Rakhee Ghelani

Tag: Hindi

  • Mumbai Film Festival

    —

    by

    I love a good film festival.  In Melbourne I would always go to the International Film Festival that came to town each year. For someone who is not so creative, I seem to have a lot of friends who are in the arts, and a few of my close ones in Australia are film-makers.  It…

  • Indian English: My Top 10

    —

    by

    I love the English language.  Since I have been learning Hindi, I do also appreciate how hard it is to learn any language that is not your first language. That is why I find it fascinating that most middle and upper class Indians speak at least two languages proficiently, if not 3 or 4.  English…

  • Beauty, Nature and Solitude – Chilika Lake

    —

    by

    I chose to travel down the East coast of India, on my way to Chennai, to experience the road less traveled.  Odisha is certainly a place I loved, but I discovered quite quickly that the less worn path also comes with its challenges, especially for someone with limited linguistic skills.  Whilst my rudimentary Hindi was…

  • Cultural Misfits: Where do I fit in?

    —

    by

    I am learning Hindi and have found the experience particularly challenging given the rather diverse cultural history I come from ( something I have discussed a bit previously here). My grandparents were born in India, my parents in East Africa and myself in Australia. Growing up, a mixture of four languages were spoken in my…

  • Guruvayur and Thrissur: How do you prove you are Hindu?

    —

    by

    How do you prove what religion you were raised to someone you just met? A Christian can wear a cross, although anyone could do this relatively easily. A Muslim woman can wear a Hijab, but not all do. A Jewish woman can shave her head and wear a long skirt, although only the orthodox do.…

  • Orchha: Celebrating Dussehra Madhya Praddesh Style

    —

    by

    Navratri is a Hindu festival that means 9 nights and is a celebration of the Goddess Durga as Autumn begins (at least in very simplistic terms). For me growing up in Australia, Navratri was the time of year we gathered together in a school hall with other Gujarati families and did Dandiya Raas.  This is…

  • India and Pakistan: Not ordinary enemies

    —

    by

    Before I start this post, I must clarify that I am NOT writing this based on a deep and studied understanding of the politics of the relationship between India and Pakistan. This post is based entirely on my observations of the Wagha Border Closing Ceremony that I attended yesterday. The Wagha border refers to the…

  • Pictorial Post: Shimla

    —

    by

    One of my regular readers has suggested that I put more pictures in my posts to give readers a feel for the places and things I am writing about.  As I now have a brand new camera that works, I can finally do this.  So here is the first of my Pictorial Posts, on Shimla,…

  • Opportunity Cost: Travel for travel’s sake or is it all about getting a good photo?

    —

    by

    *This post is participating in its first blog-hop hosted by Tortoise Mum on the theme of Opportunity Cost.  Hop on over and take a look at other posts on opportunity cost. I finally set out on my journey to travel across India, leaving the safe haven that had been my family’s home in Vadodara. First…

  • How to change your perception of wealth in India?

    —

    by

    When I moved to India I left behind, what many would consider, a very good career.  I was a senior manager in a big bank, and had a lot of opportunity to progress and develop.  I just needed a change, the corporate rat race wasn’t really for me anymore. Whilst I left my job, I…

  • Foodie Post: The Art of Paan

    —

    by

    I must confess I am a foodie. I love food, I enjoy trying all sorts of delicacies and am that annoying person who takes photos of the food they are about to eat. So it will come as no surprise to those who know my true identity that I will be doing a series of…

  • Are women really impure in the eyes of god?

    —

    by

    In my last post (here) I talked about how the temple is the centre of the community in India.  However I have now found myself banned from entering.  Yes, banned from the temple….. what terrible faux pas did I make to be prohibited from entering the temple? I bled. The most natural thing in the…

  • The rules of driving in India

    —

    by

    Any westerner who has driven in a car, rickshaw, van or motorcycle in India will tell you its an experience that has to be lived to be believed. I have been in India for 4 days now.  Its only been a short while but I have been a passenger on many car trips, varying in…

  • A life of worship

    —

    by

    For most hindu’s, daily life revolves around the local temple.  My auntie goes every morning, not specifically to worship, but just to say hello to everyone as they do their daily rituals. Because I am an early riser (well at least in Indian time), I have been going with her each morning for the 15…

  • Orchids in Singapore

    —

    by

    So now I am finally on my way, and have just spent two relaxing days in Singapore. Singapore is one of those places that I love to visit, but I am not too sure if I could live here. Its almost too organised and easy for me to live here.  Don’t get me wrong, I…

  • Starting the migration

    —

    by

    My first stage in preparing for my move was getting Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI) status. This status allows people of Indian origin who are citizens of other countries have a form of citizenship in India, without needing to give up their rights in their home country. Its a great system, and one that is…

  • In any language?

    —

    by

    I started learning Hindi this year. I thought it would be good preparation for my big move. Before this, I knew only a few basic words like “Namaste” and that was it. Whilst my background is Indian, my parents first language is not Hindi, but rather Gujarati (Gujarat is a state in North West India,…

  • So it begins

    —

    by

    I am moving!  So easy to say. Ideally I would like to be India by mid-July, in time for my next birthday, so that gives me about 9 weeks. How hard can it really be? I am a list writer, its how I get things done.  Add a task to a list, and then work…