This wil be a review of all that we have grammatically learned so far. Let’s see how many of these sentences you can translate into Hindi. If you have any trouble, check some of the previous posts.
I will eat (masculine)
She is a girl
They are writing a letter (masculine)
You fell (feminine) (To fall = गिरना)
We had slept (masculine)
He walked
I am eating (feminine)
They went home (masculine). (Home = घर)
You will see (masculine)
We were (feminine)
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In English the future tense is explained by saying, ‘I will..’. More specifically, it’s like saying, ‘I will go to the park’ or I will do the homework.
Hear is an example with the verb ‘to do’ (करना)
I will do (masculine) (मैं करूँगा)
I will do (feminine) (मैं करूँगी)
We will do (masculine) (हम करेंगे)
We will do (feminine) (हम करेंगी)
You will do (masculine)(singular) (आप करेंगे)
You will do (feminine)(singluar) (आप करेंगी)
You will do (masculine)(plural) (आप करेंगे)
You will do (feminine)(plural) (आप करेंगी)
He will do (वह करेगा)
She will do (वह करेगी)
They will do (masculine) (वे करेंगे)
They will do (feminine) (वे करेंगी)
In English the past perfect tense is used when the action was completed in the remote past. Examples of the past perfect tense are: ‘I had slept’ or ‘I had eaten’.
Here are some examples:
First with a transitive verb:
I had done: मैंने किया था
We had done: हमने किया था
You had done (both singular and plural): आपने किया था
He/She/It had done: उसने किया था
They had done (plural): उन्होंने किया था
Next with a masculine intransitive verb:
I had come: मैं आया था
We had come: हम आए थे
You had come (both singular and plural): आप आए थे
He/It had come: वह आया था
They had come: वे आए थे
In the feminine form:
I had come: मैं आई थी
We had come: हम आई थीं
You had come: आप आई थी
You had come (plural): आप आई थीं
She had come: वह आई थी
They had come: वे आई थीं
In English, causative verbs are things that allow someone to do something (Judy let me walk her dog), force someone to do something (My mother made me clean my room), or to convince someone to do something (The doctor got the patient to take the vaccine). In Hindi, there are also causative verbs in which an action is ’caused’ to happen through an agent. For example the Hindi word meaning “to drive” (चलाना) would be “to get driven” (चलवाना) when converted to a causative verb. To form the causative ending, drop the ना of the infinitive verb and add वाना to the stem of the verb.
Examples:
To do: करना
To get done: करवाना
Sample Sentence:
He got the work done: उसने काम करवाया
Notice how the verb करवाया ends in या and not ना
To send: भेजना
To cause to send: भेजवाना
Sample Sentence:
She caused everyone to go home: उसने सबको घर भिजवाया
Now try this on on your own:
If the verb “to eat” is खाना, how would you change this to the causative verb “to get fed”?
Answer: खिलवाना
The state language of Maharashtra is Marathi. Mumbai (formerly called Bombay) is the capital city of this state. Mumbai is the largest financial center in India. Maharashtra is the richest state in India.
The state language of Manipur is Manipuri. Manipur is located in the northeastern part of India. Separatist groups have made Manipur a sensitive border state. Special permission must be obtained to enter Manipur.
The majority of the inhabitants of Mizoram are Christian. (Hindus are actually a minority in Mizoram.) In Mizoram, the selling and consuming of alcohol is prohibited.
The state language of Meghalaya is Garo. Ancestry in Meghalaya is traced matrilineally. The female population also outnumbers the male population. Christianity is the dominant religion.
The official language of Nagaland is English, but there are about sixty different dialects spoken among the tribes of Nagaland. Christianity is the dominant religion.
The state language of Orissa is Oriya. The longest dam in the world, Hirakud, is located in Orissa. The state of Orissa is prone to severe cyclone attacks.
The state language of Punjab is Punjabi. The Punjab area is home to many Sikhs. Punjab is the single largest provider of wheat in India, and its poverty rate is the lowest in India.
The state language of Rajasthan (राजस्थान) is Hindi. Rajasthan is called the shopper’s paradise. Rajasthan is famous for its intricate handicrafts, furniture and textiles.
The official language of Sikkim is English, but Nepali is also spoken as well. Sikkim is the least populated state in India. It is the only state in India with a Nepalese majority.
The state language of Tamil Nadu is Tamil. Tamil Nadu is home to five UNESCO World Heritage Sites, beautiful Hindu temples of Dravidian orgin and many religious pilgrimage sites.
The state language of Tripura is Kokborok, although Bengali is also spoken as well. Tripura was orginally an independent kingdom, but merged with India in 1949.
The state language of Uttar Pradesh (उत्तर प्रदेश) is Hindi. Uttar Pradesh is the most populated state in India. It is home to the Taj Mahal. It is an important place for Buddhists, because Gautama Buddha died here.
The state language of Uttarakhand (उत्तराखण्ड) is Hindi. Uttarakhand is called the Land of the Gods because of its numerous Hindu pilgrimage sites. It is also host to some of the elite universities in India.
The state language of West Bengal is Bengali. West Bengal was home to famous people like Rabindranath Tagore (Asia’s first Nobel laureate) and Satyajit Ray (Indian filmmaker).
India is divided into twenty eight states:
The state language of Andhra Pradesh is Telegu. It is located on the southeastern coast of India. The Andhra Pradesh is called the Ricebowl of India because it produces rice as 77% of its cash crop.
The state language of Arunachal Pradesh (अरुणाचल प्रदेश) is Hindi. Arunachal Pradesh contains a large Sino-Tibetan population because the area borders the Tibet region.
The state language of Assam is Assamese. Assam is known for its tea and its rich biodiversity. Assam is one of the few places in India where animals still have a stable habitat.
The state language of Bihar (बिहार) is Hindi. Ironically Bihar used to be a powerful center for learning and culture in the past, but now its economy and importance among other states has lagged since then.
The state language of Chhattisgarh (छत्तीसगढ) is Hindi. Population wise, females are in greater numbers than males. As a result, the women tend to have more say over matters than women in other parts of India.
The state language of Goa is Konkani (गोंय). Konkani is unique in that it doesn’t have a unique script. The official writing system is devanagari, but other scripts like Marathi are used. Goa is India’s smallest state.
The state language of Gujarat is Gujarati. Gujarat has one of the fast growing economies and has played an important role in the history of India’s economic trade and commerce.
The state language of Haryana (हरियाणा) is Hindi. Haryana contains mostly an agricultural industry, but it is also one of the fastest industralizing states in telecommunications, auto manufacturing, and textiles.
The state language of Himachal Pradesh (हिमाचल प्रदेश) is Hindi. There are many rivers in Himachal Pradesh, and because of this, it is the leading area for hydroelectric power.
The state language of Jammu and Kashmir is Kashmiri. Jammu and Kashmir occupies the northenmost part of India. Jammu is known for its shrines and attracts thousands of Hindu and Muslim pilgrims.
The state language of Jharkhand (झारखंड) is Hindi. Jharkhand has numerous mineral resources such as iron, coal, and copper. Jharkhand is also a densely forested population.
The state language of Karnataka is Kannada. The Karnataka area has made significant contributions to classical Indian music and writers from this region have received the most Jnanpith awards in India.
The state language of Kerala is Malayalam. Kerala has the highest literacy rate in India. The poverty level and health care facilities are one of the best in India.
The state language of Madhya Pradesh (मध्य प्रदेश) is Hindi. Madhya Pradesh is called the Hear of India because it is located in central India.
Check back for the rest of the states in the next post!
Gandhi Jayanti is a national holiday in India. Every year the holiday takes place on the second of October. Gandhi Jayanti honors the birthday of Mahaatmaa Gandhi. Mahaatmaa (महात्मा) means ‘great soul’. In his honor, alcohol is neither sold nor consumed.
Before the world came to know of Gandhi’s efforts in India, he was busy establishing his early form of satyaagraha (सत्याग्रह) or non-violent protest in South Africa. He was beaten by a driver for refusing to give his seat up for a European passenger, and he was ordered to remove his turban by a magistrate. His personal experiences made him question his own people’s plight in India. While in South Africa, Gandhi called on his fellow Indians to defy the law by peaceful protest. Gandhi himself was flogged and beaten, along with thousands of other Indians. Finally when the public outcry reached international ears, a compromise was made with Gandhi. This success made Gandhi realize that he needed to do the same in India.
When Gandhi returned to India, the British were raising taxes on cash crops necessary for the villagers’ survival. The villagers lived in absolute poverty. Gandhi and several volunteers organized to clean up villages and build schools and hospitals. The British government arrested Gandhi for creating ’social unrest’. The villagers rallied outside the prison and the courts demanding his release. The courts reluctantly granted his release. It was from this time that the villagers called him mahaatmaa or great soul.
One of Gandhi’s forms of non cooperation came in the form of swadeshi (स्वदेशी) or self sufficiency. Swadeshi was a form of economic protest in which Gandhi urged Indians to boycott British goods. Gandhi himself only wore khaadii (खादी) or homespun cloth instead of British made textiles. Gandhi’s form of resistence to unjust laws came in the form of a fast. In 1932, Gandhi underwent a six day fast to protest the Indian government’s treatment of the untouchables. (The untouchables were a socially outcasted group in India.)
Gandhi was originally a Jainist. As a Jainist he felt compassion for all sentient beings. His compassion extended to the Muslims in India. In In 1948, Gandhi was assassinated by a extremist Indian nationalist. This nationalist felt that Gandhi was weakening India by his talks for repairing relations between Muslims and Hindus. Even after his death, Gandhi continues to be influential figure to democratic movements in the Philippines and in places like Burma. Although Gandhi did not invent the idea of ahimisaa (अहिंसा), or non-violence, he is arguably one of the most famous people to have practiced it.
Chicken Tikka Masala (चिकन टिक्का मसाला) is a curry dish with chicken tikka. Chicken tikkas (मुर्ग़ टिक्का) are roasted chicken chunks. The chicken is prepared by separating it from the bone and cutting it into chuncks on skewers. Then the chicken is marinated in spices like turmeric powder and yogurt. Then the chicken is baked in a tandoor (तन्दूर) oven. A tandoor oven is cylinder-like in shape and made out of clay. Traditionally the tandoor was heated by burning charcoal or wood, but nowadays, restaurants use electricity or gas to heat the tandoor oven.
The curry itself is made from a tomato soup base. The tomato is what gives the curry its orange color. The curry is also thick and creamy because of the coconut cream. Some people like to eat the chicken tikka masala with some Indian bread such as tandoori naan (नान) and tandoori roti (रोटी) . Naan and roti can be baked in tandoor ovens as well. These breads are usually made from flour and water and may be painted with ghii (घी), an Indian butter. Instead of bread, the curry may be consumed with rice. There really is no one way to consume chicken tikka masala. The recipe varies from region to region and family to famiy.
The true origins of chicken tikka masala are unknown. Some say the dish was made in the 1970s in the United Kingdom. In fact, the local Glasgow community is petitioning the European Union to make Chicken Tikka Masala a Protected Designation of Origin dish. The Protected Designation of Origin would make Glasgow the recognized home of Chicken Tikka Masala. However, a number of Indian chefs are claiming that the dish is being wrongfully claimed as its own. These chefs claim that although the ingredients may have been different, the original idea came from the recipes made for Mughal emperors.
Putting politics aside, it’s obvious that any place lucky enough to claim the chicken tikka masala will reap financial benefits and universal fame. The taste of chicken tikka masala is undeniably liked by all over the world, a fact that is not surpring.
She slept. To sleep = सोना. (वह सोई)
We cleaned the room. To clean = साफ करना. Room = कमरा. (हमने कमरा साफ किया)
The toy broke. To break = टूटना. Toy = खिलौना. (खिलौना टूटा)
I laughed (feminine). To laugh = हंसना. (मैं हँसी)
He picked up the pen. To pick = उठाना. Pen = कलम. (उसने कलम उठाई)
You cut the paper. To cut = काटना. Paper = कागज. (आपने कागज काटा)
They joined hands. To join = जोड़ना. Hands = हाथ. (उन्होंने हाथ जोड़े)
We swam. To swim = तैरना. (हम तैरे)
The bird flew. To fly = उड़ना. Bird = पंछी. (पंछी उड़ा)
They wandered (feminine). To wander = घूमना. (वे घूमीं)
I caught the ball. To catch = पकड़ना. Ball = गेंद. (मैंने गेंद पकड़ी)
The boy hid. To hide = छिपाना. Boy = बच्चा. (बच्चा छिपा)
Try to translate these sentences into Hini. There will be a mix of both intransitive and transitive verbs.
She slept. To sleep = सोना.
We cleaned the room. To clean = साफ करना. Room = कमरा.
The toy broke. To break = टूटना. Toy = खिलौना.
I laughed (feminine). To laugh = हंसना.
He picked up the pen. To pick = उठाना. Pen = कलम.
You cut the paper. To cut = काटना. Paper = कागज.
They joined hands. To join = जोड़ना. Hands = हाथ.
We swam. To swim = तैरना.
The bird flew. To fly = उड़ना. Bird = पंछी.
They wandered (feminine). To wander = घूमना.
I caught the ball. To catch = पकड़ना. Ball = गेंद.
The boy hid. To hide = छिपाना. Boy = बच्चा.
