Archive for January, 2018
India’s Republic Day, January 26 Posted by Nitya on Jan 30, 2018
This past weekend, friends and family in India enjoyed a long weekend in observance of India’s Republic Day (Bharatiya GaNatantra Divas), which is celebrated on January 26 each year. It marks the day that the Constitution of India came into effect (January 26, 1950), thus cementing India’s transition into an independent republic after it’s independence from British…
For the Love of Coffee: कॉफ़ी के प्यार में Posted by Rachael on Jan 23, 2018
I’m sure most of you have heard countless times about the obsession India (mostly North India) has with “chai” (चाय) or tea. But, as an American who LOVES coffee, I must desist from rehashing a trite discussion of the various forms of “chai” and instead devote this blog to India’s time-honored and burgeoning fascination with…
Uttarayan and the Kite Festival Posted by Nitya on Jan 22, 2018
Indians are celebrating a festival (tyauhaar) pretty much every month in the year. January is the the time of the harvest festival Pongal in South India. In Maharashtra and parts of Western India, the same day heralds Makar Sankranti , while different parts of North India welcomes this festival as Lohri and Baisakhi , among other harvest…
More Reading Comprehension in Hindi Posted by Rachael on Jan 17, 2018
This week, let’s continue to work on our reading comprehension skills with the third part of Mahadevi Varma’s (महादेवी वर्मा) short story, “Sister-in-Law” (Bhabhi/भाभी) from her collection of stories in Glimpses of the Past (अतीत के चलचित्र) (read parts 1 and 2 here). Like last time, try to read only the Hindi text first and…
More Idiomatic Phrases Posted by Nitya on Jan 15, 2018
Let’s learn some more figurative language today. In a previous blog we explored a few idiomatic phrases or (Hindi muhaavre). Let’s see if you remember them and their usage. Match Column A with the correct usage according to the context described in Column B. Post your answers in the comments section below. Column A Column B a1)…
Reading Comprehension in Hindi Posted by Rachael on Jan 15, 2018
This week, let’s return to where we left off last time with Mahadevi Varma’s (महादेवी वर्मा) short story “भाभी/Bhaabi” (“Sister-in-Law”), from her collection of memoirs entitled अतीत के चलचित्र/Ateet ke Chalchitra (Glimpses of the Past). If you haven’t yet read Part 1, you can do so here. Even if your priorities in learning Hindi do…
Mahadevi Varma, Revisited Posted by Rachael on Jan 8, 2018
जैसे आप लोगों को शायद याद है, कई महीनों पहले मैंने महादेवी वर्मा, एक बहुत मशहूर भारतीय लेखिका और कवि, के बारे में पोस्ट लिखा था (आप लोग इसे पढ़ सकते हैं, यहाँ) । लेकिन, महादेवी जी इतनी मशहूर हैं और इतने अच्छे तरीके से लिखती हैं कि एक ही ब्लॉग का पोस्ट उनके लिए…