Thanks Coolie

COOLIE, the word I scared without understanding real meaning of it when I was school boy. Because my father used to score my school age sisters when he sees them not hard studying at home. My father would tell us we will become coolies if we are lazy at young age. He would also take somebody who is working as coolie at our home town to emphasis how hardship it is as a coolie's life. Time goes by and my father had been passed away without knowing all of his children eventually got degree. Since that early younger days, I never heard through the sound of coolie until yesterday. I'm reading a biography of Gandhi from library now. As a young British educated young lawyer, he spent his junior days of career in South Africa where an Indian coolies were brought in by British authority and merchant to work for their business there. He realized the plight of his fellow Indian community there and began to represent them to get a justice against British colony government.

I first saw the word, coolie, and didn't remember it is the word I familiar with when I was young boy. I initial thought it is one type of India's caste system. Later, I realize its meaning through reading. I find in Oxford dictionary translation, coolie is an unskilled native labourer in India, China and some other Asian countries. The word is apparent offensive to inferior people by elite class. I am accidentally found this word and it make me remember my father who had died decades ago. Traditionally in Myanmar, our parent used the scare things to frighten their children in order to become good obedient person. My father is not exception I think. He is not educated man and he might have wanted to see his children becoming educated person. I must acknowledge to the word, coolie, for making us scare and transform hard working student that eventually make us educated family.