proprietor of the local Quik-E-Mart. In one recent
>episode , he was referred to as "the Jolly Bengali". Now, I am not Indian, nor have
>I ever visted there, but from my limited knowledge of Indian culture it seems to me
>that Nahasapimapetalon could not be a Bengali surname. If it is in fact a real
>Indian name, and not just a fabricated mock Indian name, what group would it belong
>to. It sounds to me as if it would be a South Indian-Dravidian name(e.g., Malayalam,
>Tamil) and not Bengali. I would appreciate any Simpsons fans of Indian background to
>clear this puzzle up for me..
>
Hello Michael,
Apu is almost certainly not Bengali. It is repeatedly stated that he
is a Hindu and, therefore, he is probably Indian. Most Bengalis are
Muslims.
The Simpsons portray Apu's Hinduism quite accurately. When gods are
shown at Apu's shrine, they are always real gods.
As for the name, Apu is a real name but the surname might be made up.
Most likely he hails from South India.
__________________________________________________________
David Yates, Maldon, UK
baid...@jhunix.hcf.jhu.edu
David Yates writes:
>Hello Michael,
>
>Apu is almost certainly not Bengali. It is repeatedly stated that he
>is a Hindu and, therefore, he is probably Indian. Most Bengalis are
>David Yates, Maldon, UK
Bhai David,
tomar lekha parar par theke sankhya-laghu manasika-tae bhugte shuru
korechhi!
Baidurya Bhattacharya, Baltimore, MD, USA
Subhrakanti Dey
In article <31c54517...@news.dungeon.com>, da...@yates.dungeon.com (David Yates) writes:
> Apu is almost certainly not Bengali. It is repeatedly stated that he
> is a Hindu and, therefore, he is probably Indian. Most Bengalis are
>
> The Simpsons portray Apu's Hinduism quite accurately. When gods are
> shown at Apu's shrine, they are always real gods.
>
> As for the name, Apu is a real name but the surname might be made up.
> Most likely he hails from South India.
> __________________________________________________________
> David Yates, Maldon, UK
>
> da...@yates.dungeon.com
Hi David,
There are millions of people in West Bengal and many in Bangladesh
who are NOT Muslims, they are Hindus. I am not sure about the "Apu"
character of Simpsons because I am not a big fan of Simpsons and I don't
watch it that often. But I thought I would point it out to you that
Hindu Bengalis are not in a "Minority group".
Subhra
------------------------------------------------------
Subhrakanti Dey
Australian National University
Canberra, Australia
S Bhattacharyya
da...@yates.dungeon.com (David Yates) writes:
>On 13 Jun 1996 20:16:31 GMT, you wrote:
>>to. It sounds to me as if it would be a South Indian-Dravidian name(e.g., Malayalam,
>>Tamil) and not Bengali. I would appreciate any Simpsons fans of Indian background to
>>clear this puzzle up for me..
>>
>Hello Michael,
>Apu is almost certainly not Bengali. It is repeatedly stated that he
>is a Hindu and, therefore, he is probably Indian. Most Bengalis are
>Muslims.
thanks David, for an excellent joke! I wish you'd post more
of the same :-)
Yours in admiration,
Santanu
Sambit Basu
sub...@lyons.anu.edu.au (Subhrakanti Dey) writes:
>> Apu is almost certainly not Bengali. It is repeatedly stated that he
>> is a Hindu and, therefore, he is probably Indian. Most Bengalis are
>> Muslims.
>> David Yates, Maldon, UK
>Hi David,
>There are millions of people in West Bengal and many in Bangladesh
>who are NOT Muslims, they are Hindus. I am not sure about the "Apu"
>character of Simpsons because I am not a big fan of Simpsons and I don't
>watch it that often. But I thought I would point it out to you that
>Hindu Bengalis are not in a "Minority group".
>Subhra
But Shubhrababu, it is a fact that most bengalis ARE
Muslim.
Regards,
Sambit
Mahmud Husain
>>newsgroup that I crossposted to who may not be familiar with "The Simpsons". I
>>assume that the readers on alt.tv.simpsons are)
>>
>>The US animated series "The Simpsons" features a character called Apu
>>Nahasapimapetalon, who is the proprietor of the local Quik-E-Mart. In one recent
>>episode , he was referred to as "the Jolly Bengali". Now, I am not Indian, nor have
>>I ever visted there, but from my limited knowledge of Indian culture it seems to me
>>that Nahasapimapetalon could not be a Bengali surname. If it is in fact a real
>>Indian name, and not just a fabricated mock Indian name, what group would it belong
>>Tamil) and not Bengali. I would appreciate any Simpsons fans of Indian background to
>>clear this puzzle up for me..
>>
>
>Hello Michael,
>
>is a Hindu and, therefore, he is probably Indian. Most Bengalis are
>Muslims.
>
>shown at Apu's shrine, they are always real gods.
>
>As for the name, Apu is a real name but the surname might be made up.
>Most likely he hails from South India.
>__________________________________________________________
>David Yates, Maldon, UK
>
>da...@yates.dungeon.com
Hi David,
Although you are correct in pointing out that most Bengalis are
Muslims,it is also true that a substantial number of the ethnic Bengalis
are Hindus perhaps as much as 40% of the total Bengali population living
within the national boundaries of India and Bangladesh.Apu is definitely
a common Bengali name though the surname does not seem to be a Hindu
Bengali surname.In the spirit of the irony pervading the show,the writers
of Simpsons probably combined the easily pronouncable Apu with the most
unpronouncable last name they came across.Nahasapimapetalon does sound
like a South Indian name,probably from the Kerala or Karnataka provinces.
Best wishes.
Mahmud.
Subhrakanti Dey
In article <4q7ccr$6...@gandalf.rutgers.edu>, sam...@gandalf.rutgers.edu (Sambit Basu) writes:
> sub...@lyons.anu.edu.au (Subhrakanti Dey) writes:
>
> >> Apu is almost certainly not Bengali. It is repeatedly stated that he
> >> is a Hindu and, therefore, he is probably Indian. Most Bengalis are
> >> Muslims.
>
>
>
> >Hi David,
> >There are millions of people in West Bengal and many in Bangladesh
> >who are NOT Muslims, they are Hindus. I am not sure about the "Apu"
> >character of Simpsons because I am not a big fan of Simpsons and I don't
> >watch it that often. But I thought I would point it out to you that
> >Hindu Bengalis are not in a "Minority group".
> >Subhra
>
> But Shubhrababu, it is a fact that most bengalis ARE
> Muslim.
>
>
> Regards,
> Sambit
>
>
>
>
We are not talking about the exact statistics here. The point is, it is
silly to rule out that Apu is not a Bengali because he is Hindu.
Even if most bengalis are Muslims, that does not imply this.
Subhra
>
>
>
>
>
>
Sambit Basu
sub...@lyons.anu.edu.au (Subhrakanti Dey) writes:
>> >Hi David,
>> >There are millions of people in West Bengal and many in Bangladesh
>> >who are NOT Muslims, they are Hindus. I am not sure about the "Apu"
>> >character of Simpsons because I am not a big fan of Simpsons and I don't
>> >watch it that often. But I thought I would point it out to you that
>> >Hindu Bengalis are not in a "Minority group".
>> >Subhra
>> But Shubhrababu, it is a fact that most bengalis ARE
>> Muslim.
> Sambit,
>We are not talking about the exact statistics here. The point is, it is
>silly to rule out that Apu is not a Bengali because he is Hindu.
>Even if most bengalis are Muslims, that does not imply this.
>Subhra
I was misguided by your last sentence, especially the
framing of "Hindu Bengalis are not in a "Minority group"".
Sorry for misunderstanding.
Also, thanks for your lucid explanation (in "chinmoy
chottopadhyay" thread) of what you think as "mechanical"
singing.
Regards,
Sambit
Ranjit Bhagwat
da...@yates.dungeon.com (David Yates) writes:
>On 13 Jun 1996 20:16:31 GMT, you wrote:
>>(The following explanation about Apu is for anyone on the soc.culture.bengali
>>newsgroup that I crossposted to who may not be familiar with "The Simpsons". I
>>assume that the readers on alt.tv.simpsons are)
>>
>>The US animated series "The Simpsons" features a character called Apu
>>Nahasapimapetalon, who is the proprietor of the local Quik-E-Mart. In one recent
>>episode , he was referred to as "the Jolly Bengali". Now, I am not Indian, nor have
>>I ever visted there, but from my limited knowledge of Indian culture it seems to me
>>that Nahasapimapetalon could not be a Bengali surname. If it is in fact a real
>>Indian name, and not just a fabricated mock Indian name, what group would it belong
>>to. It sounds to me as if it would be a South Indian-Dravidian name(e.g., Malayalam,
>>Tamil) and not Bengali. I would appreciate any Simpsons fans of Indian background to
>>clear this puzzle up for me..
>>
>Hello Michael,
>Apu is almost certainly not Bengali. It is repeatedly stated that he
>is a Hindu and, therefore, he is probably Indian. Most Bengalis are
>Muslims.
>The Simpsons portray Apu's Hinduism quite accurately. When gods are
>shown at Apu's shrine, they are always real gods.
>As for the name, Apu is a real name but the surname might be made up.
>Most likely he hails from South India.
>__________________________________________________________
>David Yates, Maldon, UK
>da...@yates.dungeon.com
Mr. Yates
I'm sorry, my friend, but you are wrong. Bengal is divided into
two parts, West Bengel, and East Bengal, which is now a part of
Bangladesh. Bangladesh, formerly East Pakistan, is obviously mostly
Muslim. However, W. Bengal is in India and chock-full of Hindus. Go to
any town with a realistic Indian population and you'll see a thriving
Hindu-Bengali sub-community. I, personally, am Maharashtrian, but Hindu
Bengalis are quite a visible group.
Thank you for your time.
AM
rbha...@uni.uiuc.edu (Ranjit Bhagwat) writes:
>>Hello Michael,
>>Apu is almost certainly not Bengali. It is repeatedly stated that he
>>is a Hindu and, therefore, he is probably Indian. Most Bengalis are
>>Muslims.
>
> I'm sorry, my friend, but you are wrong. Bengal is divided into
>two parts, West Bengel, and East Bengal, which is now a part of
>Bangladesh. Bangladesh, formerly East Pakistan, is obviously mostly
>Muslim. However, W. Bengal is in India and chock-full of Hindus. Go to
>any town with a realistic Indian population and you'll see a thriving
>Hindu-Bengali sub-community. I, personally, am Maharashtrian, but Hindu
>Bengalis are quite a visible group.
> Thank you for your time.
Correct me if i'm wrong, but arent there more Muslim bengalis in the world than
there are Hindu? I assume that since there are many many more people in
Bangladesh (most of whom are muslim) than there are in West Bengal. Thus leading me to that assumption. Like i said, correct me if i'm wrong.
Abhijit M.
mi...@eden.rutgers.edu
Subhrakanti Dey
> is a Hindu and, therefore, he is probably Indian. Most Bengalis are
> Muslims.
>
> shown at Apu's shrine, they are always real gods.
>
> As for the name, Apu is a real name but the surname might be made up.
> Most likely he hails from South India.
> __________________________________________________________
> David Yates, Maldon, UK
>
> da...@yates.dungeon.com
Hi David,
There are millions of people in West Bengal and many in Bangladesh
who are NOT Muslims, they are Hindus. I am not sure about the "Apu"
character of Simpsons because I am not a big fan of Simpsons and I don't
watch it that often. But I thought I would point it out to you that
Hindu Bengalis are not in a "Minority group".
Subhra
Neil Ghosh
offended that you can generalize like that. I'm a Bengali, a proud
Santaan, and I am also a Hindu! The Bengali community worldwide is full
of Hindus, Muslims, and Hindu/Muslims (yes, we do exist!)...there isn't a
visible majority, but I'd say most Bengalis are in fact Hindu. My family
however has members on both sides of the religious divisions, and we
practice, freely! The rituals of Hinduism (Shaivite) and of Islam
(Sunni). But getting back to the point here, Mr. Bhagwat is wrong, and
Mr. Abhijit Mitra, pardon my language (previous) bbut I had to speak.
Thanks.
Ave!
Prantik Mazumder
1. It's a fact that majority of the Bengalis are muslim. (Thanks Babul,
for pointing it out in a previous posting)
2. What's the big deal if somebody says "Most of the Bengalis are
Muslim" even if the majority of the Bengalis were not
Muslims?..Is that mistake that upsetting (or 'offensive')??
Regards
--
Prantik Mazumder
Dept. of Mechanical Engineering
Iowa State University, Ames
IA 50011
Ph: 515-294 6954 (off)
515-292 3410 (res.)
email: pra...@iastate.edu
homepage: http://www.iastate.edu/~prantik
Rishi Bhattacharjee
I do not know about u but on a general mass basis I can say that if u say
majority of bengalees are muslims, I would be offended. It is not because i
am biased or anything, it is essentially for the fact that it is not true.
They may be close to each other, but hindus still beat the muslims in forming
the bengalee population. Census documents reveal that quite evidently. Other
than that I do not care who makes a majority, as long as they are "Humans"
with brain, intellect, and other humanly qualities.
Rishi
Dasgupta
Rishi:
Statistically, it IS evident that a majority of the Bengalis are of
Islamic faith. How does that OFFEND you is beyond my imagination.
Regards,
Shoumyo.
Jon Hall
In article <96183.221...@psuvm.psu.edu> Dasgupta <TXD...@psuvm.psu.edu> writes:
>Date: Mon, 1 Jul 1996 22:11:51 EDT
>Rishi:
>Regards,
>Shoumyo.
I didn't pick up this thread until this very post, but I think it might help
things if someone points out that Apu is Hindu, not Muslim.
Jon