Archive for 'Uncategorized'
Shopping Adventures in India Posted by Rachael on May 6, 2018
Like finding suitable transportation, finding and buying clothing in India has its own challenges. One of the great things about visiting and/or living in India is that you can choose your own material and buy clothes that are custom-fitted to you by working with a clothing vendor and tailor. Of course, malls are also an…
The Ins and Outs of Rickshaws Posted by Rachael on Apr 30, 2018
As an American visiting India for the first time, I did not come equipped, as you might expect, with the “sixth sense” of being able to bargain (bargain=मोल तोल करना/mol tol karnaa) fluently. This was a particular handicap when I was seeking transportation, specifically in the form of rickshaws and auto rickshaws. For Americans (अमेरिकन…
Coke Studio India Posted by Rachael on Apr 20, 2018
I was first introduced to the addictive phenomenon that is Coke Studio, a show that debuted on MTV in 2011, by my Pashto lecturer in college. From day one, I was hooked to Coke Studio’s infectious rhythms, beautiful lyrics and inventive blend of musical genres you would be hard-pressed to find anywhere else. In addition…
Compound Verbs in Hindi: Jana/जाना (Part 3) Posted by Rachael on Apr 3, 2018
Compound verbs are VERY important in Hindi, especially the compounds formed with लेना/lenaa (to take), देना/denaa (to give) and जाना/jaanaa (to go), the latter of which I will explore today. If you haven’t yet read my earlier posts on देना/denaa compounds and लेना/lenaa compounds, I encourage you to do so before you dive in to…
Compound Verbs in Hindi: लेना/Lenaa (Part 2) Posted by Rachael on Mar 28, 2018
You’ll recall that we talked about Compound Verbs in Hindi last week. As a refresher, a compound verb is merely a (usually) two-word verb that includes a verb stem and an auxiliary verb. In a compound such as this, the auxiliary verb loses its primary meaning and, instead, adds a different shade of meaning to…
Compound Verbs in Hindi: देना/Denaa (Part 1) Posted by Rachael on Mar 21, 2018
There are many compound verbs in Hindi but, to begin, we will explore compound verbs formed with the auxiliary verb देना/denaa (to give). This and others like it are the easiest compound verbs to master and thus a good starting point for those just beginning to learn about this concept. Now, you may be wondering…
Shivrani Devi Premchand: A Shadow on The Stage Posted by Rachael on Mar 14, 2018
Most people familiar with Hindi literature (साहित्य/saahitya, masc. noun) readily recall the literary (साहित्यिक/saahityik) giant Munshi Premchand (or, Dhanpat Rai Shrivastav); yet, despite her contributions to Hindi literature and the Indian Independence movement, his wife Shivrani Devi, is much less renowned. Similarly, one of Premchand’s sons, Amrit Rai, composed a monumental biography (जीवनी/jeevani, fem. noun, or जीवन-चरित/jeevan charit…