Archive by Author
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…
Family Stories (Parivaar ki Kahaaniya) Posted by Rachael on Feb 20, 2017
Most people enjoy listening to stories (कहानियाँ/kahaaniyaan, fem. plural noun. Singular noun: कहानी/kahaani) about their family (परिवार/parivaar, masc. noun), and I am certainly one of those people. I especially enjoy listening to my parents’ stories of when they were younger and, when my grandmother was still with us, I loved hearing her stories of growing…
Many Pasts Posted by Rachael on Feb 14, 2017
नमस्ते सब लोग/Namaste sab log (Hello everyone)! I described in a previous post how to form the “simple past tense” (referring to actions completed at one time); this time, I’ll describe how to form the habitual past tense and the past perfect tense (the tense that refers to an even more distant past than the…
I am Human, Just Like You (Main Insaan Hun, Tumhaari Tarah) Posted by Rachael on Jan 29, 2017
Following the events of this week, I thought it would be relevant to share a song that celebrates unity and peace. This song, entitled “जानेवालो ज़रा, मुड़के देखो मुझे/Jaanevalo Zara Mudke Dekho Mujhe” (Passersby, Just Turn and Look at Me) is from the 1964 movie, दोस्ती/Dosti (fem. noun, friendship). The film centers on the close…
In Honor of Women (Naariyon ke Samman Me) Posted by Rachael on Jan 24, 2017
Hello everyone/नमस्ते सब लोग (Namaste sab log)! My apologies (मुझे माफ़ कर दीजिए/Mujhe maaf kar dijiye, please forgive me) for not posting the previous week (पिछले हफ़्ते/pichle hafte)––I became very busy (व्यस्त/vyast) with other work, but now I’m back to talk about a very topical issue (मुद्दा/muddaa, masc. noun)! This past weekend, I participated in…
Tension Mat Lo, Bas Past Tense Sikho Posted by Rachael on Jan 10, 2017
The title of this blog, “Tension Mat Lo, Bas Past Tense Sikho” (“टेंशन मत लो, बस Past Tense/पास्ट टेंस सीखो”), means in “standard” Hinglish (a popular combination of Hindi and English used especially in North Indian cities today): “Don’t get tensed, just learn the past tense.” As we move from one year to another and…
The Intoxication of Music (Sangeet ka Nashaa) Posted by Rachael on Jan 3, 2017
First of all, I’d like to wish everyone a Happy New Year/नया साल मुबारक हो (Nayaa Saal Mubaarak ho)! Over the past four months, it has been my pleasure to share with you my musings about Hindi language and culture, and I’m extremely grateful that you’ve joined me on this journey. I hope you’ve enjoyed…