Archive for 'Hindi Language'
Mud Fort Building — A Unique Diwali Tradition Posted by Nitya on Nov 20, 2018
This November is a season (ritu/ऋतु) of many festivals (tyohar/त्योहार) including Diwali and Thanksgiving. Members of the Indian diaspora around the world celebrates Diwali with the same fervor as in their home country. Traditions and rituals (parampara aur anushthaan/परंपरा और अनुष्ठान) may vary from region to region, however the essential significance (mool mahatva/मूल महत्व) of…
At the Forefront of Rajasthani Folk Music – Mame Khan Posted by Rachael on Nov 14, 2018
As you may know from my previous post on the topic, I’m a big fan (प्रशंसक/prashansak) of Coke Studio. I especially enjoy folk music (लोक संगीत/lok sangeet) as it is performed on the show and recently came across a folk artist from Rajasthan, Mame Khan (ममे खान), who is remarkable for his talent, unabashed dedication to…
India’s Statue of Unity Posted by Nitya on Nov 12, 2018
India’s newest claim to fame is the Statue of Unity which was unveiled and inaugurated (udghaatan karna/उद्घाटन करना) by Prime Minister (pradhaan mantri/प्रधान मंत्री) Narendra Modi on October 31, 2018. The Statue of Unity is a statue (pratima/प्रतिमा) of Vallabhbhai Patel, who hailed from India’s western state of Gujarat. Vallabhbhai Patel was a barrister (vakeel/वकील)…
The Many Names of India Posted by Rachael on Nov 8, 2018
Most, if not all, countries (देश/desh, masc.) in the world have multiple names (विभिन्न नाम/vibhinn naam, masc.) depending on which language (भाषा/bhaashaa, fem. or ज़बान/zabaan, fem.) you are using: for example, Deutschland vs. Germany, España vs. Spain and Éireann vs. Ireland, etc. Similarly, the story of India’s many coexisting names is fascinating and complex in…
Ghosts, Ghouls and Goblins Posted by Rachael on Oct 29, 2018
All over the world, each culture has its own ways of making sense of death (मृत्यु or मौत), the afterlife and supernatural phenomena. India, of course, is no exception. In my last blog, I discussed the tales from Baital Pachisi (बेताल पच्चीसी), a collection of stories about the mythical king Vikramaditya and his quest to…
Vikram and The Vampire / विक्रम और बेताल Posted by Rachael on Oct 27, 2018
As Halloween is one of my favorite holidays (मनपसंद त्योहार/manpasand tyohaar), and I’ve been fascinated with ghost stories since I was a child, I thought I would share an Indian “ghost story,” if you will, in honor of the upcoming (आनेवाला/aanevaalaa) holiday. When I was a teenager, I came across a collection of tales (कथाएँ/kathaaen…
The Asiatic Lion in Gujarat’s Sasan Gir Forest Posted by Nitya on Oct 23, 2018
The state of Gujarat in India’s (paschhimi/western) (kshetra/region) is (prasiddh/famous) as the (ghar/home) of the majestic Asiatic शेर (sher/lion). Once found in other parts of the world and in (poorvi/eastern) and (madhya/central) India, it is now believed to make its (vishesh/exclusive) domain within the confines of the (Gir van raashtriya udyaan/Gir Forest National Park) in Gujarat…