{"id":5886,"date":"2017-02-20T03:35:33","date_gmt":"2017-02-20T03:35:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/hindi\/?p=5886"},"modified":"2017-02-22T19:40:59","modified_gmt":"2017-02-22T19:40:59","slug":"family-stories","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/hindi\/family-stories\/","title":{"rendered":"Family Stories (Parivaar ki Kahaaniya)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Most people enjoy listening to stories (\u0915\u0939\u093e\u0928\u093f\u092f\u093e\u0901\/kahaaniyaan<\/strong>, fem. plural noun. Singular noun: \u0915\u0939\u093e\u0928\u0940\/kahaani<\/strong>) about their family (\u092a\u0930\u093f\u0935\u093e\u0930\/parivaar<\/strong>, masc. noun), and I am certainly one of those people. I especially enjoy listening to my parents\u2019 stories of when they were younger and, when my grandmother was still with us, I loved hearing her stories of growing up during times (\u091c\u093c\u092e\u093e\u0928\u093e\/zamaanaa<\/strong>, masc. noun) very different and yet strikingly similar to those we live in now. One person whom I particularly admire and respect (X \u0915\u093e \u0906\u0926\u0930 \u0915\u0930\u0928\u093e\/X ka aadar karnaa<\/strong> or X \u0915\u0940 \u0907\u091c\u093c\u094d\u091c\u093c\u0924 \u0915\u0930\u0928\u093e\/X ki izzat karnaa<\/strong>) is my maternal grandfather, whose name was Bernard. In English, we do not usually differentiate relatives based on which side of the family tree they are on\u2013\u2013maternal or paternal. But, in Hindi, one\u2019s maternal or paternal status matters greatly, which is why I emphasize that he was my maternal grandfather or Nana\/\u0928\u093e\u0928\u093e<\/strong> (female equivalent is Nani\/\u0928\u093e\u0928\u0940<\/strong>), rather than my paternal grandfather or Dada\/\u0926\u093e\u0926\u093e<\/strong> (female equivalent is Dadi\/\u0926\u093e\u0926\u0940<\/strong>).<\/p>\n

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Image by Tony Fischer on Flickr; FDR memorial to those who suffered during the Great Depression<\/p><\/div>\n

Bernard was an incredible person by any measure of the word. Born in 1915 and a native of New Haven, Connecticut, Bernard grew up during difficult times. His parents divorced when he was still quite young (\u091c\u0935\u093e\u0928\/javaan<\/strong>, adjective) and, most likely due to the severe economic conditions of the Great Depression (1929 to late 1930s) and his father\u2019s remarriage to a woman with many children of her own, his parents ensured that he and his sister, Jane, were raised by another couple until their circumstances (\u092a\u0930\u093f\u0938\u094d\u0925\u093f\u0924\u093f\u092f\u093e\u0901\/paristhitiyaan<\/strong>, fem. plural noun. Singular noun: \u092a\u0930\u093f\u0938\u094d\u0925\u093f\u0924\u0940\/paristhiti<\/strong>) stabilized.<\/p>\n

When he grew up, he enlisted in the navy as a medical corpsman and served in China prior to Pearl Harbor (December 7, 1941), after which he served in World War II (\u0926\u0942\u0938\u0930\u093e \u0935\u093f\u0936\u094d\u0935 \u092f\u0941\u0926\u094d\u0927\/Dusraa Vishva Yuddh<\/strong>). On August 5th<\/sup>, 1942, he was reported missing in action in the Manila Bay area of the Philippines and, on May 10, 1943, it was discovered that he had been captured by the Japanese while in the Philippines and was now a prisoner of war. He lived in various Japanese prison camps for over three years. For some time, due to the dire conditions (\u0905\u0935\u0938\u094d\u0925\u093e\u090f\u0901\/avasthaaen<\/strong>, plural fem. noun. Singular noun: \u0905\u0935\u0938\u094d\u0925\u093e\/avasthaa<\/strong>) in which most of these prisoners lived, it was assumed that my grandfather had died. Needless to say, he endured many hardships (\u0915\u0937\u094d\u091f\/kasht<\/strong>, masc. noun or \u0915\u0920\u093f\u0928\u093e\u0908\/kathinaai<\/strong>, fem. noun) during his time as a prisoner and lost a dramatic amount of weight during this period due to enforced starvation. Additionally, he contracted a disease\u00a0(\u0930\u094b\u0917\/rog<\/strong>, masc. noun) known as \u201cBeriberi,\u201d a thiamine (or vitamin B1) deficiency common in regions where polished white rice (\u091a\u093e\u0935\u0932\/chaaval<\/strong>, masc. noun), which has been stripped of its nutritional value by the polishing process, is a dietary staple. This disease can have many side effects later in life, including cardiovascular disease.<\/p>\n

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Image by Sms_S on Flickr; a scene from WWII near Tokyo, Japan.<\/p><\/div>\n

Finally, on September 19, 1945, it was discovered that my grandfather was, indeed, alive (\u091c\u093c\u093f\u0928\u094d\u0926\u093e\/zindaa<\/strong>, adjective) and was waiting in San Francisco, California to be reunited with his loved ones. Upon hearing this news, his mother (\u092e\u093e\u0924\u093e\/maataa<\/strong> or \u092e\u093e\u0901\/maan<\/strong>) and sister (\u092c\u0939\u0928\/behen<\/strong>) set out for California to meet him. Luckily for me, the Portsmouth Herald<\/em>, a newspaper (\u0905\u0916\u093c\u094d\u092c\u093e\u0930\/akhbaar<\/strong>, masc. noun) based in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, where my grandfather went to high school, regularly published updates on his whereabouts throughout the war (\u092f\u0941\u0926\u094d\u0927\/yuddh<\/strong>, masc. noun or \u091c\u0902\u0917\/jang<\/strong>, masc. noun).<\/p>\n

Fortunately, my grandfather was decorated with a purple heart for his services (\u0938\u0947\u0935\u093e\/sevaa<\/strong>, fem. noun) to the United States during the war. Twenty years later, Bernard retired from the navy after receiving a slew of other honors, including a Bronze Star Medal, for his service during peace and wartime. He worked as a life insurance agent for the remainder of his life, but he never forgot his dream (\u0938\u092a\u0928\u093e\/sapnaa<\/strong>, masc. noun) to study other languages and cultures. He was particularly passionate about the Spanish language and the culture and literature of Spain. In his 70s, he finally got the chance to obtain his Bachelor\u2019s Degree at Boston College in Romance Languages and Literatures with the help of funding from the G.I. Bill. Moreover, he got the opportunity (\u092e\u094c\u0915\u093e\/maukaa<\/strong>, masc. noun) to travel to Spain and the United Kingdom. As a father of six children, he would often search for ways to save money to support his family. So, when he got the chance to travel (\u0938\u092b\u093c\u0930 \u0915\u0930\u0928\u093e\/safar karnaa<\/strong>, verb) to Spain, he decided to save money on airfare and strap himself to the floor of a cargo plane! He was able to do this because he flew from an air force base in Southern New Hampshire to which active and ex-military members had access.<\/p>\n

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Image by Willy Verhulst on Flickr; the Spanish countryside.<\/p><\/div>\n

Another example of his passion and dedication to learning (\u091c\u094d\u091e\u093e\u0928\/gyaan<\/strong>, masc. noun) occurred when he was hit by a car while walking in Harvard Square. A compassionate bystander, who happened to be Robert Kennedy\u2019s daughter, Rory Kennedy, helped him to his feet and took him out for coffee. Although his knee was badly injured in the accident, he remained committed to finishing his semester, even going so far as to hire a taxi each day to take him to Boston College from his home so that he could continue attending his classes. \u00a0He received his Bachelor\u2019s Degree in 1991, only a year before he would pass away (\u091a\u0932 \u092c\u0938\u0928\u093e\/chal basnaa <\/strong>or \u0917\u0941\u091c\u093c\u0930 \u091c\u093e\u0928\u093e\/guzar jaanaa<\/strong>, verb). In 1992, at the age of 76, he passed away near his home in Massachusetts.<\/p>\n

A stickler for correct grammar, diction and proper etiquette (both at the dinner table and in one’s other social interactions) and a lover of fine, especially French, cuisine, Bernard was a multifaceted man who enjoyed cooking (\u0916\u093e\u0928\u093e \u092a\u0915\u093e\u0928\u093e\/khaanaa pakaanaa<\/strong>, verb) and was part of the British Officer\u2019s Club of New England. In fact, one of his famous French recipes can still be found in the Officer\u2019s Club\u2019s annual cookbook, published by the members themselves. Unfortunately, I was not able to get to know him very well as he died when I was quite young. But, I hope that by learning more about him from my relatives (\u0930\u093f\u0936\u094d\u0924\u0947\u0926\u093e\u0930\/rishtedaar<\/strong>, masc. noun) and public records, I can feel closer to him and continue to be inspired by the remarkable example he set in achieving his goals (\u0932\u0915\u094d\u0937\u094d\u092f\/lakshya<\/strong>, masc. noun) \u00a0and dreams despite seemingly insurmountable obstacles.<\/p>\n

\u0936\u092c\u094d\u0926\u093e\u0935\u0932\u0940 \u0915\u0940 \u0938\u0942\u091a\u0940\/Shabdaavali ki Soochi (Vocabulary List):<\/h2>\n
    \n
  1. \u0915\u0939\u093e\u0928\u0940\/kahaani<\/strong> (fem. noun): story. The plural form is \u0915\u0939\u093e\u0928\u093f\u092f\u093e\u0901\/kahaaniyaan<\/strong>. To listen to a story is \u0915\u0939\u093e\u0928\u0940 \u0938\u0941\u0928\u0928\u093e\/kahaani sunnaa<\/strong>, whereas to tell a story is \u0915\u0939\u093e\u0928\u0940 \u0938\u0941\u0928\u093e\u0928\u093e\/kahaani sunaanaa<\/strong>.<\/li>\n
  2. \u091c\u093c\u092e\u093e\u0928\u093e\/zamaanaa<\/strong> (masc. noun): time, age, period, day (in a general sense). The plural form is \u091c\u093c\u092e\u093e\u0928\u0947\/zamaane<\/strong>.<\/li>\n
  3. x \u0915\u093e \u0906\u0926\u0930 \u0915\u0930\u0928\u093e\/x kaa aadar karnaa<\/strong> or x \u0915\u0940 \u0907\u091c\u093c\u094d\u091c\u093c\u0924 \u0915\u0930\u0928\u093e\/x ki izzat karnaa<\/strong>: to respect. The former is from Sanskrit and is more formal and the latter is of Arabo-Persianate origin and is more colloquial.<\/li>\n
  4. \u091c\u0935\u093e\u0928\/javaan<\/strong> (adjective): young.<\/li>\n
  5. \u0928\u093e\u0928\u093e\/\u0928\u093e\u0928\u0940<\/strong>, Nana\/Nani<\/strong> (proper nouns): Maternal grandfather and maternal grandmother, respectively.<\/li>\n
  6. \u0926\u093e\u0926\u093e\/\u0926\u093e\u0926\u0940<\/strong>, Dada\/Dadi<\/strong> (proper nouns): Paternal grandfather and paternal grandmother, respectively.<\/li>\n
  7. \u092a\u0930\u093f\u0938\u094d\u0925\u093f\u0924\u0940\/paristhitee<\/strong> (fem. noun): circumstance. The plural form is \u092a\u0930\u093f\u0938\u094d\u0925\u093f\u0924\u093f\u092f\u093e\u0901\/paristhiteeyaan<\/strong>.<\/li>\n
  8. \u0926\u0942\u0938\u0930\u093e \u0935\u093f\u0936\u094d\u0935 \u092f\u0941\u0926\u094d\u0927\/Doosra Vishva Yuddh<\/strong>: The Second World War. \u0926\u0942\u0938\u0930\u093e\/Doosra<\/strong>=second, \u0935\u093f\u0936\u094d\u0935\/Vishva<\/strong>=global or world and \u092f\u0941\u0926\u094d\u0927\/yuddh<\/strong> is a masc. noun meaning war.<\/li>\n
  9. \u0905\u0935\u0938\u094d\u0925\u093e\/avasthaa<\/strong> (fem. noun): condition. The plural form is \u0905\u0935\u0938\u094d\u0925\u093e\u090f\u0901\/avasthaaen<\/strong>.<\/li>\n
  10. \u0915\u0937\u094d\u091f\/kasht<\/strong> (masc. noun) or \u0915\u0920\u093f\u0928\u093e\u0908\/kathinaai<\/strong> (fem. noun): broadly speaking, hardship or difficulty. They do not mean exactly the same thing; \u0915\u0937\u094d\u091f\/kasht<\/strong> is a Sanskrit word and is thus more formal and connotes hardships or trials more broadly, whereas \u0915\u0920\u093f\u0928\u093e\u0908\/kathinaai<\/strong> is of Arabo-Persianiate origin and connotes simply a “difficulty.” The plural form of \u0915\u0920\u093f\u0928\u093e\u0908\/kathinaai<\/strong> is \u0915\u0920\u093f\u0928\u093e\u0907\u092f\u093e\u0901\/kathinaaiyaan<\/strong>.<\/li>\n
  11. \u0930\u094b\u0917\/rog<\/strong> (masc. noun): disease.<\/li>\n
  12. \u091a\u093e\u0935\u0932\/chaaval<\/strong> (masc. noun): cooked rice.<\/li>\n
  13. \u091c\u093c\u093f\u0928\u094d\u0926\u093e\/zindaa<\/strong> (adjective): alive, living.<\/li>\n
  14. \u092e\u093e\u0924\u093e\/maataa<\/strong> or \u092e\u093e\u0901\/maa<\/strong>: mother. The former is formal and the latter is more colloquial and thus much more common.<\/li>\n
  15. \u092c\u0939\u0928\/behen<\/strong>: sister. One’s older sister is often called \u0926\u0940\u0926\u0940\/deedee<\/strong> and one’s younger sister is often called \u092c\u0939\u0928\/behen<\/strong> or \u091b\u094b\u091f\u0940 \u092c\u0939\u0928\/choti behen<\/strong>.<\/li>\n
  16. \u0905\u0916\u093c\u094d\u092c\u093e\u0930\/akhbaar<\/strong> (masc. noun): newspaper.<\/li>\n
  17. \u092f\u0941\u0926\u094d\u0927\/yuddh<\/strong> (masc. noun) or \u091c\u0902\u0917\/jang<\/strong> (masc. noun): war. The former is from Sanskrit and the later is of Arabo-Persianate origin.<\/li>\n
  18. \u0938\u0947\u0935\u093e\/sevaa<\/strong> (fem. noun): service. The plural form is \u0938\u0947\u0935\u093e\u090f\u0901\/sevaaen.<\/li>\n
  19. \u0938\u092a\u0928\u093e\/sapnaa<\/strong> (masc. noun): dream.<\/li>\n
  20. \u092e\u094c\u0915\u093e\/maukaa<\/strong> (masc. noun): opportunity.<\/li>\n
  21. \u0938\u092b\u093c\u0930 \u0915\u0930\u0928\u093e\/safar karnaa<\/strong> (verb): to travel.<\/li>\n
  22. \u091c\u094d\u091e\u093e\u0928\/gyaan<\/strong> (masc. noun): knowledge or learning.<\/li>\n
  23. \u091a\u0932 \u092c\u0938\u0928\u093e\/chal basnaa<\/strong> or \u0917\u0941\u091c\u093c\u0930 \u091c\u093e\u0928\u093e\/guzar jaanaa<\/strong>: polite ways to say that someone has died or “passed away.” Example sentence: \u0915\u0932 \u0930\u093e\u0924 \u0915\u094b, \u092e\u0947\u0930\u0947 \u0928\u093e\u0928\u093e \u091c\u0940 \u091a\u0932 \u092c\u0938\u0947 \u092f\u093e \u0915\u0932 \u0930\u093e\u0924 \u0915\u094b, \u092e\u0947\u0930\u0947 \u0928\u093e\u0928\u093e \u091c\u0940 \u0917\u0941\u091c\u093c\u0930 \u0917\u090f<\/strong>\/Kal raat ko, mere naanaa ji chal base ya kal raat ko, mere naanaa ji guzar gaye (Last night, my mat. grandfather passed away).<\/li>\n
  24. \u0916\u093e\u0928\u093e \u092a\u0915\u093e\u0928\u093e\/khaanaa pakaanaa<\/strong>: to cook food.<\/li>\n
  25. \u0930\u093f\u0936\u094d\u0924\u0947\u0926\u093e\u0930\/rishtedaar<\/strong> (masc. noun): relative.<\/li>\n
  26. \u0932\u0915\u094d\u0937\u094d\u092f\/lakshya<\/strong> (masc. noun): goal or aim.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\"\"

    Most people enjoy listening to stories (\u0915\u0939\u093e\u0928\u093f\u092f\u093e\u0901\/kahaaniyaan, fem. plural noun. Singular noun: \u0915\u0939\u093e\u0928\u0940\/kahaani) about their family (\u092a\u0930\u093f\u0935\u093e\u0930\/parivaar, masc. noun), and I am certainly one of those people. I especially enjoy listening to my parents\u2019 stories of when they were younger and, when my grandmother was still with us, I loved hearing her stories of growing…<\/p>\n

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