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Christmas in Calcutta Posted by Rachael on Dec 26, 2016
One of the most unforgettable Christmases I’ve ever spent was in Calcutta (now Kolkata), West Bengal. To my surprise, Kolkatans seemed more enthusiastic about the holiday than most people I’ve seen in the United States. While wandering the city for the day, I noticed countless young people wearing Santa hats to celebrate, especially in Millennium…
A Question of Caste Posted by Rachael on Dec 20, 2016
In a recent Hindi movie called NH10, two characters, one a highly educated advertising executive named Meera who is originally from Bangalore, and the other a rural policeman based in the largely agrarian North Indian state of Haryana, have a compelling exchange: Policeman (पोलिस वाला): चलो, आप अपनी caste बताओ । (Chalo, aap apni caste…
Two Americans in India Posted by Rachael on Dec 12, 2016
While talking to my mom on the phone the other day, she and I began reminiscing about our hilarious and, at times, perilous adventures in India. She came to visit me for two weeks in the Spring of 2013 while I was living in Jaipur studying Hindi. As an American, traveling to India for the…
The Strange One Posted by Rachael on Dec 6, 2016
Following on last week’s blog about the famous Hindi writer Mahadevi Varma (महादेवी वर्मा), I’d like to discuss another important Hindi literary figure this week: Nirala (निराला) (1896/99-1961). This writer, whose date of birth is not definitively known, was born Suraj Kumar Tevari (सूरज कुमार तिवारी) (later known as Suryakant Tripathi, सूर्यकान्त त्रिपाठी) into a…
An Homage to Mahadevi Varma Posted by Rachael 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…
A Fascination with Fairness Posted by Rachael 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…
Save Grammar for a Rainy Day Posted by Rachael 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…