Hindi hein hum - International University

Learning Hindi - Internationally

Part - I

2010. SIMC gifts a trumpet to blow. Recruited for a premium package in ‘Illicit relations’, a famous PR firm in kerala, Midhun lands in Kottayam Airport. Crowds with bouquets and brickbats…oops!!!...garlands envelope him. As a quirk of fate he madly falls in love with the girl (yes girl), who gifts him the garland.

This is a part in the progress of his story

(After a month)

Midhun (like in the Malayalam movies of the 80’s): I (pause)..I…don’t know (pause)….. how to…how to ... tell what I have to…

Ladybird: kuch bolne ka hein tho jaldi bol, kaam baaki hein.

Midhun still not in his best of Hindi, remembered the good old photography class at SIMC. A chill runs down the spine.

(In contemplation)

Group - B2.

Class - Photography.

2 minutes of Hindi by Borkhedkar sir.

Mouth agape Midhun looks right.

He sees another ‘about-to-cry’ soul looking to the left.

She is Dalia, the poor soul who came with high hopes to find herself juxtaposed with some mountain goats.

Their eyes meet. Intense emotions fly.

Pity in her eyes. Tears in Midhun’s eyes. For a moment he felt Dalia to be a long lost twin. Like a pair of windows opening, both look back at their Hindi teacher.

Midhun doesn’t accept failure and jots down whatever English he could understand.

His note read something like this – “focus, May, attendance, Lens, teen, cheese…And so on…”

The actual sentence received from the manuscript available in the Pune museum read as follows. (Bible-o-graphy: Rejil, The studious. 2008: 64).

“Idhar Phocus nahi karega tho mein attendance nahi doonga. Lens mein theen cheez hein…”

(Midhun back to reality)

Realizing that the girl is walking away, shouts in the Hindi he knew

“humko tumko acha lagta hein.”

Ladybird (folded hands in prayer, looks up to the gods for help): “oyeye maaa…Hindi ka tho SIBM* kar dega yeh lafanga!!!”

Synonyms
*SIBM = rape, kichdi, dahi ( contextual).

While Dalia succeeded in printing footprints logo on the letterhead, Midhun got it embossed on his cheeks from various quarters.

TRULY INTERNATIONAL, WITH FACULTIES SPEAKING THE NATIONAL LANGUAGE. DO THEY PRESUME THAT TUITIONS IN HINDI ARE GLOBALLY COMPULSORY BEFORE JOINING THE INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITIES??
SIMC ON TOP............................................... OF A HILL.