Hindi and me

At high school, I found Hindi impossible to learn. I was the class topper, but scored in Hindi only 3/50, making my Hindi teacher shout that I was a disgrace to India. I went to a charming young lady Hindi tutor next door, but my Hindi didn't improve. I did enjoy the Bollywood classics like Dosti, Guide, Sangam, etc. but it didn't alleviate my learning difficulties.

I went to IIT Madras, and found that I had another difficult language to deal with - Tamil. I first thought almost everyone was quarreling, but later discovered that is how Tamil sounds to aliens like me.

When I went to IIM Calcutta, I found Bengali rather quaint and elaborate, but felt no antipathy. After all they made stuff like rossa gulla, misti dohi, kheer kadam, luchi. The only things I now added to my hate list were a series of vegetables like Tinda, which were inedible. 

I took up a summer project in Nagercoil, in a fit of daredevilry and the spirit of exploring India. I was compelled there to converse with everyone only in Tamil, finding myself in many difficult circumstances, much to my friends' amusement and my chagrin. I saw a lot of Tamil movies likeThanga  Padakkam with Shivaji in the lead. Well, by compulsion, my Tamil improved by leaps and bounds.

I then took up a job in Delhi. I had to converse in Hindi, willy nilly. Then I had to enrol in a Hindi class being a public sector employee. I topped the class, and as a bonus, thanks to a good teacher Sharma-ji from UP, I found Hindi was so close to Sanskrit, my favourite after Kannada, and started speaking Hindi quite well.

In the past few decades I have made many friends among Hindi-speaking and Tamil-speaking people. When I went to Germany, I spoke German well enough to impress the locals. I had by now found out a simple rule. 

Which is the best language in the world?

The language of the listener. Master it, and you will communicate better. 

Adi Shankara's Vishnu Shatpadi

This is so beautifully sung that I had to share it with you. 

Here are the shlokas with meanings: 

Sextet on Vishnu

 O Vishnu! Leading away from arrogance, tranquilise my mind, and destroy the persistent greed for desires. Spread the feeling of kindness for living-beings, and take me across the cycle of rebirth.||1|| 

 I sing praises of the lotus-feet of Lord of Lakshmi, Which has juice like the river Ganga, Which is fragrant and full of pleasures eternally, and Which breaks the shackles of the cycle of rebirth.||2|| 

 O Lord! Even though there is no difference between us (I am a part of You), I belong to You and not vice-versa. Just like the ocean is made of waves but the waves are not made up of ocean.||3|| 

 O Krishna, Who lifted the Govardhan¹! O Upendra, Who is the younger brother of Indra², Who is the enemy of demons, Who has sun and moon as two eyes! After seeing you, isn't it true that we get dispassionate about the whole mortal world? (Or it says that indeed Your appearance to someone destroys his (her) passion for the mortal world).||4|| 

 O Supreme Lord, Who protects this earth by various incarnations like Matsya (fish)! I am feared by the cycle of life and death and therefore I am worthy of being saved by You.||5|| 

 O Damodar! O Govind, Who is the temple of qualities, Who has a lotus-like body, Who is like the Mandarachal mountain for churning the (Ksheersagar like) ocean of rebirth! You drive away the immense fear from my life.||6|| 

 O Narayan, Who is full of compassion! I am taking the refuge of Your lotus-feet. May this above-said sextet (six pada) which is like a bumble-bee resides in my lotus-like mouth.||7|| 

 Notes: ¹ During Lord's appearance as Krishna, He stopped Nand and others to do sacrifices to Indra for clouds. He instead asked for devotion towards Narayan. Indra thought Krishna as a simple boy and got annoyed by His teachings. He sent clouds as a precursor to an attack on Vraj and started preparing his army. Krishna lifted Govardhan as a large umbrella to save everyone. Later Indra asked for forgiveness. ² Indra's father and mother, Kashyap and Aditi, had a boon of getting Lord as a child for three times. During second time, Lord was born from Kashyap and Aditi as Upendra; more popularly He is known as Vaman. 

 Poet: Adi Shankaracharya 

 Source: Stotra Ratnavali — Gitapress © Stutimandal 2006, Mar 24. 

Vishnu Shatpadi – Sanskrit Script 

 रचन: आदि शङ्कराचार्य 

 अविनयमपनय विष्णो दमय मनः शमय विषयमृगतृष्णाम् । भूतदयां विस्तारय तारय संसारसागरतः ॥ 1 ॥ 

 दिव्यधुनीमकरन्दे परिमलपरिभोगसच्चिदानन्दे । श्रीपतिपदारविन्दे भवभयखेदच्छिदे वन्दे ॥ 2 ॥ 

 सत्यपि भेदापगमे नाथ तवाहं न मामकीनस्त्वम् । सामुद्रो हि तरङ्गः क्वचन समुद्रो न तारङ्गः ॥ 3 ॥ 

 उद्धृतनग नगभिदनुज दनुजकुलामित्र मित्रशशिदृष्टे । दृष्टे भवति प्रभवति न भवति किं भवतिरस्कारः ॥ 4 ॥ मत्स्यादिभिरवतारैरवतारवतावता सदा वसुधाम् । परमेश्वर परिपाल्यो भवता भवतापभीतोऽहम् ॥ 5 ॥ 

 दामोदर गुणमन्दिर सुन्दरवदनारविन्द गोविन्द । भवजलधिमथनमन्दर परमं दरमपनय त्वं मे ॥ 6 ॥ 

 नारायण करुणामय शरणं करवाणि तावकौ चरणौ । इति षट्पदी मदीये वदनसरोजे सदा वसतु ॥

Srirangagadyam of Ramanuja

Please play the audio linked below, as you watch the slides in fullscreen slide-show. The original text and translation are provided.

What a Lalbagh walk!

Mr Vijay Tiruvadi took us on a memorable Lalbagh walk on June 1. Rated on Lonely Planet within world's top seven nature walks. Vijay takes us through history, geography, botany and beauty of plants from world over meticulously gathered and flourishing in Lalbagh. Rs 600 including sumptuous MTR breakfast!

Check out Bangalorewalks.com

Ten things I didn't know before my Lalbagh walk y'day :
1. The Lalbagh rock is 300 million years old, and came from Gondwanaland, the super southern continent connecting Africa and India.
2. 95% plants IN Lalbagh are from outside India originally.
3. Tipu Sultan imported plants and seeds for Lalbagh on ships from as far as Brazil to Mangalore port.
4. Gin and tonic has quinine extracts the British took to fight malaria. Ronald Ross lived in Bangalore.
5. Mr Fortune of East India Company posed as a Chinese noble to steal tea seeds into India from China.
6. The tallest tree in Lalbagh is 165 feet tall, comes from Pacific Island and is named after Captain Cook.
7. The maluva Creeper grows like hell over trees and all.
8. Most of the flowers we call Champa aren't Indian or even Champak.
9. There are conifers from eight countries in a small area in Lalbagh.
10. The original banana from Turkey grew upward, like the flower too.