Thungachi

Image description: white book cover with creme shade geometric patterns. White tea cup in the center of the cover, with tea leaves. Purple hue letters read: Thungachi, Poems by Francine Simon

Thungachi, Poems by Francine Simon

“‘Thungachi’ is a Tamil word and very dependent on the tongue. I don’t know a lot of Tamil, but when I hear it spoken – as opposed to English where there’s more lip and nose engagement – with Tamil, you tend to have to use the tongue more.

The word means little sister. The story of Thungachi was part of my PhD. My younger sister had come home from university and said she’d gone to her friend’s house. When they got home, her friend’s mother called her by a different name, and my sister asked if she’d been calling her friend the incorrect name, but her friend said it was just her house name. So, she asked my parents what a house name is. Some Indian families have names they use at home and other names they use when they’re out in the world, sort of like a nickname. I asked why we didn’t have nicknames, but that’s because my family is Catholic, so some of the more traditional aspects of Tamil or Hindi have been lost.

My dad suggested ‘thungachi’ and we laughed about it, but it became an imprint in my mind. I’m the oldest, not the youngest, but maybe it’s because my sister is taller than me. I named the collection ‘Thungachi’ because there are inconsistencies with my culture and identity and I embrace them. You can embrace being Catholic but still, have South African Indian cultural superstitions. I embrace those things and use them in my poetry.”

-‘There’s no single meaning’: Poet Francine Simon speaks about her debut collection, ‘Thungachi,’ by Gabriella Pinto. Interview published online at Between 10and5, 2017