When we lose an evocative lexicon of the land, when we forget, we lose what Barry Lopez calls the “voice of memory over the land.” This is an attempt to keep that lexicon alive
The deep Thar desert sees only forty cloudy days. Yet, the shepherds have as many different names for clouds. Does the essence of thriving in this hostile clime begin with an evocative lexis of the land?
Where could I find the desert minstrels who sing a "chhand," a poem, of a fabled people long gone from the Jaisalmer area? Rumor had it that there were only very few minstrels who recited the poem anymore
People of the Thar desert who live with the cycle of seasons find ways of feeding thousands of people without irrigation. This story unfolds over a year and recounts history through contemporary lives lived gently
Traditional desert dwellers, semi-nomadic shepherds, call upon ancient wisdom to survive in the deep Thar desert of Rajasthan. This is a story about people who remember where the wells live
All the drinking water in the world will fit in a cube that can sit over the city of Bangalore. And in this industrial age, everyone wants a share of aquifers, rivers, lakes, and wetlands. Voices get shriller and stakes rise ever higher should a river cross international boundaries. Add to all this, the unpredictability of weather patterns in the age of climate change.
On the freshwater trail, I will follow the changing fortunes of people and species in the anthropocene era
This freshwater trail has wandered through Rajasthan, Assam, Arunachal pradesh, northern Bangladesh, to the Ganges in West Bengal, and into the massive active delta, the Sundarbans. A map of the journey thus far ...
MushaLdhaar – torrential rain (in Gujarati) (The L is where tongue hits roof of mouth, same for N)
Saavaj, Kesari, – Lion (in Kathiyawari, reference in Zaverchand Meghani’s poem ‘CharanKanya’)
Haran-faaL – at the pace of a deer (in Gujarati)
HaathijaN, GhoDasar – hill (in Gujarati)
ZaapTu/JhaapTu – a quick spell of heavy rain (zaapat/jhaapat meaning slap) (in Gujarati)
BhekhaDvu (v) – violently clash (BhekhaD means a hanging rock) (in Kathiyawari, Gujarati)
How special is this, Noopur. Thank you. Adding it in right away. Also, thanks for using the pronunciation guide perfectly — and sending in all the detail needed for now. Really appreciate it.
NimbaL (L with tongue hitting palate) Himachal . Clear sky , usually after days of torrential rain . A proverb from the framers “Pakki sanjh te nimbal panj” when it is a ripe sunset , you get five days of clear sky
This is great, Ashutosh. And the proverb adds a whole new dimension. I have a collection of such from Rajasthan — may add that to the next rev of this glossary.
Thanks!
Arati
Many of these are also used in Hindi. For example, mooslaadhar baarish, badli chhaana, jhaDi lagna, boonda-bandi. One that I didn’t see in above list is “fuhaar padna” which means light drizzling.
this is a fantastic project. glad to have come across this.
can i add some marathi words?
musaLdhaar मुसळधार heavy rains, each drop as heavy as a pounding stone – musaL
pirpir पिरपिर a boring steady light rain, riprip रिपरिप is also used in the same tone
rimzim रिमझिम a steady light rain, but pleasant
vaambaL वांबळ used in marathwada for a cloudy sky, in anticipation of rain
DhagaaL ढगाळ cloudy, overcast skies. Dhag ढग means cloud
santatdhar संततधार steady heavy rain
jhad lagNe झड लागणे steady heavy rain
aabhaaL bharoon yeNe आभाळ भरून येणे cloudy sky in anticipation of rain
In Punjabi, Kanniyan- कनियाँ is also the name for very light rain
In Haryanvi dialect, showers are also referred as ‘Ram Baras Reha’ – राम बरस रेहा – literal meaning, the God is coming down in form of rain.