Best Malapropism EVER

I asked my ESL students to make up questions using the house vocabulary we just learned. Alejandro raised his hand, asking me if his question was ok. It read like this, "You bed single o matrimonial?"

Movie Reviews

Guddu and I watched two movies this weekend. Both were EXCELLENT in their own way.

Shadi se Pehle (Before Marriage): the title often refers to premarital sex, but that was not the issue in this romantic-gangster-comedy. this was a fun movie, and the hindi is at a good speed and not so complex for non-Indians to understand.

Fanaa: a romantic drama. aamir khan seems to concentrate on movies with patriotic, nationalist themes-- 1947: earth, lagaan, mangal pandey, rang de basanti... but the best part of this movie was all of the poetry:

Here are some of the couplets and poems from the movie... translations coming soon:

Sher-O-Shayari

The following are some of the shers recited by the actors in the movie:

1

Na Shehar Dekho Na Biyabaan Dekho,

Khuda ka Iklauta Naam-o-Nishaan Dekho,

Bas aankh uthaao,

Aur Rehan Dekho.

2

Phool hun Gulaab ka...

Chameli ka mat samjhna...

Aashiq hun aapka...

Apni Saheli ka mat samjhna....

3

Baithi hain honthon ko see kar, pachhtaainge aap,

Ishq jaag uththa hai aksar aisi khaamoshi key baad.

4

Insaan ki khawahish ki koi intihaa nahi,

Do gaz zameen chahiye, do gaz kafan key baad.

5

Dard sey aankhein chaar kar lein gey,

hum bhi imtihaan dey dein gey,

Teri dosti key khaatir ai dost,

hum dushmanon sey bhi payaar kar lein gey.

6

Humse Door Jaoge Kaise,

Dil Sey Hamein Bhulaoge Kaisey,

Hum Woh Khushbu Hain Jo Saanson Mein Bastey Hain,

Khudki Saanson Ko Rok Paoge Kaise.

7

Aisa laga Khuda nein Rakh diya hamaarey dil pey haath,

Liya naam hamaara unhon nein kuch aisi ada key saath.

8

Bekhudi Ki Zindagi Hum Jiya Nahi Karte,

Jaam Doosron Sey Cheen Kar Hum Piya Nahi kartey,

Unse Mohabbat Hai To Aakar Izhaar Karein ,

Peecha Hum Bhi Kisi Ka Kiya Nahin Karte.

9

Paani Sey Pyaas Na Buji To Meikhaaney Ki Taraf Chal Niklaa,

Socha Shikayat Karoon Teri Khuda Sey, Par Khuda Bhi Tera Aashiq Niklaa.

10

Tujhey is Baazaar ka Dastoor Mein Samjha na Saka,

Bik Gaya jo Woh Khareedar ho Nahi Saka.

11

Aag suraj main hoti hai,

Jalna Zameen ko padta hai,

Mohabbat Nigaahein karti hain,

Tadapna dil ko padta hai.

12

Bhool Kar key Agar Hum sey koi bhool hui ho,

To bhool samajh kar bhulaa deyna,

Leykin bhulaana sirf bhool ko,

Galati sey bhi humein na bhulaa deyna.

13

Rone De Tu Aaj Humko Tu Aankhe Sujaane De,

Baho Me Le Le Aur Khud Ko Bheeg Jaane De,

Hai Jo Seene Me Quaid Dariya Wo Chut Jayega,

Hai Itna Dard Ki Tera Daman Bheeg Jayega

14

E Khuda Aaj Ye Faisla Karde,

Use Mera ya Mujhe Uska Karde.

Bahut Dukh Sahe He Maine,

Koi Khusi Ab Toh Muqadar Karde.

Bahot Muskil Lagta Hai Usse Duur Rehna,

Judai Ke Safar Ko Kum Karde.

Jitna Duur Chale Jaye Woh Mujhse,

Use Utna Kareeb Karde.

Nahi Likha Agar Nasib Me Uska Naam,

To Khatam Kar Ye Zindagi aur Mujhe FANAA Karde.

15 (possibly the best known of the film's many shers)

Tere dil mein meri saanson ko panaah mil jaye.

Tere ishq mein meri jaan Fanaa ho jaye.

Alternative uses for Hijab

I was at the credit union on Monday changing my name on my account. As I was waiting, there was a tall Muslim woman in hijab talking on the phone. She conveniently tucked the phone inside her hejab so she could take notes on paper. This is so much easier than crunching your shoulder to your ear to hold the phone in place, and much less pretentious than those ear pieces you see people wearing nowadays.

It then reminded me of a list a few friends of mine had made on our first trip to India: alternative uses for the duppata aka chunni (the long scarf you see worn with panjabi salwar suits). Please note that most of these uses can be replicated using the tail end of the sari as well.
sunshade, umbrella, disguise, toilet paper, napkin, sieve, instant modesty, instant piety, bathing towel, hair towel, bedsheet for train travel, curtain, bandage, pot holder, belt, tool belt, wall hanging, coverup for bad hair day, sling for a broken arm, pillow, tissue, purse, baby swing... you see the list goes on and on. the only thing i like about winter in the US is that I can wear a scarf all the time and reap some of the benefits of wearing a duppata.

New Name and Should I get a PIO card?

I did it-- just in time for our 4th anniversary next week, I changed my name. I kept my old one, just added Guddu's last name onto the end. Now I can confuse people who are confused of my ethnicity before meeting me, the same way Holly does when people expect her to be some longhaired Sikh lady, but she's really a longhaired blond.

I also got a new driver's license. My new name looks ridiculously long on it. They retook my picture. I have figured out how to hide my weak jaw-line-- it helps to tilt the head forward and make your eyes real big. trust me, it works.

Now the question is-- should i get another visa for india? or should I get a PIO card? The PIO card is twice as much, but lasts five years longer and I can invest and study and work and own land etc in India. And I can still get protection from the US Embassy while in India... With the visa I get the protection, but I also can't be much more than a tourist. The PIO card scheme has not really taken off-- I wonder why?

Effects of Heat on Population

What makes the world fall apart every year at this time?

train derailments... fires... terrorist attacks... riots... runaways... suicides... monkey attacks... missile launches... plane crashes... almost-wars

phal fal fruit phrut

Last summer at this time I was in Delhi and already eaten my way through the lychee and part of mango seasons. I was thinking-- India really outdoes the US when it comes to fruit.

This summer, however, I learned that you CAN have the best of both worlds-- almost. And the US is the place to be. Last summer I had forgotten about strawberries, peaches, cherries, and blueberries. You can get peaches in India, but they are never ripe. To make things better-- you can even get great, cheap (3 for $1 cheap) mangos at kroger. true-- there is only one type of mango available here, and they are not always that great, but the supply is getting better.

India still reigns when it comes to pomegranates, sita-phal (aka sharifa), lychees, coconuts, chickoo (oh I remember the chickoo shakes at Softy n Softy in Jodhpur...), guava, and street food. Guddu and I were missing Indian street food during July 4th in Washington. We were hoping to find someone selling bhel puri or samosas or egg rolls (Ind0-chinese maggi style) amidst the halfsmokes and hot dogs. I settled for a Chinese-esque egg roll and an Oreo klondike bar which hit the spot so well that "settle" may not be the appropriate word.

Natalie and AR

check out the "brilliant young American researcher" about halfway through this Rediff.com article.

oh yeah-- there are millions of poor people, too

Deepak sent me a New York Times article titled "The Myth of the New India" by Pankaj Mishra. The following is an excerpt that reminds us that during all the talk of IT, steel, Chindia, and BRICs, there is still much work to be done, especially in areas like Bihar:

But the increasingly common, business-centric view of India suppresses more facts than it reveals. Recent accounts of the alleged rise of India barely mention the fact that the country's $728 per capita gross domestic product is just slightly higher than that of sub-Saharan Africa and that, as the 2005 United Nations Human Development Report puts it, even if it sustains its current high growth rates, India will not catch up with high-income countries until 2106.

Nor is India rising very fast on the report's Human Development index, where it ranks 127, just two rungs above Myanmar and more than 70 below Cuba and Mexico. Despite a recent reduction in poverty levels, nearly 380 million Indians still live on less than a dollar a day.

Malnutrition affects half of all children in India, and there is little sign that they are being helped by the country's market reforms, which have focused on creating private wealth rather than expanding access to health care and education. Despite the country's growing economy, 2.5 million Indian children die annually, accounting for one out of every five child deaths worldwide; and facilities for primary education have collapsed in large parts of the country (the official literacy rate of 61 percent includes many who can barely write their names). In the countryside, where 70 percent of India's population lives, the government has reported that about 100,000 farmers committed suicide between 1993 and 2003.

Feeding on the resentment of those left behind by the urban-oriented economic growth, communist insurgencies (unrelated to India's parliamentary communist parties) have erupted in some of the most populous and poorest parts of north and central India. The Indian government no longer effectively controls many of the districts where communists battle landlords and police, imposing a harsh form of justice on a largely hapless rural population.

The potential for conflict — among castes as well as classes — also grows in urban areas, where India's cruel social and economic disparities are as evident as its new prosperity. The main reason for this is that India's economic growth has been largely jobless. Only 1.3 million out of a working population of 400 million are employed in the information technology and business processing industries that make up the so-called new economy.

DNET: Deoki Nandan Education Trust

DNET: Deoki Nandan Education Trust

ER reality

after 4 days of listlessness and lethargy, mom decided to take granddad to the ER to make sure he did not have anything seriously wrong with him, i.e. a cracked rib, pneumonia, or brain bleed, or UTI.

while at the ER i saw a some very bloody people wheeled in on stretchers. when you see that, you feel like you are watching TV and the blood is not real. I also saw many young men in handcuffs who looked like they had been rolling on the ground. Maybe they were injured from a police chase?

Good news- granddad is just dehydrated and probably recovering from his respiratory infection he had last week. we will cure him with smoothies.