Posts

Languages of India: Bhojpuri

Bhojpuri is an Indo-Aryan language, spoken in eastern UP, Western Bihar, and northwestern Jharkand. When we draw a map we see that all these areas are close to one another. Bhojpuri belt is a closely knit  and stretches upto Nepal. How did the Bhojpuri speaking people missed a state? The core Bhojpuri speaking areas cover around 73000 square kilometres, and nearly more than twenty districts. Bhojpuri speaking people missed a state because of the combination of political classification, census practices, and the complex history of Hindi identity. Bhojpuri and other north Indian languages like Awadhi, Maithili, and Magahi were grouped under Hindi umbrella for administrative and political reasons. Because of this Bhojpuri speakers were recorded as Hindi speakers, and significantly inflated the number of Hindi speakers. It was officially labelled as a dialect of Hindi, and with this it lost the status of independent language. Magahi is not Magadhi of the ancient Magadha kingdom and was...

Nine: Far From The Madding Crowd: Thomas Hardy: A Visitor

By daylight, the house of Bathsheba Everdene seemed a hoary building with a small estate around it. Fluted columns of solid stone decorated its front. Above the gabled roof, pairs of chimneys were linked by an arch. Soft brown mosses formed cushions upon stone tiles, and tufts of house-leek sprouted from the eaves manifested long neglect or absence of care and maintenance.  The gravel walk leading from the door to the road in front was encrusted with moss at the sides. The manor of a petty lord was altered for farming purpose and this alteration was visible. This has added to the deformity of the building. Inside, the staircase has heavy old fashioned balusters, stout handrails, twisting stairs. Going up, the floor is of very irregular surface, with ridges and valleys. Where uncarpeted the face of board is found eaten by worms. The windows, when opened clanged a loud noise. Every bustling movement is followed by a tremble. A creak accompanys the walker where ever he goes. Bathsheba...

Philistines

The Philistines were ancient people who lived in the south coast of Canaan during the Iron Age in a confederation of city-states generally referred to as Philistia. They originated from the Greek immigrant group from the  Aegean . The immigrant group settled in Canaan around 1175 BCE during the late Bronze Age Collapse. Over time, they intermixed with the indigenous Canaanites and assimilated elements of their culture. Around 600BCE they were vanquished by King Nebuchadnezzar II of Neo-Babylonian Empire. Like the kingdom of Israel and Judah Philistines lost their autonomy by the end of Iron Age.  The use of the word by Liddy  Smallbury, the maid of Bathsheba Everdene in the novel Far From The Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy in Chapter 9 reflects the urban rustic divide in the society. It is also rooted in the biblical grasp of parish girl and the stratified society. 

Aegean Civilization

Aegean Civilization is a general term for the Bronze Age Civilization of Greece around the Aegean sea. The early Aegean farming population of Neolithic Greece brought agriculture westward into Europe before 5000BCE. It was not a monolithic civilization but a mix of different cultures existed in Crete, Cyclades and mainland Greece.

പഴയ മലയാà´³ം

à´…à´¤ി : പഴമ  ആടകം : à´¹ാà´Ÿà´•ം, à´¸്വർണ്à´£ം  ആശ്à´±ിà´•്à´•ുà´• : ആശ്à´°à´¯ിà´•്à´•ുà´• ഉള: ഉണ്à´Ÿ്  ഉഴയ്à´•്à´•ുà´• : à´¬ുà´¦്à´§ിà´®ുà´Ÿ്à´Ÿുà´• കളനി : വയൽ à´•ാà´£ുà´• : à´¬ോà´§ൃà´ª്à´ªെà´Ÿുà´• à´•ിà´°ി : à´•ൃà´·ി  à´•ുർള : à´•ുà´®ിà´³  :   :  à´•ൊà´³്à´³ം: à´µാà´™്ങൽ  à´šൂà´´à´±ുà´• : ആണയിà´Ÿുà´• à´šെà´®്à´®ു : നല്ലത്  à´¤ാà´¨േ : à´¤ാà´¨േ  à´¤േà´±്à´±ം : സത്à´¯ം  നവരം : à´¨ിà´¶്à´šà´¯ം  à´ªൊà´²ിà´¯ുà´• : à´¶ോà´­ിà´•്à´•ുà´• മറുവൽ : à´ªുà´ž്à´šിà´°ി  à´®ിà´´ി : വയൽ à´®ുà´¨ à´¨േà´Ÿുà´• : à´¶à´•്à´¤ിà´ª്à´ªെà´Ÿുà´• വലസ്à´¸് : ബലം, à´¸ാമർത്à´¥്à´¯ം  വല്à´²ുà´• : പഠിà´•്à´•ുà´• വശിà´•്à´•ുà´• : വശത്à´¤ാà´•്à´•ുà´• à´µിà´š്à´š : à´µിà´¦ൃ à´µിതയ്à´•്à´•ം : à´µിതയ്à´•്കൽ  à´µെà´±്à´±ി : ജയം  To be updated 

Akalapuzha: The Sea Trapped in Land

Akalapuzha is a lake though its name carry river. It is often called the Kuttanad of Kozhikode. It is a rising tourist spot for its serene beauty and boating.  Lakes are formed when water accumulates in large inland depressions called basins. It may also form when sea recedes from the land. It is known as marine regression . It can leave water trapped in low-lying depressions leading to the formation of lakes. Such lakes are called relict lakes or marine residuals. These are remnants of ancient seas cut off from the ocean as seafloors are uplifted or sea-levels dropped. Caspian sea and Aral sea occupy basins that were once part of a larger ocean, but became separated by tectonic uplift or retreating seas. As the sea-level falls, sandbars, spits or beach ridges can be left behind acting as natural dams that trap sea water in coastal depressions. These basins are fed by fresh water from rivers, canals, springs and rivulets. Philip Lake was a prominent geologist with Geological Surve...

Eight: Far From The Madding crowd: Thomas Hardy

Warren's Malthouse was enclosed by an old wall wrapped by ivy, and not much of the exterior was visible. An overhanging thatched roof went up from the walls, and slopped upto a point in the centre, upon which a wooden lantern fitted with the louvre-boards [1] on all the four sides, and from these openings a mist was dimly perceived to be escaping into the night air. There was no window in front; but a square hole in the door was glazed with a single pane, through which red comfortable rays now stretched out upon the ivied wall in front. Voices were to be heard inside. Oak's hand skimmed the surface of the door with fingers extended to find out the latch as it was dark. He found a leather strap, which he pulled. This lifted a wooden latch, and the door swung open. The room inside was lighted only by the red glow from the kiln mouth, which shown over the floor with streaming rays of the setting sun, and threw upwards the shadows of the men assembled. The stone flake floor was wor...