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Archive for November, 2016

An Homage to Mahadevi Varma Posted by on Nov 28, 2016

I had the good fortune to spend this past Thanksgiving week in one of the most beautiful parts (or the most beautiful part, in my opinion) of the United States: Vermont. Although I have visited Vermont several times before, I looked forward to this visit especially as it would be the first time I would…

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Many Reasons to Run Posted by on Nov 25, 2016

In the United States people are celebrating the Thanksgiving festival त्यौहार (tyauhaar) this week. This is a holiday छुट्टी (chuttee) that celebrates मनाना (manaana=to celebrate) and gives gratitude कृतज्ञता (krutagyataa) for all good things in life जीवन (jeevan). Most Americans will gather इकठ्ठा होना (i-kattha hona=to gather) to feast with friends दोस्त (doast) and family परिवार (parivaar). Those less fortunate अभागे (a-bhaagey) depend…

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A Fascination with Fairness Posted by on Nov 21, 2016

It wasn’t until I traveled to India for the first time that I fully realized how arbitrary beauty standards really are. While the United States was in the midst of a tanning craze, I discovered in Jaipur, Rajasthan (a state in the Northwestern part of India) that women (and men) were desperate to lighten their…

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Comfort Food Posted by on Nov 18, 2016

When people move away from home for school, work, and where life takes them, they often leave behind countless childhood बचपन (bachpan) comforts including the tastes स्वाद (swaad), aromas ख़ुशबू  (khushboo), and flavors ज़ायका (zaayka) of a warm home-cooked meal (भोजन bhojan formal usage/खाना khaana common usage). These become lingering memories यादें (yaadein), dormant in the subconscious mind, and are teased awake…

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Save Grammar for a Rainy Day Posted by on Nov 15, 2016

Among some of my fondest memories of my stays in India are the “rainy days,” which would usually occur during the monsoon season (बरसात/barsaat, fem. noun). In North India, this season lasts from around June or July to September. But, it was not only during the monsoon season that rainy days would bless us with…

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IST Posted by on Nov 10, 2016

If you’ve ever been invited to lunch or dinner in India, or if you’ve even arranged a meeting of sorts, you might have had a taste of IST or Indian Standard Time. IST is an inside joke that describes an Indian’s sense of time समय (sum-aye), or lack thereof. If you are invited to a party…

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Hindi vs. Urdu, the Debate Continues Posted by on Nov 8, 2016

Many people have debated the differences (and similarities) of Hindi and Urdu. Some people believe they should be considered separate languages, while others are of the opinion that the two languages are essentially the same in terms of basic vocabulary and grammar; their differences lie only in their writing systems (Hindi is written in the…

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