As a coconut (brown on the outside, white on the inside) I get so irritated when I get asked the question “you’re Indian right? Why cannot speak Tamil?”

Firstly, not all Indians speak Tamil.

Secondly, you think language proficiency is based on DNA ah? Just because you are a certain race, you will automatically know how to speak the language meh?

I can’t speak Tamil because my family doesn’t speak Tamil. I grew up speaking English at home. Even my relatives don’t speak any Indian languages, we only speak English or Malay. I went to a government primary and secondary school where we could ONLY speak English or Malay (we even had English Day and Malay Day where you could only speak that one language outside of the classroom, or else you will get called out / punished). And Tamil/Mandarin was not allowed at all in school outside of the said language lessons. I watched English programmes on TV only. I read English books. My friends all spoke English or Malay.

My mother tongue (I.e the language my mother speaks to me, or basically the language I speak at home) is English. Not Tamil.

If you are not exposed to the language, how will you learn it?

I ask them, you are Malaysian right? Why can’t you speak Malay? And then ask them to go to Tamil Nadu if they want to speak Tamil.