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Wisdom through Saint Kabir’s Couplets Posted by Nitya on Nov 21, 2017
Kabir Das was a poet-saint संत-कवी (sant-kavi) who lived in approximately 15th century १५वीं सदी (pandhravi sadi) India. You can read more about him here. His poetry/couplets are famously known as दोहे (dohe; singular: दोहा doha) , and were written to dispense simple wisdom in vernacular Hindi, which widely appealed to the local folk. In addition to using uncomplicated language सरल…
Garam Masala: The Wonderful Indian Spice Mix Posted by Nitya on Nov 10, 2017
Garam masala गरम मसाला is a versatile spice mix that can be used to add zest to a variety of dishes in Indian cooking. While proportions and nuances vary from region प्रांत (praant) to region and chef to chef, the basic ingredients remain the same. गरम मसाला can be used by itself or in tandem with other…
Prefixes Posted by Nitya on Oct 30, 2017
Prefixes! Those glorious little words that can change the meaning of a word in an instant. English has a rich trove of prefixes that are sourced from languages including Greek and Latin. Hindi is no different, and boasts its own store of prefixes, many of which are borrowed from languages like Urdu. To provide an…
Ailments, Injuries, Illnesses Posted by Nitya on Oct 21, 2017
Got the sniffles? Broke a leg? Twisted your ankle? Or are you offering comfort to someone who is suffering a more serious affliction? When in India, it is useful to know names and terms for illnesses or ailments that you might encounter in conversations during daily business or travel. Some of these might be useful…
Asking for Small Change Posted by Nitya on Oct 10, 2017
In many large towns in India, small change or छुट्टा (chutta) is coveted and guarded currency that people part with sparingly and reluctantly. It is the currency of daily business with the autorickshaw driver, the vegetable vendor, the bus conductor, and even grocery shopping in supermarkets. “Please give me exact change,” मैडम छुट्टा दीजिये (Madam chutta dijiye) is…
Counting the Days of the Lunar Cycle Posted by Nitya on Sep 25, 2017
Last week, we reviewed counting and cardinal numbers in Hindi . Let’s extend this to counting the days of the lunar cycle, and an introduction to ordinal numbers. The names for the days of the waxing/waning moon phase are “ordinal” in nature and are referred to by words that indicate their “position” or “order” in…
Cardinal Numbers: 1-20 Posted by Nitya on Sep 14, 2017
I have been watching a lot of Bollywood songs lately and it set me thinking about how songs possess the ability to be great teachers. There are so many catchy lyrics and tunes that have helped students learn difficult academic concepts. Hence, I thought I’d use a Bollywood tune to introduce counting in Hindi, or…