ఊరంతా ఉల్లిపూస్తే మాలపల్లి మల్లెపూసె

uranta ullipuste malapalli mallepuse

Translation

When the whole village bloomed with onions, the dalit hamlet bloomed with jasmine.

Meaning

This proverb is used to describe a person who behaves contrary to the general trend or logic of their surroundings. It highlights an ironic or defiant situation where someone claims or exhibits something high-end or beautiful (jasmine) while everyone else is dealing with something common or pungent (onions).

Related Phrases

Whether an onion grows or a jasmine blooms, it happens in good soil.

This proverb emphasizes that any significant growth, whether it is for something basic (onion) or something beautiful (jasmine), requires a solid foundation or a good environment. It is used to highlight that a person's success and character depend largely on their upbringing, family background, or the quality of the environment they grow up in.

When there are onions Malli is a fine cook. Onions make up for bad cooking.

This expression highlights the essential role of onions in cooking, suggesting that with the right key ingredients or resources, even someone with mediocre skills can produce great results. It is often used to emphasize that having the necessary tools or materials makes a task much easier to accomplish successfully.

An onion is not a jasmine flower; a crow is not a cuckoo.

This proverb is used to emphasize that an object's or person's inherent nature cannot be changed just because of outward similarities or pretension. Just as an onion's smell prevents it from being a jasmine, and a crow's appearance doesn't make it a melodic cuckoo, intrinsic traits define true character.

Devotion gone into the water, and the mantra gone to the outcasts.

This proverb is used to describe a situation where all the hard work, meticulous effort, or ritualistic care put into a task goes completely to waste or is rendered useless due to a small mistake or an unfortunate turn of events. It implies that the sanctity or value of an endeavor has been lost.

Arrogance in Nilapalle, but living in Malapalle.

This proverb is used to describe a person who puts on an air of superiority or great pride despite living in poor or humble conditions. It mocks the hypocrisy of someone who acts wealthy or high-class while their actual situation is quite the opposite.

Jasmine flowers for unwashed hair?

This proverb is used to point out a mismatch between a person's basic condition and their superficial embellishments. It suggests that it is futile or inappropriate to adorn something that is fundamentally dirty or neglected with expensive or beautiful things. It is often used when someone tries to show off with luxuries while lacking basic necessities or hygiene.

If there is a village, won't there be a labor colony?

This proverb is used to express that wherever there is a society or a larger structure, there will naturally be a working class or diverse sections associated with it. In a broader context, it implies that certain consequences or accompanying elements are inevitable given a specific situation.

The whole town is filled with onions, then why are you needed mother?

This proverb is used to point out something that is redundant or unnecessary because a better, more abundant, or universal alternative already exists. It is often used to dismiss someone who offers a mediocre or unnecessary service when the same thing is readily available everywhere else.

An onion flower is an onion flower, a jasmine flower is a jasmine flower.

This expression is used to emphasize that every person or object has its own unique nature, value, and place. It suggests that you cannot compare two inherently different things or expect one to replace the other, as each is significant in its own context.

If tamarind trees bloom, it leads to riches; if mango trees bloom, it leads to deaths.

This is a traditional agricultural proverb related to seasonal weather patterns. It suggests that a heavy tamarind bloom indicates a good harvest year (prosperity), whereas an excessive mango bloom often correlates with heatwaves or droughts, which historically led to famines or health issues.