Mumbai:
Bandra's English-speaking, Marathi-impaired Catholic population has but one saviour. He is not at church, but at Bandra Police Station.
Senior Inspector Prakash George is the man on call when a lost-in-translation situation arises, which is pretty often.
Daphne Warapen, member of the H West ward federation and secretary of the civic and political cell of St.Vincent de Paul Church, says going to the local police station is a bit of an ordeal for the suburb's Catholic community since most of them aren't conversant in Marathi, the language of the cops. The police on the other hand, have an issue with English.
"It's a bit traumatic for anyone going to Bandra Police Station because none of the officers except Senior Inspector Prakash George, have a hold over English. The junior officers find it tough to read and write the language. We say something in English, they interpret it in Hindi or Marathi. We are ignorant of what has been written in the FIR, they are clueless about what we said," complains Warapen.
Unlike youngsters who have studied Marathi in school and college, for the elderly, it's especially difficult.
"With English being the language at home and church, being fluent in local languages poses a problem. We are far more comfortable explaining our grievances and complaints to the police in English," she says.
Agni Trustee and a Perry Road resident, Shyama Kulkarni says she has often had to double up as a neighbourhood translator and accompany her Christian friends to the local police station to lodge complains.
"It makes sense for the local community to make an effort to learn basic Hindi or Marathi, since it's well known how the knowledge of local languages opens doors at government institutions," Kulkarni believes.
In fact, at St.Vincent de Paul Church, a special initiative has been taken to conduct classes in Marathi, says parish priest father Ryan Fernandes.
Bandra resident Darryl D Monte recalls how in the past police officials had a better command over English. "What we need is an effort from both, residents and the police to understand each other," he suggests.
Senior PI Prakash George reluctantly admitted that the language barrier existed, saying since he had a command over English, he made it a point to meet complainants personally as and when the need arose.
An amusing story about an elderly Catholic lady lodging a lost car complaint with the police, has been doing the rounds of Bandra. An hour of animated conversation in English later, she asked the police officer if he'd file the FIR, to which he said no. When he was questioned by his senior, he sheepishly said he had said yes to all that the complainant had narrated. He thought a final 'no' would add variety to the conversation. Is the story true? You'll have to ask Senior PI George.
Senior Inspector Prakash George is the man on call when a lost-in-translation situation arises, which is pretty often.
Daphne Warapen, member of the H West ward federation and secretary of the civic and political cell of St.Vincent de Paul Church, says going to the local police station is a bit of an ordeal for the suburb's Catholic community since most of them aren't conversant in Marathi, the language of the cops. The police on the other hand, have an issue with English.
"It's a bit traumatic for anyone going to Bandra Police Station because none of the officers except Senior Inspector Prakash George, have a hold over English. The junior officers find it tough to read and write the language. We say something in English, they interpret it in Hindi or Marathi. We are ignorant of what has been written in the FIR, they are clueless about what we said," complains Warapen.
Unlike youngsters who have studied Marathi in school and college, for the elderly, it's especially difficult.
"With English being the language at home and church, being fluent in local languages poses a problem. We are far more comfortable explaining our grievances and complaints to the police in English," she says.
Agni Trustee and a Perry Road resident, Shyama Kulkarni says she has often had to double up as a neighbourhood translator and accompany her Christian friends to the local police station to lodge complains.
"It makes sense for the local community to make an effort to learn basic Hindi or Marathi, since it's well known how the knowledge of local languages opens doors at government institutions," Kulkarni believes.
In fact, at St.Vincent de Paul Church, a special initiative has been taken to conduct classes in Marathi, says parish priest father Ryan Fernandes.
Bandra resident Darryl D Monte recalls how in the past police officials had a better command over English. "What we need is an effort from both, residents and the police to understand each other," he suggests.
Senior PI Prakash George reluctantly admitted that the language barrier existed, saying since he had a command over English, he made it a point to meet complainants personally as and when the need arose.
An amusing story about an elderly Catholic lady lodging a lost car complaint with the police, has been doing the rounds of Bandra. An hour of animated conversation in English later, she asked the police officer if he'd file the FIR, to which he said no. When he was questioned by his senior, he sheepishly said he had said yes to all that the complainant had narrated. He thought a final 'no' would add variety to the conversation. Is the story true? You'll have to ask Senior PI George.
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