Archive for March, 2017
Things around the Kitchen Posted by Nitya on Mar 29, 2017
It’s spring season (vasant rutu) and I’ve been spending a lot more time in the kitchen (rasoi ghar), trying out recipes with fresh produce from the farmer’s market. This set me thinking about the variety of tools (yuntra) and utensils (bur-tan) that one uses in the kitchen, and brought me to my next blog topic: things around the…
Learning a New Language Posted by Nitya on Mar 22, 2017
When I learn a new language, I am great at mastering grammar. Written and reading proficiency in a language comes easily to me. However I get tongue-tied and start scrambling for vocabulary when it’s time to speak. There is plenty of research out there that will point you to various approaches to learning a new…
Happy Birthday! Posted by Nitya on Mar 12, 2017
जन्मदिन की शुभकामनाएँ. Happy Birthday! Every time I hear of someone turning a year older, I can’t help, but recall this evergreen melody. Although the mood of the song is light and cheerful, it also laments the dreary nature of adulthood. ” हम भी अगर बच्चे होते नाम हमारा होता गबलू बबलू, खाने को मिलते…
The City of Dreams Posted by Rachael on Mar 6, 2017
The city of Bombay (बॉम्बे/Bombay or बंर्बइ/Bambai) officially renamed to “Mumbai” (मुंबई/Mumbai) in 1995, has loomed large in India’s popular imagination since its beginnings (शुरुआत/shuruaat, fem. noun). In the modern age, it is commonly associated with North India’s biggest film (फ़िल्म/film, fem. noun) industry, often known as “Bollywood.” Thus, it is the place where aspiring…
Onomatopoeias through Bollywood Lens Posted by Nitya on Mar 2, 2017
When I was at grocery store today, buying bitter gourd करेला (karela), green bell peppers शिमला मिर्च (Shimla mirch), and carrots गाजर (gaajar) the popular Bollywood number (from the movie Mohra featuring Raveena Tandon and Akshay Kumar, was sizzling over the speakers. … “Tip-tip barsa paani टिप टिप बरसा पानी … .” (Tip-tip denotes the sound of…