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I do not agree that the word 'keling' should be removed from the Malay Dictionary as the premise that this is a derogatory word is not sound. The classical Malay texts have numerous references of this word, and many Malays have 'keling' in their names till today. A study on its origin will reveal it as a source of pride to the present-day Indians as it is a reflection on the achievements of their forefathers.

The Indian nation was not yet born when the Kelings obviously enjoyed considerable influence in this part of the world. This has been well-documented in the classical texts, and we have this word in all Malay dictionaries.

In Indonesia, there are places named as 'Kampung Keling' and in Bali, till now the Indians are referred to as Kelings - without any offence. The whole Malay archipelago uses this word.

In Malaysia, many uneducated rural folks refer the South Indians as 'Kelings', as that was the practice of their forefathers. They have no malice.

The idiomatic expression - lidah keling - originated due to the shrewd political manoeuvres of the Kelings in the various palaces, and is actually a testimony to the political clout that they had in this part of the world. Whereas - keling mabuk todi - is a relatively newer expression, only in Peninsula Malaysia due to the characteristics of the Indian labourers who consumed toddy and became intoxicated in public places. This is part of the unforgettable history of the Indian labour in this country.

Munshi Abdullah, the father of modern Malay literature, was himself a Tamil Muslim, referring himself as a Keling, surely because it was an acceptable term.

This word is not akin to terms like nigger, as their backgrounds are entirely different.

I believe that those Indians who are successful in their fields do not feel at all humiliated by the mention of this word. Only those with an inferior complex feel as though they are being humiliated by others with this term.

But, then, if the term is officially declared derogatory and removed from the DBP dictionary, will that mean nobody will use it, or the Malay dictionaries in other countries will leave it out?

Will that not allow those who wish to humiliate the Indians to use it purposely to humiliate them?

What about our younger generation which reads the classical Malay texts? How will they understand the meaning of this term? Surely we will not be able to erase this world from all these texts, can we?

Talking about degrading words, in the Tamil language itself there are many words. An example will be the word 'parayan'. To belittle someone, this word is loosely used by the Tamils themselves!

Why is that no one is agitating that this word must be removed from the Tamil dictionary?

There are many other pressing matters that need the attention of the Tamils. By addressing these matters as a priority they will be able to lift themselves up - and their inferiority complex will vanish and such words, or for that matter any form of name-calling, will not bother them.

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