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  1. Tum ko Hindi aata kya?

    Posted by
    / February 21, 2012 / 1 Comment
    My daughter, who is a senior at New York University, recently signed up for a Hindi class. When asked what motivated her to learn the Indian language, she replied, “I want to be able to watch Hindi movies without sub-titles”. The trouble began when she assumed that I was a...

  2. Who is afraid of the grammar police?

    Posted by
    / January 16, 2012 / 3 Comments
    By V Desikan Donald  Bradman called Sobers the “five-in-one cricketer”, and for good reason. Apart from being an outstanding batsman and fielder, Sobers the bowler was so versatile that he could bowl three different styles – left-arm seam and swing, slow left-arm orthodox, and left-arm wrist spin.  The only peer that...

  3. Banished words Bingo

    Posted by
    / January 12, 2012 / 3 Comments
    By G Mohan We are subjected to listen to loads of Bullsh*t everyday. It may be during meetings at office , a speech by a leader or a sales presentation. TV talk shows and interviews are full of them. Add to all the above, there is BS coming through email...

  4. Mind your language

    Posted by
    / January 12, 2012 / 2 Comments
    The new Mayor of Hyderabad does not know Telugu. The Deputy Mayor does not understand Hindi or Urdu. English is alien to both. So how do they speak to each other? Solution according to a report in `The New Indian Express’ will soon come in the form of a multilingual interpretation...

  5. A thirst that keeps me happy

    Posted by
    / November 27, 2011 / 21 Comments
    By Raamesh Gowri Raghavan I have an eternal thirst on my tongue. A thirst for languages. I have drunk – deeply of some and shallowly of others – at the pools of just 22 languages. Yet my thirst ceases not, I keep seeking new pools. The pool I have drunk...

  6. Of Raju ke papa, Chetta and Suno ji

    Posted by
    / October 14, 2011 / 4 Comments
    By Nisha Sanjeev   One of my friends – a gym-going, club-hopping woman in her mid-thirties – has the audacity to change the houseboy’s name. Reason: Her husband is his namesake. “Every time I call him I would be taking the name of my husband. How can I do that?”...

  7. Do you need a language to think?

    Posted by
    / October 12, 2011 / 2 Comments
    By V Desikan   I was fascinated by the various characters played by the late Gemini Ganesan in the 1974 Tamil  movie Naan Avanillai. In the story, the police want to find the mother tongue of this suave criminal who speaks so many languages fluently.   They come up with...

  8. English ain’t the only funny language

    Posted by Shwetal Rai
    / September 13, 2011 / 4 Comments
    By Shwetal Rai   Who hasn’t guffawed at the age old Tamilian-Punjabi joke- “Tamil Terima?” to which the infuriated Punjabi replies, ‘Punjabi tera baap!’   But, come on, in a country with as many as 22 recognized languages, miscommunication is but inevitable ! Add to that numerous dialects, about 847...

  9. Chillax or Painax : Finding your way in IIT Madras

    Posted by
    / September 4, 2011 / 2 Comments
    By Raamesh Gowri Raghavan   At the outset, let me say my post was inspired by Philip Joshua’s post on Hyderabad’s lingau franca . I just remembered an MA thesis I had read a few years ago about the slang of IIT Madras. Yes, you read that right. An MA...

  10. Guide to Hyderabadi lingo? Hau !

    Posted by
    / September 3, 2011 / 4 Comments
    By Philip Joshua   A number of `Hyderabadi’ lingo films, starting with `Angrez’ popularised the unique lingo of the city but for outsiders, many of the terms are like a googly on a turning track. Here is a very basic guide, that should help negotiate at least the autodrivers and...

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