Oh so Godaay! (A word unlike any other)

Living behind my keyboard and snatching on some time that didn’t look like it could be put into a more useful purpose I started to muse on this particular Sri Lankan term;

Goday.

I mean it has been in use for so long and been so frequently used to describe, insult and put down individuals from various walks of life for so long that it seems to have taken on a life of its own. I mean what does it exactly mean?

So I Google the term and find search results that have nothing to help my quest. Then I google ‘Godaya’ and found this interesting post on some blog by a chap who goes by the name if Dinidu de Alwis. Anyways in this post he outlines this interesting experiment he conducted in the streets of Wellawatte where he smiled at a lot of people randomly and recorded the result. And then goes on to say that he was just acting ‘goday’. (see also kottu search results)

Ah HA! So according to Dinidu a godaya is a person who smiles randomly at people on the road is it? Hmmm,I guess that’s one way of looking at it.

Finding nothing else of significance on Google (we seriously do need a more comprehensive Sri Lankan web presence!)and it being a Friday I thought I’ll ask a few discerning colleagues what they thought it meant. Here are some results.

Hyperactive Customer Service colleague: ‘Like, Someone who is back in time or someone who is not aware of something?’
Me: So he’s a godaya if he’s not aware of something?
HCSC: If he’s not aware of a very obvious trend, he’s labeled a godaya’.
Erm ok.
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IT Dude: Hmmm, that means like, gamey hadiccha ekkenek? (person who grew up in the village)
Ara click wenna wela yanne? (Tube light, Person who is a bit slow on the pickup)
Dresses bad? Old fashioned?
Ok, ok.
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Female Colleague : Godaya? (posh accent), crinkles up face, why do you wanna know? (thinks..)
Someone who doesn’t have TASTE. At all!! (Sideward look at guy sitting next to her)

Lol ok.. and now there ensues loud comebacks and counter comebacks as a result of this. The guy who sits next to her happens to be somewhat Indian and while being an awesome character is occasionally prone to displaying slightly non-Sri Lankan behavior that could be perceived to be slightly eccentric in certain circles. So I decide to ask him.

Indian: hehe (says the IT guys name) living embodiment of it.

Ouch.
The word really does have a life of its own.