‘Tu Vs Aap’ Debate Triggers MemeFest! Mumbaikars Take Offence To A Twitter User Complaining About Using ‘Tu’-SEE TWEETS!

Indian culture can easily differ from different regions and it has been ultimately blessed with people from all the languages across India

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‘Tu Vs Aap’ Debate Triggers MemeFest! Mumbaikars Take Offence To A Twitter User Complaining About Using ‘Tu’-SEE TWEETS!
Is it rude to address someone using ‘Tu’? Well, the question has plagued Twitter and netizens are currently busy debating after one user posted about her experience in Mumbai. “Never engage with Bombay people in Hindi. You could be complete strangers and they’ll still feel free to address you with a ‘Tu’,” wrote Twitter user @PratPanc and dubbed it as an ‘unacceptable behaviour’.



Indian culture can easily differ from different regions. However, Mumbai, a city nestled between Maharashtra, is the nation’s commercial hub and has been ultimately blessed with people from all the languages across India. Interestingly, Mumbai doesn’t have a local language of its own and the accents are a mix of primarily 4 languages throughout Mumbai's Suburban District - Marathi, Hindi, English, Gujarati.

Just for the sake of context: “Tu” and “aap” mean “you” in Hindi. However, ‘Aap’ is more of a formal and respectful word used to address someone elder. While ‘Tu’ is considered more informal and less polite in Hindi, the same word is also used to address someone dearly in Maharashtra. This is likely to be the reason why some people from the northern parts of the country sometimes object to its usage, especially when addressing strangers or elders.


As a user pointed out, “You have pissed off a LOT of people” the tweet has ultimately sparked a debate on the correct usage of ‘aap’ vs ‘tu’ and the debate just seems to get stronger. 

Many Mumbaikars took offence at the tweet and suggested that @PratPanc failed to recognise the nuances of language and culture by dismissing tu as a rude way to address someone.

Kaushal Inamdar, a music composer, joined the debate, noting that tu in Marathi is used with love. He wrote: “We even call our Gods tu.” 

We suggest you sit back and enjoy the tweets below:











The tweet was shared on February 5, and the tweet has accumulated more than 1 M views and garnered over 572 likes and 63 retweets. It has also received a plethora of comments.

Image Source: SpotboyE
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