Odia · ଓଡ଼ିଆ
A morning call in Odia, for your Bou.
Meenira rings your mother in Odisha every morning in Odia — the ଆପଣ form throughout, and Bou (ବୋଉ), not Amma — has a short unhurried chat, and sends you a plain English summary. The call below is a sample voiced for the demo; on a real call she speaks live and remembers.
- Meenira
ପ୍ରଣାମ ବୋଉ! ମୁଁ ରବିଙ୍କ ସହକାରୀ ମୀନିରା କହୁଛି। ଆଜି ସକାଳେ ଆପଣ କେମିତି ଅଛନ୍ତି?
Respectful greetings, Bou! I am Meenira, Ravi's assistant. How are you doing this morning?
- ବୋଉ
ହଁ ମାଆ, ମୁଁ ଭଲ ଅଛି। ବସ୍, ଏଇ ଆଣ୍ଠୁଟା ଟିକେ ବିନ୍ଧୁଛି।
Yes dear, I am fine. Just this knee is hurting a little.
- Meenira
କେବେଠୁ ବିନ୍ଧୁଛି ବୋଉ?
Since when has it been hurting, Bou?
- ବୋଉ
ଏଇ ଦୁଇ ମାସ ହେବଣି।
It's been about two months.
- Meenira
ଦୁଇ ମାସ, ଆଚ୍ଛା।
Two months, I see.
- Meenira
ବୋଉ, ଆପଣ କିଛି ଖାଇଲେଣି କି?
Bou, have you eaten anything?
- ବୋଉ
ହଁ, ସକାଳୁ ଟିକେ ପୋହା ଆଉ ଚାହା ଖାଇଦେଇଛି।
Yes, I had some poha and tea in the morning.
- Meenira
ଠିକ ଅଛି ବୋଉ, ମୁଁ ରବିଙ୍କୁ ଆପଣଙ୍କ ଆଣ୍ଠୁ ବିନ୍ଧା ବିଷୟରେ ଜଣାଇଦେବି। ଆପଣ ନିଜର ଯତ୍ନ ନେବେ। ମୁଁ କାଲି ପୁଣି ଫୋନ୍ କରିବି। ନମସ୍କାର!
Alright Bou, I will let Ravi know about your knee pain. Please take care of yourself. I will call you again tomorrow. Goodbye!
Voiced for the demo. On a real call she speaks live and remembers what your parent tells her.
Why Odia, and why it had to be right
Odia is spoken by about forty million people, and almost nobody builds for it. It was the first language Meenira was built for, and the respectful ଆପଣ, the word Bou, and the habit of asking about ପଖାଳ rather than a generic "breakfast" came from real calls in Odisha, not from a phrasebook.
What she gets right
- The form of address. Always ଆପଣ, never ତୁମେ or ତୁ. An elder is addressed as an elder.
- The word for mother. Bou (ବୋଉ) — or Maa if that is what your family says; tell us. For a father, Bapa (ବାପା). She uses the word your family uses, not a dictionary's.
- The small things. Pakhala, the Thursday puja, the neighbour's roof — she asks about the life your mother actually lives, and remembers it tomorrow.
- Switching. If your mother drifts into Hindi or English, as many do, Meenira follows and stays there. She will never tell your mother she "only speaks Odia".
How the first call goes
Before any call, your mother receives a message on her own phone, in Odia, saying who asked for the calls, how often they would come, that the call is written down so you can be told how she is, and a code to give you if she agrees. Nothing is dialled until you enter it.
On the call itself, Meenira opens by saying who she is — ରବିଙ୍କ ସହକାରୀ, Ravi's assistant — and that the call is recorded. Then she asks how your mother slept, whether she has eaten, about the tablets, and about whatever came up yesterday. Two or three minutes. If your mother would rather not talk today, that is fine; she tries again tomorrow.
Where Odia families are
If you are reading this from New Jersey, the Bay Area, Dubai or Bengaluru, you already know how far Cuttack and Bhubaneswar feel at 11 pm. Meenira calls in the Odisha morning; the summary is waiting when you wake. Odia associations in the US and the Gulf are welcome to share the sample call above with their members.