Posts from January 2010

Overview of Indian History

Posted by kunthra No Comments
Jan 30 2010

This post will provide an overview of Indian history. Unfortunately, this post will only be a summary of Indian history. There is simply too much to cover in this post, but hopefully it’ll encourage you to learn more about India’s long and rich history on your own!

India is one of the world’s oldest civilizations. Archaeologists have found highly advanced cities with remarkably advanced water sewage systems that date back to the Indus Valley Civilization (2600-1900 B.C.). Under the leadership of Asoka (अशोक) the Great, India’s empire grew extensively. His reign was peaceful and it was during his reign that encouraged the rise of Buddhism (321-185 B.C.). Under the Gupta Empire (गुप्त राजवंश), India experienced a Golden Age. The Golden Age was characterized by great achievements in math, science, and architecture (320-550 B.C.).

The fall of the Gupta empire marked the transition from Buddhist ruling dynasties to several Hindu ruling dynasties. The Delhi Sultanate (दिल्ली सलतनत) in which several Turkish and Afghan sultans ruled India, introduced Islam to India. This period ushered in a fusion of Indo-Muslim art, architecture, relgion, and music (1206-1527). The Mughal Empire was a period of a highly centralized bureaucracy (1526-1858). The territorial expansion under the Mughals was mostly carried out by Akbar the Great, but the most well known emperor to non Indians is the emperor Shah Jahan, for his commission of the Taj Mahal.

The decline in Mughal power was partly caused by British conquest of India (1757-1858). In the year of 1857, several rebellions against the British were suppressed. This ushered in the Raaj (राज) period (1858-1947). Throughout this period India saw improvements in technology and transporation, but also an increase in famine, taxation and epidemics of smallpox. Due to strained finances and the increasing protests led by leaders such as Gandhi, the British ended its reign of India. Since then India has remained a democracy, and an important force in the international economy.

There is so much more to Indian history than what was presented here. Trust me, Indian history is interesting, so please check it out!

Locative Case

Posted by kunthra No Comments
Jan 27 2010

The locative case marks the position or location of objects :

Here are some sample sentences :

She sat on the horse : वह घोड़े पर बैठी

The paper is on the table : कागज़ मेज़ पर है

My clothes are on the roof : मेरे कपड़े छत पर हैं

The common word in all these sentences is पर. In all these sentences, पर indicates that the object will be in the locative case. For example, in the sentence, “The paper is on the table”, “table” (मेज़) is in the locative case. Similarly, “horse”  (घोड़े) in the sentence “She sat on the horse” is in the locative and “roof” (छत) in “My clothes are on the roof” is also in the locative. Notice that in these three sentences, the word “on” in English was translated as पर in Hindi. However, sometimes, the use of पर doesn’t sound quite right if you use the English “of”.

Here are some examples :

I eat at the table : मैं मेज पर खाना खाता हूँ

His office is some distance from here : उसका दफ़्तर यहाँ से कुछ दुरी पर है

In general, the sentence would make more sense to say, “I eat at the table” rather than “I eat on the table”. It’s also possible to say, “His office is some distance on from here”, but most English speakers would probably just omit the “on”. In a lot of cases, “on” in English does correspond to पर, so it’s not something to worry too much about.

Now take a look at these sentences:

My son studies in college : मेरा बेटा कालेज में पढ़ता  है

I sat in the car : मैं गाड़ी में बैठा

My office is in Delhi : मेरा दफ़्तर दिल्ली में है

The common word in all these sentences is में. If you guessed that the word “in” in English correlates to में, then you’re right! में is the postposition that indicates that “college” (कालेज), car (गाड़ी), and Delhi (दिल्ली) will be in the locative.

Republic Day

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Jan 25 2010

The twenty sixth of January is one of the three main national holidays in India. This holiday is called “Republic Day” and commemorates the adoption of the Indian Constitution. Even though India had gained independence from Britain in 1947, the British laws that were established during the colonial years were still in place. Bhimrao Ramiji Ambedkar (डॊ.भीमराव रामजी आंबेडकर), an activist and writer, was the chief architect of the Indian constitution. He and others submitted a draft to the Assembly. After two years and some adjustments to the draft, India finally had its own constitution signed on January 26, 1950.

There are actually two copies of the Constitution. One is in Hindi and the other is in English. The Constitution of India (भारतीय संविधान) lays out the structure and powers of the government and defines the rights of all citizens. The Constitution has a preamble and 22 chapters divided into 448 articles. Some of the few chapters include the restrictions and powers of the states of India, citizenship, the fundamental rights of citizens, trade and commerce, contracts and suits, elections, amendments to the Constitution and emergency provisions.

In celebration of Republic Day, a grand parade is held in New Delhi, the capital of India. Soldiers from the Indian Army march in union in a grand display. The marching soldiers will often give a salute to the current president (राष्ट्रपति) of India. This year the president is प्रतिभा पाटिल, and she is the first woman president of India. The celebration also includes a professional dancing troupe and traditional Indian music. Finally, the celebrations end with a colorful air show by the Indian Air Force. Every year a foreign head of state is invited as a guest of honor.

Some of the famous guests of honor were President Jacques Chirac and Nicholas Sarkozy of France, President Nelson Mandela of South Africa, and President Vladimir Putin of Russia. This year President Lee Myung Bak of South Korea will be the guest of honor. Of course these guests of honor are invited not just to watch the spectacles, but as ways for India to carry out diplomatic talks. Republic Day is a day of pride for all Indians. Despite all the economic, social and political battles India has faced, the Constitution is proof of India’s commitment to democracy. This is surely something to rejoice about!

Vocabulary of Body Parts

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Jan 21 2010

body – शरीर 

arm – बाँह

ear – कान

eye – आँख

face – चेहरा

finger – उँगली

foot – पैर

hand – हाथ

hair – बाल

head – सिर 

heart – ह्रदय 

knee – घुटना

leg – टाँग

liver – कलेजी

lung – फेफड़ा

mouth – मुँह

neck - गर्दन

nose – नाक

shoulder - कंधा

Genitive Case Part 2

Posted by kunthra No Comments
Jan 18 2010

Just like the endings रा, री, रे were attached to the pronoun “my”, so the same goes for the pronoun “we” in the possessive, which is “our”.

Examples:

My dog – मेरा कुत्ता

My dogs – मेरे कुत्ते 

Our dog – हमारा कुत्ता

Our dogs – हमारे कुत्ते

My car - मेरी गाड़ी

My cars – मेरी गाड़ियाँ 

Our car – हमारी गाड़ी

Our cars – हमारी गाड़ियाँ

For the pronouns “your”, “his/her”, “their” the suffix endings will be different. They will all have the का, की, के

Your dog – आपका कुत्ता

Your dogs – आपके कुत्ते

His/Her dog – उसका कुत्ता

His/Her dogs – उसके कुत्ते

Their dog – उनका कुत्ता

Their dogs – उनके कुत्ते

Your car – आपकी गाड़ी

His/Her car – उसकी गाड़ी

Their car – उनकी गाड़ी

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