Hindi Language Blog

India is a host to a number of beautiful attractions. Some of my favorite attractions are those that are more beautiful to behold in the nighttime. This is not an exhaustive list, but here are some of my favorite sites. 

लाल क़िला or Red Fort is located in Delhi (दिल्ली), India. Red Fort was built by Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan. For a time the British used Red Fort as a military base. After India gained independence in 1947, it became a tourist site. Within the Red Fort lies a series of buildings such as the Pearl Mosque (मोती मस्जिद). Red Fort is currently also used by the Prime Minister as a place to address a speech on August 15th, India’s Independence Day.

Konark Sun Temple in Konark, Orissa is lined with carvings dedicated to the sun god Suurya (सूर्य). The temple is also famous for its erotic carvings. Some of the old structures of the temple have been destroyed by the natural elements and of course by human warfare. For example, only parts of the main sanctum, the Dining Hall and the Dancing Hall have survived. Despite this, the Konark Sun Temple still remains a glowing tribute to Orissan art.

छत्रपती शिवाजी टर्मिनस or the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus is located in Mumbaii (मुंबई). It is better known as CST. CST is one of the busiest railway stations in India and one of the most historic as well. The CST was built by an architect by the name of Frederick William Stevens. The CST was built in the architectual style of Victorian Gothic art. At night when the CST is lighted, it looks like a castle in a 19th century fantasy.

ताज महल or the Taj Mahal is stunning in the daytime, but absolutely divine to behold in the light of the moon. In the night, the Taj Mahal has this melancholy and fragile atmosphere. The white marble lighting of the Taj stands as a contrast to the dark night, and from afar, the bulbous shape of the dome is very well highlighted. The Taj is certaintly one of the most romantic and scenic places to view at night in India!

Anyone craving Indian sweets? Here are some of my favorite kinds of sweets!

जलेबी is the Indian version of a funnel cake. It is orangy-yellowish in color, but sometimes white as well. A जलेबी is a snack that looks as if several rings are intertwined together. First a batter consisting of flour, saffron, sugar and some butter is mixed together. Then the जलेबी is deep fried and soaked in syrup. After that some confectionary sugar is added to the surface, and crystallizes into an edible snack.                                     

बाल मिठाई is made by mixing evaporated milk with sugar cane. When the mixture turns black, it is left to harden a bit and cut into cubes. Then the cubes are coated with sugar balls. A बाल मिठाई reminds me of a brownie covered with sprinkles. Originally the बाल मिठाई was coated with opium poppy seeds.

बर्फ़ी is made by mixing condensed milk with sugar until it solidifies. There are different kinds of बर्फ़ी. Some are flavored with ground pistachio nuts, apricots, cashews, mangos, coconut, or almonds. Sometimes an edible foil made of pure silver called वरख is coated on top. Although बर्फ़ी isn’t made of cheese, it’s called the “Indian cheesecake” because वरख can be white and resemble cheese in that way.

गुलाब जामुन is made be preparing a dough that is made of flour, creamy milk powder and sugar. After the dough is fried, the surface is coated with rosewater syrup, honey, or saffron syrup, and sometimes sprinkled with coconut shavings. गुलाब जामुन is usually brown or dark brown in color. The गुलाब जामुन kind of reminds me of a mini doughnut. गुलाब जामुन is usually consumed for joyous events like weddings.

In a sentence like this, “I eat rice with a spoon”, “spoon” would be written in the instrumental case in Hindi. This is because the spoon is used as an “instrument” to eat the rice. In English, the instrumental case can be indicated by using words like, “by” or “with”. Let’s take a look at a couple of examples:

वे चम्मच से चावल खाते हैं (They eat rice with a spoon)

मैं कलम से लिखता हूँ (I write with a pen)

Notice that with these sentences से is used when something is used as an instrument.

Now let’s take a look at some other sentences:

बच्चा माँ के साथ है (The baby is with the mother)

वे दाल के साथ चावल खाते हैं (They eat rice with daal)

With these two sentences, के साथ is used in the sense of “together” or “along”. In other words, in English the sentences could be said as, “The baby is together with the mother” or “They eat rice together with the daal” or “They eat rice along with the daal”.

Now let’s take at the last set of sentences:

मेरे पास पैसे नहीं हैं (I have no money with me)

बच्चा माँ के पास है (The baby is with his mother)

In this group, के पास and रे पास are used in the sense of “close”, “near”, or “have”. So the sentences can be interpreted as, ” The baby is close/near his mother”.