Namaste class,

In our class dated Sunday, June 14, I went through the homework from the previous week:

1. Wear the green kurta
हरा कुरता पहिन।

2. Make a garland of rose
गुलाब की माला बना।

3. Make baigan and aloo
बैंगन और आलू बना।

4. Clean the class
कक्षा साफ़ कर।

I then gave some colours (रंग) in Hindi:

काला – black
नीला – blue
हरा – green
लाल – red
पीला – yellow
भूरा – brown
सफ़ेद – white
बैंगनी – purple
खाकी – khaki
गुलाबी – pink
हल्का – light
गहरा – dark
मध्यम – medium

Note the ‘light’ above refers to light colour, not light from a light source like the sun.

Finally I gave some sentences for homework:
1. This mango is green.
2. Her dog is light brown.
3. His cat is black.
4. Those flowers are yellow.
5. Her shoes are dark red.
6. Our pens are blue.
7. Your car is white.
8. That lotus is pink.
9. Grape juice is purple.
10. My pants are medium khaki.

Regards,
Vasudev.

“Only those who dare to fail greatly can ever achieve greatly.”
― Robert F. Kennedy

Namaste class,

In our last class dated Sunday, June 7, we went through lesson 9 on page 40. I read and translated the lesson, then had random students read from the lesson.

For homework, I put four sentences on the board to translate from English into Hindi:
1. Wear the green kurta
2. Make a garland of rose
3. Make baigan and aloo
4. Clean the class

I had sent some videos in my last email for you. The videos consist of a number of stories. One video is in English while the other is in Hindi. You can watch one story in English, and then watch the same story in Hindi to see if you grasp it. You may understand one or two words, while other words will stand out. You can research these words for their meaning. When you see a word being used in some context, it becomes easier to remember.

Here are some more animated cartoons, this time of Birbal and Akbar:

Akbar Birbal English Animated Story – Part 1/5

Akbar Birbal Hindi Animated Story – Part 1/6

Regards,
Vasudev.

Don’t aim for success if you want it; just do what you love and believe in, and it will come naturally.
― David Frost

Namaste class,

There was no class on Sunday, May 31, as the BVS Mela was held at Aalok Mahavidyalaya, Aranguez, and several members of class had to prepare for the various stalls that our centre managed.

In my last email, I mentioned some animated Hindi cartoons named Panchatantra. They are Indian fables, that are enjoyable to read, yet carry a moral lesson.

I want to introduce some more tales. This time, the cartoon is named Vikram and Betaal. From the blurb on YouTube, “Legend has it that King Vikramaditya, in order to fulfill a vow, was required to remove a corpse [Betal] from a treetop and carry it on his shoulder to another place in silence. In between, the spirit of Betal (residing in the corpse) narrates a story to the King and poses a query. When the king responds with the answer the corpse flies back to the treetop! The king has to go after the vampire and start all over again.”

The stories told by Betal is similar to Panchatantra, in that they are stories with a moral lesson. But they are also interesting and fun to watch! Here are two stories, in Hindi and English, that you can watch sometime:

Vikram Betal Hindi Cartoon Stories – Part 1

Vikram Betal Cartoon Stories – Series 1

As before, you can watch the English version to understand the gist of the story, then watch the Hindi version, and see how much you can pick up.

Regards,
Vasudev.

Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful.
― Albert Schweitzer

Namaste class,

I was not able to attend class on Sunday, May 24. Instead, the principal took the class and reviewed some of the work we already covered.

One way to learn Hindi is to watch a Hindi movies about 4-5 with subtitles on, and then switch off the subtitles and watch it. From the context of the scenes, you will begin to understand what is taking place.

If you search YouTube for ‘panchatantra’, you will find lots of fun, animated cartoons in Hindi and English for Panchatantra, which are Indian fables. They are similar to western tales and contain a moral lesson. I have not found any in Hindi with English subtitles, but I have found separate videos for Hindi and English.

For example:

Tales of Panchatantra in Hindi – Series 1

Panchatantra Tales in English – Animated Stories for Kids – Part 1

You may already know some of these stories:
1. The Washer Man’s Donkey
2. The Goose With The Golden Eggs
3. The Goat & The Fox
4. Looks Don’t Count
5. Cry Wolf!
6. The Mouse & The Lion

These two videos show the same stories, only one is in Hindi and the other in English. You can watch them when you have time and see if you pick up a few words. Or at least, enjoy watching them!

Watch the English version of the story so that you know the gist of the story, then watch the Hindi version, and see how much you understand.

Regards,
Vasudev.

Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.
― Winston Churchill

Namaste class,

In the Hindi class dated Sunday, May 17, we did not correct any homework as none was given the previous week. However, I did put some sentences on the whiteboard:

1. सदा काम  कर।
Always do work.

2. उस ओर चल।
Walk (on) that side.

3. बहिन घर आ गई।
Sister has come home.

4. मदिरा कभी मत पी।
Never drink wine.

5. कल बहुत बरसात हुई।
Yesterday, plenty rain fell.

We went lesson 8 on page 39. I read and translated, and then called random students to read.

Next, I put an exercise on the board, for students to form a Hindi word for each letter given: क, च, प, न and ज. This is one of the questions that appear in the Hindi examination. To form words, I suggest keeping the word simple so that you can spell it. For example, for क, you can cycle through the alphabet and try to add consonants to it, such as क ख ग घ च छ ज झ  etc. and see if any words come to mind. Or go through the barahakharee क का कि की कु कू  etc. to see if any words come to mind. Make sure you can spell the word! Please complete the exercise for homework.

As I mentioned, I would not be coming to class tomorrow (May 24, 2015) as I have another commitment that morning. In addition, there would be no class on May 31 as many persons would be helping prepare for the Mela that day at BVS Headquarters in Aranguez.

See you on June 7.

Regards,
Vasudev.

” Always do your best. What you plant now, you will harvest later.” – Og Mandino

Namaste class,

In the Hindi class dated Sunday, May 10, we corrected the sentences that were given the previous week:

1. वह पत्र पढ़ ।
Read that letter.

2. कुरसी और मेज़ ला ।
Bring the chair and table.

3. गाय का दूध पी ।
Drink cow’s milk.

4. अविनाश का तबला बजा ।
Play Avinash’s tabla.

5. कपड़े साफ़ कर ।
Clean the clothes.

We did not go through any new lesson in the book, as attendance was poor due to Mother’s Day. As a result, I gave some random sentences from the Hindi Vivek Part One, which we covered in class to translate:

1. सदा काम  कर।
2. उस ओर चल।
3. बहिन घर आ गई।
4. मदिरा कभी मत पी।
5. कल बहुत बरसात हुई।

You should know the translation of sentences covered in previous classes by heart, as these will come in your exam. In addition, you should write out the lessons covered in your text books, as this will help you in remembering it.

Students who have missed classes should complete writing out the lessons in their books, to keep up with class.

I did not give any homework this week, as class ended sooner than expected.

Regards,
Vasudev.

“It does not matter how slowly you go, so long as you do not stop.” – Confucius

Namaste class,

In the Hindi class dated Sunday, May 3, we corrected the sentences that were given the previous week:

1. मीठा रास पी।
Drink the sweet juice.

2. पीला आम खा।
Eat the yellow mango.

3. हर दिन भजन गा।
Every day, sing bhajans.

4. लाल छाता ला।
Bring the red umbrella.

5. दस केले खरीद।
Buy ten bananas.

We went through Baarahakharee (see the following link for more information: https://www.hindivivek.com/hindi-varna-bodh/alphabet/baarahakharee/).

Baarahakharee refers to writing a particular Hindi consonant with the short forms of the vowels. For example, the baarahakharee of क is:

क
का
कि
की
कु
कू   के
कै
को
कौ
कं
कः

Note that the Hindi vowel ‘Ri’ (ऋ) is omitted from the above list. Some Hindi text books include ऋ while others omitted. Since the Hindi Vivek Part One omits it, we shall also exclude it when writing the baarahakharee (but as stated before, other books may include it).

We read lesson 7 on page 38 (the ‘ऋ’ lesson). I read and translated the lesson, and then called random students to read. The translation for the lesson is on page 64.

For homework, I gave the following sentences to translate from Hindi into English:

1. वह पत्र पढ़ ।
2. कुरसी और मेज़ ला ।
3. गाय का दूध पी ।
4. अविनाश का तबला बजा ।
5. कपड़े साफ़ कर ।

Also, additional information about imperatives can be found at:
https://www.hindivivek.com/hindi-varna-bodh/grammar/imperatives-commands/

See you in next class.

Regards,
Vasudev.

“Eighty percent of success is showing up.” – Woody Allen

Namaste class,

In the Hindi class dated Sunday, April 26, we first corrected the homework given the previous week:

1. Eat the sweet cantaloupe
मीठा खरबूजा खा।

2. Make a rose garland
गुलाबों की माला बना।

3. Drink cane juice
गन्ने का रस पी।

4. Wear the green salwar
हरा सलवार पहन।

5. Give me the book
मुझे किताब दे ।

After this, we read lesson 6 on page 37 of the Hindi Vivek Part One book. After I read and translated the lesson, I chose random students to read. I went through ‘imperatives’ (that is, statements used to give instructions, commands or orders to others). I mentioned that the Hindi Prabhaat Book One also has a lesson on imperatives, which you can refer to.

For homework, I gave a few sentences to translate from Hindi to English:

1. मीठा रास पी।
2. पीला आम खा।
3. हर दिन भजन गा।
4. लाल छाता ला।
5. दस केले खरीद।

Words that you do not know can be translated using a Hindi-English dictionary, or using online sites such as Google Translate or Shabdkosh.

Regards,
Vasudev.

“If you really want to do something, you’ll find a way. If you don’t, you’ll find an excuse.” ― Jim Rohn

Namaste class,

In the Hindi class dated Sunday, April 19, we first corrected the homework given the previous week:

1. Eat watermelon
तरबूज खा

2. Don’t drink wine
शराब मत पी or
मदिरा मत पी

3. Wear the brown shoes
भूरे जूते पहन

4. Bring the plate and glass
थाली और गिलास ला

5. Cook the vegetables
सब्जियां पका or
तरकारी / तरकारियाँ पका

I also discussed infinitives, that is, that form of the verb that hasn’t been changed according to gender (masculine or feminine) or number (singular or plural).

For example:
खाना – to eat
पीना – to drink
पढ़ना – to read
लिखना – to write

From the above verbs, removing the ना from the infinitives leaves you with the ‘root’ of the verb:
खा – root of खाना
पी – root of पीना
पढ़ – root of पढ़ना
लिख – root of लिखना

See the lesson https://www.hindivivek.com/hindi-varna-bodh/grammar/infinitives/ for more information.

From there, we discussed imperatives, statements used to give commands, orders or instructions in Hindi. We touched on the three words used for ‘you’ in Hindi:

तू (too) – used in very close relationships (e.g. husband/wife) or in abuse
तुम (tum) – used in familiar relationships and between friends and peers
आप (aap) – used for respect and for elders

To form the verb in the imperative mood for तू, you use only the root of the verb:
तू खा
तू पी
तू पढ़
तू लिख

To form the verb in the imperative mood for तुम, use the root of the verb with ओ:
तुम खाओ
तुम पियो
तुम पढ़ो
तुम लिखो

To form the verb in the imperative mood for आप, add इए to the root of the verb:
आप खाइए
आप पीजिए
आप पढ़िए
आप लिखिए

More information can be found at https://www.hindivivek.com/hindi-varna-bodh/grammar/imperatives-commands/.

You can read up more on imperatives in the Hindi Prabhaat Book One. We will cover it further in our next class.

Regards,
Vasudev.
p.s. you’ll need to obtain or purchase the Hindi Prabhaat Book One book to cover some of the grammar in upcoming class.

“Take up one idea. Make that one idea your life – think of it, dream of it, live on that idea. Let the brain, muscles, nerves, every part of your body, be full of that idea, and just leave every other idea alone. This is the way to success.” – Swami Vivekananda

Namaste class,

There was no Hindi class on Sunday, April 5, since it was the Easter weekend and attendance is usually poor, as students often use this time to travel or vacation with their families.

For the Hindi class dated Sunday, April 12, we corrected the work given in the previous class, which was to translate some sentences from English into Hindi:

1. Eat mango, banana and apple
आम केला और सेब खा .

2. Don’t eat fish
मछली मत खा

3. Drink tomato juice
टमाटर का रस पी

4. Bring the umbrella
छाता ला or
छतरी ला

5. Wear the blue kurta
नीला कुर्ता पहन

We also went through lesson 5 on page 36. I read and translated the sentences, and then had random students read the work.

In addition to writing out the Hindi and translation for lesson 5 in your copy books for homework, I gave you some more sentences to translate into Hindi:

1. Eat watermelon
2. Don’t drink wine
3. Wear the brown shoes
4. Bring the plate and glass
5. Cook the vegetables

Regards,
Vasudev.

“Always be yourself, express yourself, have faith in yourself, do not go out and look for a successful personality and duplicate it.” – Bruce Lee