Hojamal Ho
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Hojamal Ho ("Hoja" for short) is a rebellious slogan used and popularized by the students of St. Joseph High School in Dhaka, Bangladesh.
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[edit] Origin
The origin of the slogan is unknown. It may have originated as a passcode for a secret society. It has been passed from batch to batch at St. Joseph High School, and it is now the calling card of Josephites everywhere.
At St. Joseph, a rigid code of conduct has been in place for decades, imposed by successive administrators who obtain their authority from divine sources and seek to enforce it with missionary zeal. While the system has primarily produced a peerless education, it has also, at times, inspired rebellion by upper-middle-class repressed teenage boys. A Hoja embodies this type of rebellion.
The language is not Bengali. This only makes the etymology of the slogan even more mysterious.
[edit] Format
While a Hoja can have various formulations, the correct format is "X-ka bolmey dia baal ho; hojamal ho," where X = the name or the object of derision. The leader of the slogan cries out the first part ("X-ka bolmey dia baal ho") at the top of his voice, and then the group collectively shouts "hojamal ho".
Over the years the basic format has seen many distortions. A simplified format commonly used is "X-ka ponda diya maro." The word "bolmey" is increasingly replaced by words like "ponda", "ganda", "ponge" or even "ponga". All of these signify the same orifice in the posterior of the body through which a violent act ("maro") is rhetorically committed.
[edit] Uses
The slogan is used by students primarily for two purposes. First, it is an act of rebellion against authority. In this usage, a group of students would get together, sometimes audaciously during tiffin break, and bellow out a Hoja. The leader of the Hoja would often target a teacher or the headmaster, and structure the slogan around his name. Interestingly (and fortunately), a Hoja against a female teacher has never been uttered.
Second, it is used as an insult targeted against a rival group. In this use, the Hoja proclaims not rebellion but manly presence, a sort of misguided call for attention. Accordingly, this use has been observed against groups of teenage girls. Boys from St. Joseph have reported particular satisfaction from delivering a Hoja against Holy Cross Girls' High School (Dhaka), which is run by the same organization that is in charge of St. Joseph. This specific subtype of Hoja reflects not only rivalry but also a desperate attempt to attract females. No instance of it succeeding in that goal has ever been recorded.
[edit] Consequences
In both uses, the group scatters promptly after delivering the Hoja in order to evade capture by the authorities. Needless to say, capture results in punishment, ranging from detention to complaints to parents. In extreme cases, where a student has exhibited a chronic tendency to lead Hojas, expulsion from school is a possibility.
There are students who graduate from St. Joseph High School without ever participating in a Hoja. The average grade of these students is usually higher than the others. However, they miss out from a significant rite of passage, a loss that can generate antisocial behavior later in life. More sociological and anthropological research is necessary to substantiate this claim.
