नमस्ते सब लोग (Greetings, everyone)! मेरा नाम रेचल है (My name is Rachael). आजकल (these days), I’m a graduate student at the University of California, Berkeley, and I study modern Hindi-Urdu and Bengali literature. I became enamored with Hindi and Indian culture when I was 13 through watching Hindi films. Of course, I watched plenty of Bollywood, but I also found Hindi (and Indian in general) art cinema to be incredibly compelling. I hope to discuss this wonderful world of Hindi film more with you all in the coming weeks!

Lagaan (लगान) was the first Hindi film that made an indelible impression on me. This film takes place during the British colonial rule of India under Queen Victoria (a.k.a. the British Raj). “Lagaan” refers to the tax or rent on land, usually paid through farmers’ surplus crops, that was due to the colonial rulers at regular intervals.

Indian Summers is a great Raj-era show that is now returning for its second season on Masterpiece Theatre. This show is sure to slake the thirst of any Indophile (lover of all things Indian) or Downton Abbey fan who is in desperate need of some lush period drama. And, if you’re new to the Hindi scene, Indian Summers is an excellent way to dip your feet in. You can watch this show on your local PBS channel or online. Let’s look at some interesting Hindi words and phrases featured in this show’s first season:

चमचा, A yes-man/woman, flatterer

One of the main characters, Aafrin, and his sister are arguing about his promotion within the Indian civil service (that is, working directly under the British rulers) during an intense bickering match between siblings that most of us know so well. His sister, Sooni, who believes that India should be free of the British yoke, calls him a “चमचा.” This word literally means a “large spoon or ladle” but also has the negative connotation of a flatterer. In addition, this slang word is also related to the more standard word for a(n) (ordinary-sized) spoon: चम्मच. Here it is in a sentence:

सूनी अपने भाई को “चमचा” कहती है क्योंकि वह नाराज़ है कि उसका भाई अँग्रेज़ों के सामने चापलूसी (flattery) करता है ।

(Sooni calls her brother a “chamcha” because she is angry that her brother flatters the English/behaves in a flattering way before the English).

इंक़िलाब ज़िन्दाबाद, Long Live the Revolution!  

The show starts off very dramatically as Sooni is almost caught painting this slogan on a portrait of Queen Victoria that is hanging in a high-level British official’s luxurious bungalow. इंक़िलाब (or इनक़लाब) comes from Arabic and can mean a “transformation or revolution.” Another word for “revolution” in Hindi is क्रांति, which comes from Sanskrit. Lastly, ज़िन्दाबाद is a very useful word as it can be used in virtually any slogan you would wish to chant! See how these words can be used in a sentence:

एक दिन सूनी ने Queen Victoria के चित्र पर लाल पेंट से “इंक़िलाब ज़िन्दाबाद” रंग लगाया (paint); लेकिन, जब कुछ लोगों ने यह नारा (slogan) देखा, उन्हें वह अजीब लगा क्योंकि उनके ख़्याल से (in their opinion) “क्रांति” ज़्यादा आम शब्द है ।

(One day, Sooni painted “Inkilab Zindabad” on a picture of Queen Victoria with red paint; but, when some people saw this slogan, they found it odd because, in their opinion, “kranti” was a more common word).

राक्षस vs. शैतान, demon, devil

Another dramatic moment in the show occurs when the private secretary to the Viceroy (the head honcho’s right hand man) is almost shot by a man who seems to be involved in the Independence Movement. The shooter calls the private secretary “राक्षस” or demon, which is a term used often in the renowned Hindu epic, the Ramayana (रामायण), to refer to the main villain (who is a king) and his subjects. Another, more common, word for a demonic or devilish person is शैतान. See how these words can be used in a sentence:

आदमी जो अँग्रेज़ को गोली मार दी (shoot), वह उससे पहले उसको “राक्षस” चिल्ला दिया था (to shout/scream)। अँग्रेज़ को लगा कि वास्तव में (in fact) उसी आदमी के सिर पर शैतान चढ़ गया (for the devil to get into one’s head, to be possessed)!

The man who shot the Englishman had, before this, shouted “rakhsas” at him. To the Englishman it seemed that, in fact, the devil had possessed that man alone (the shooter)!

I hope you enjoyed this week’s blog! I can’t wait to discuss a new topic with you next week 🙂