Comments on: ATTN: India Travelers – Learn Hindi!

By: Why Hindi-Urdu is One Language and Arabic is Several

Why Hindi-Urdu is One Language and Arabic is Several — Fri, 28 May 2010 17:24:00 +0000

[...] to India or Pakistan? Find out why you should learn Hindi-Urdu and What Not to Do in Pakistan. var ids = new Array; ids.push(4488); Tagged under: arabic, [...]

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By: Shreya

Shreya — Wed, 26 May 2010 19:05:54 +0000

Hey Anton,

I am pretty sure Benjamin was being sarcastic when he said that!

There’s totally a political hierarchy when it comes to English in India. There are so many official languages, but knowing English gets you more places and more jobs and generally more respect in mainstream society (especially urban) than anything else. It is totally unfair.

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By: Emily-di

Emily-di — Sun, 23 May 2010 00:46:17 +0000

I studied abroad in India and I never got such a good response to request as when I made it in Bengali. I was in Calcutta and working at a home for trafficked girls so I picked up quite a bit of Bengali. And though you must endure much laughter at your mistakes and even when you get it right, people are never so friendly as when you are speaking their language.

Great article!

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By: anton wilson

anton wilson — Mon, 17 May 2010 16:32:50 +0000

i can’t believe someone said “glorious, English colonial legacy.” It’s only glorious if you like thievery, pillage, murder, and typical cultural terrorism. The reason hindi is not more popular is thanks to the brits. By mentally poisoning the indian people, they created an india where english is a more highly revered language, especially the higher-up on the social ladder you are. They single-handedly created a north-south/colour divide by promoting stereotypes about martial/non-martial races and promoting the gora aryan peoples as the foundation of hindu and much of the cherished indian heritage. if it weren’t for their pre-independence support of tamil nadu, maybe tamil wouldn’t have been so opposed to hindi as the national language, preferring english instead. they deliberately supported the muslim vs non-muslim rift driving further and further apart hindi into two camps: shuddh hindi and urdu.

so glorious. you should not be suprised when colonialism leaves deep, unsolvable rifts.

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By: suresh

suresh — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 10:41:46 +0000

if you wish to learn Hindi on line, please contact me. I am settled in Chennai. I spent 30 years in Bihar. I served a NGO for 29 years in India and abroad. My mother tongue is Tamil.

suresh

sskay56@gmail.com

91 9840643690

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By: Renegade Division

Renegade Division — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 05:18:43 +0000

I am not sure if I agree completely, but for Americans coming to India vs going anywhere else is much better because they don’t have to learn another language. Like I literally saw my proff considering China and India, he really wanted to go to China, but then he thought he wouldn’t have to learn another language to come to India so he went to India instead.

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By: Benjamin Melançon

Benjamin Melançon — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 05:08:15 +0000

Note that the author speaks perfect English and lives where Bengali is the predominant language– if she says learn Hindi, best do it!

I was surprised at how the glorious British colonial legacy failed to even leave a common language– many, many people in India have extremely little English. That’s still more than my Hindi, though, so a final tip: even if you haven’t picked up hardly any Hindi (or Bengali or another of the first languages of India), travel where English is less common anyway! (Smarter travel companions help.)

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By: Sophie Ibbotson

Sophie Ibbotson — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 14:25:16 +0000

Due to our colonial heritage, people in Britain are left with the distinct impression that everyone in India speaks English. It is not true. If you are on an organised tour then you will encounter hotel staff, drivers and guides who speak basic English. However, if you want to travel independently and away from the main tourist sites, you will have trouble getting by only in English. Charades are a good start (and cause much hilarity) but get a phrase book so you can look things up when you get stuck. The most useful things to learn are:
Namaste – Hello.
Shukriya – Thank you.
Mera nam X hai – My name is X.
Haan – yes
Nahin – no
Kaise hain aap? – How are you?
Main thik hun – I am fine.
Main X se hun – I am from X (insert name of country)
Mujhe tori hindi aati hai – I know a little Hindi
Mujhe hindi nahin aati – I don’t know Hindi.
X kahan hai? – Where is X?
Kitna hai? – How much is it?
Itna mahenga hai! – That’s too expensive
Nahin chahie – I don’t need/want it.
Mai apne pati se chal rahi hun – I am travelling with my husband. This is useful to ward off unwanted attention whether or not it is true.
Mere do bacche hain – I have two children (See above)
Chor do – Go away. You will say this at least a hundred times a day to beggars.
Mujhe gosht/paneer/unko/appko na pasand hai – I don’t like goat/cheese curry/him/you
Benny has mentioned ‘goras’ – it means white person (masculine plural). It’s a racial term but more of an adjective than something derogatory. However, ‘gori rundi’ is a fairly popular insult to western women. If you get called it, a slap may be in order as it roughly means ‘white whore’.
One interesting insult you will hear banded around in many conversations is ’sala’. Literally it means ‘brother in law’, and so gets used by friends as a term of endearment, but if conversation gets a little more heated, the meaning is taken to its logical conclusion and becomes ‘I fuck your sister’. Use it with care!

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By: neha

neha — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 10:50:28 +0000

Absolutely! I think any effort you make to learn a local language goes a long way in forming bonds with the local community, and it also immediately translates in better service, prices, and experiences.

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By: Benny the Irish polyglot

Benny the Irish polyglot — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 10:17:44 +0000

I wholeheartedly agree – learning the language of the country and speaking with the locals on their own terms gives you an entirely different perspective and a deeper feeling of connection with the country you are visiting.
People use the excuse that it’s “too hard”, but with the right attitude you can master such languages quick enough to be having some really interesting conversations
Even starting with just a few phrases and working from there separates you from the other “Gora”s

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