Mandarin, French, Spanish or Sanskrit? Posted by Nicole Herbert Dean on Oct 7, 2021
Ask any student छात्र in Delhi, what language they want to learn and they will answer, Chinese, French or Spanish. So, why don’t school kids choose चुनें the ‘mother‘ of all languages so to speak? From the gypsies of the Thar desert to the African immigrants आप्रवासी of the Deccan Plateau, many languages in India…
Rajasthan’s Kalbeliya Gypsies Posted by Nicole Herbert Dean on Sep 24, 2021
Rajasthan’s Thar desert is known for its scorching जलानेवाला sand and rugged बीहड़ terrain filled with snakes and other venomous creatures. This is where the Kalbeliya Gypsies कंजर जाति choose to live. Kalbeliya is from the word ‘kal’ meaning death मौत. The word Kalbeliya connotes victory विजय over poisonous snakes and death. Snake charmers, Shepherds…
India’s Africans – Notable Indian Siddis Posted by Nicole Herbert Dean on Sep 22, 2021
The Siddis are a small tribal जनजातीय community of approximately 50, 000 people residing in the states of Karnataka, Gujarat and surrounding आस – पास का areas. These tribes came to India in the 5th or 6th century as slaves. Portuguese and Arab traders व्यापारी picked them from the Bantu tribes of Ethiopia, Somalia, and…
India’s Africans – Siddis of Karnataka Posted by Nicole Herbert Dean on Sep 20, 2021
Yellapur is a district in Karnataka known for its forests जंगल, waterfalls झरने and beautiful lakes झीलें. The Siddi community, which are a group of people in India their home for many years, live deep in the forests of Yellapur. Descendents of the Ubuntu tribe from African countries such as Ethiopia and Kenya. Portuguese and Arab traders brought their ancestors पूर्वज,when they needed…
India’s Africans – Siddis of Gujurat Posted by Nicole Herbert Dean on Sep 17, 2021
Deep in the forests वन of Gujarat you will hear the sounds of African drums signaling a dance was occurring. As you walk in the direction of the sounds आवाज़ you will begin to see people that do not look like your average Gujarati. They do look more like people from across the Arabian Sea…
Hindi Lokoktiyan in Language Learning Posted by Nicole Herbert Dean on Sep 14, 2021
Photo courtesy Suzy Hazelwood from Pexels Hindi Proverbs or Lokoktiyan are also known as Kahavats. Hindi has a lot of figurative language, drawing from mythology. They are a part of everyday life in India. In the villages proverbs are passed down from generation to generation as a means of educating the children. In cities, the…
Common Hindi Proverbs Posted by Nicole Herbert Dean on Sep 8, 2021
Every language and culture acquires certain sayings that function as standards for living. Proverbs are as ancient as the Gita and the Bible. You can find chapters on proverbs or wise sayings in these books as well. Hindi does not lack ‘kahavats’ or wise sayings, proverbs that dictate how one should live. We will look…