Post by Thoithoi O'Cottage on Sept 28, 2019 19:59:43 GMT 5.5
Our dictionary has the following for পোত্থাবা (potthaba):
পোত্থাবা potthaba /pòttʰábə/ CVCCVCV /pòtʰábə/ CVCVCV
vi
Man পোৎ load+ Man থাবা to put down পুরম্বদগি নত্রগা থাংলম্বদগি লৈমায়দা থম্বা
Literary meaning: অরূম্বা পোৎ পুরম্বদগি লৈমায়দা থম্বা to put a heavy load down
Probably পোত্থাবা originated from the mouths of ancient Meitei itinerant workers who usually carried their belongings (পোৎ) on their shoulders. When got tired, they may have put down (থাবা) their load (পোৎ) to take a short rest on the roadside.
1. তৌরম্বা থবক লোইদনা মরক্তা লেপ্লগা ৱাবা ফনবা ঙাইহাক ফমথবা নত্রগা হীপথবা; থবক নত্রগা পাঙ্গল চঙগদবা করিগুম্বা অমত্তা তৌদনা লৈবা
to take repose by intermission of labor or exertion of any kind; to desist or refrain from effort or activity
rest, repose
syn খূৎথাবা
2. হীপথরগা, মপূং ওইনা তূম্লগা পাঙ্গলগি অ্ৱাবদগি তেকখৎহন্নবা তৌবা; হকচাং লেঙদনা লৈবা নত্রগা তূম্লগা লৈবা
to take repose by lying down, and esp. by going to sleep; to lie still or in slumber
repose, rest, retire, sleep, slumber
3. শিনফম ওইনা তৌরম্বা থবক্তগি অহল ওইরকতুনা, হকচাং ঙমদদুনা নত্রগা করিগুম্বা মরম অমদগি তোকথোক্লগা অতোপ্পা শিনফম অমা পায়দনা হাঙনা লৈবা
to withdraw from office or an official position; to give up one’s business or occupation because of old age, physical incapacity or in order to enjoy more leisure or freedom (esp. after having made a competence or earned a pension)
Usually in the phrase থবক্তগি পোত্থাবা
retire, superannuate
As the etymology information above has, পোত্থাবা (পোৎ + থাবা) may most probably have originated from among the ancient Meitei itinerant workers (লংফৈ চৎপশিং) who traveled long distances to far-off places in the hills of Manipur or to the neighboring kingdoms in the present-day Assam, Tripura, Bangladesh and Burma.
In those times, the workers walked on foot in small groups and usually carried their belongings (পোৎ), balled up and wrapped up in a bundle, on their backs often using a stick on their shoulders. When they got tired, they must have proposed to each other to put down (থাবা, tʰábə) their loads (পোৎ, pòt) (hence pot-thaba, pòt-tʰabə) to cease from walking for a while (that is, to repose and rest up) on the roadside, probably under a tree.
If you have been walking for days but have not yet arrived at your destination, to put down or thaba (থাবা, tʰábə, as in পোরম্বা নত্রগা পম্লম্বা অঙাং থাবা, হায়বদি পোবা পম্বা তোক্লগা লৈমায়দা নত্রগা ফমুুংগুম্বা অমদা থম্বা) the heavy burden or pot(lum) (পোৎ(লূম), pòt(lùm)) from your back is to take rest for a while.
পোৎথাবা may have come home with the itinerant workers and thus later found its way in common speech even for this word to apply to other modes of rest which don’t involve you putting down your burden.
There is a reason for assuming this word’s origin among the itinerant workers. Working out the meanings of the component words of this compound word gives us the fact that pot-thaba, by etymology, basically involves (i) putting down (something heavy you have been holding or carrying) and (ii) a burden. A man who is working in his own field or kitchen garden may not need to put something heavy down so that he can rest or repose. The act of putting something heavy down to rest goes with the assumption of somebody walking a long distance with a burden on his back.
The improbability of this word having originated in household or usual community environments is that we have a word for normal resting–খূৎথাবা, khut-thaba. Khut-thaba is to let go (thaba, meaning thadokpa, chat-hankhiba) of work from your hand (khut). Khut-thaba, thus, is to let go of work from your hand (which you work with). You work with your and and if work is not in touch with your hand, you do not work, which is to rest. Khut-thaba does not involve you putting something heavy down. You can weave a mat without actually using any tool to put down when you want to rest. But when you cease from touching the material used in making the mat to rest, you do khut-thaba.
Nowadays, pot-thaba is interchangeable with khut-thaba in many cases though the latter has the sense of a more formal break especially in manual labor works, when all workers rest together at the same time, though you can use pot-thaba on this case. Khut-thaba is not used outside the context of physically taxing work.
