*Ria Pati

Q1. But you’re so fair, how can you be from Odisha?

What exactly are we supposed to look like? Us Odia folks are predominantly dusky, I know, but there’s variety everywhere people.

Q2. Do you speak Odissi at home?

Yes I speak in Odissi at home and Kathakali at work. Odissi is a dance form guys. The language is Odia.

Q3. (When someone overhears you talking on the phone) Are you speaking in Assamese?

Just because it sounds like Assamese, doesn’t mean it is. As a language Odia sounds similar to Bengali, Assamese, Nepali and Gujarati.

Q4. What sort of a surname is Pati?

“Hi Ria Pati, where’s you’re Patni hahahahah” Seriously? (no doubt its funny :P)

Q5. Check it out, I can speak some Odia, “Khabo jabo peebo!”

Make it stop. Its Kaibaw, Peebaw, Jibaw. We’re quiet different from Bongs. We’re all Aw’s they’re all O’s.

Q6. Oh so you’re South Indian?

Yes and you need Geography 101.

Q7. Isn’t Odisha a backward state?

Its almost like meeting an Indian and saying “Oh so you’re from a third world country!”

*The author is a graphic designer based in Gurgaon. She blogs here. The post was originally published here and went viral. 

The opinions expressed in this article are the author's own and do not reflect the views of Odisha Sun Times.