MAGIC OF WORDS
D. K. Bharadwaj *
No language can thrive
unless it has an inherent capacity to acquire, absorb and assimilate
expressions from different cultures and words and phrases from
other languages. On the other hand, inflexibility and rigidity
in the name of maintaining purity are detrimental to the growth
of a language, eventually leading to its bane. It can be, therefore,
safely assumed that all the current flourishing languages in the
world have the characteristics of acquisition, absorption and
assimilation in them in plenty. English is a prime example of
this trait. Numerically, Chinese and Hindi are spoken and used
by more people than English. But without an iota of doubt, English
is the most widespread and most commonly spoken language in the
world. Apart from about 340 million native speakers in the UK,
Ireland, USA, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, English is used
by roughly twice as many people as their second or third language
all over the world. The liberal tendency to welcome, accept and
absorb words and expressions from other languages has made English
a very rich, most widespread and rapidly flourishing language.
This has been possible because a very large number of English
words have their roots in Greek, Latin, French, Persian, Arabic,
Hindi and many other languages.
So far as Hindi
or words of other Indian languages in English are concerned, the
prime reason is the close contact between the people of the two
countries during the Raj. For the British, India of the Raj was
a prize possession, whom they proudly referred to as a jewel in
the British crown and their king as the emperor of India, the
ruthless and systematic exploitation of whose wealth made Great
Britain immensely rich. However, the cultural impact made the
relationship between India and Britain rather unique. Not only
Indian hockey and polo players mesmerized the British, but also
several hugely talented players of Indian origin right from K.S.
Ranjitsinghji, popularly known as Ranji, to the current England
star, Vikram Solanki, lent magic of their oriental style to English
cricket. Incidentally, it was Ranji who had invented the beautiful
cricket stroke leg-glance. Then there were a number of eminent
Indian writers right from Mulk Raj Anand to Vikram Seth who gave
a new facet to English literature through their Indian-English
genre. On the other hand, a few highly acclaimed Indian-born British
authors such as William Makepeace Thackeray and Rudyard Kipling
made a significant contribution in projecting India of the Raj
through their writings. Their India connection was a crucial factor
in it. While Thackeray, born in Calcutta, used Hindi and Hindustani
words profusely in his writings, particularly in his celebrated
novel Vanity Fair, India of the Raj is vividly reflected
in Bombay-born Kipling’s famous novel Kim. E.M. Forster’s
lively attempt to depict two different cultures and two different
mindsets, that of the Indians and the British, is well reflected
in his masterpiece- A Passage To India.
In this background,
it is not surprising at all that even the first edition of the
Oxford English Dictionary contained a number of Hindi and
Hindustani words. Many Hindi words have been so much anglicised
that they look like original English words. For example, shampoo,
juggernaut, chit, cot, puttee and bandanna are some such words.
Shampoo has its origin in the Hindi word champi, which means head-massage
with oil. Juggernaut is Lord Jagannath’s chariot symbolising an
irresistible, unsurmountable and all-conquering force. Chit has
evolved from the Hindi chitthi. Cot is nothing but khat in Hindi
or charpoy, which is another English word meaning charpai in Hindi.
Puttee is derived from the Hindi word patti meaning in English
a cloth strip wound round the leg from the ankle to knee particularly
by soldiers so that the legs are not tired during a long march.
Bandanna or bandana is a large silk or cotton colourful handkerchief,
evolved from the Hindi word bandhna. The exotic-sounding word
dixie is Hindustani degchi, a large metallic cooking utensil.
Gymkhana has developed from Hindustani gend-khana, which means
a ball-house or a racquet court. Bungalow is from the word bangla
and veranda (verandah) has developed from the Hindustani word
baramada.
The names of
Hindi gods and goddesses such as Vishnu, Rama, Krishna, Mahadeva,
Brahma, Shiva, Kamadeva, Lakshmi, Kali, Durga and Shakti,
names of the epics Ramayana and Mahabharata and
Hindu mythological characters like Rahu and Rakshas
are now found in English lexicons. With the spread of Hindu spiritualism
and Hindu philosophy Vedas, Vedanta, Purana, yoga, yogi, guru,
mahatma, karma, nirvana, pranayama, Kaliyuga, tantra, mantra,
puja, maya have all found a place in English dictionaries.
So is the case with Indian titles such as nawab, raja, maharaja,
shah, sultan, sultana, zamindar, jagirdar, sirdar, which have
been absorbed in the English language.
Hindi and Hindustani
words like cummerbund (Hindustani kamarband) meaning waist-belt,
ryot (Hindi raiyat), kutcha or cutcha (Hindi
kachcha), pucca or pukka (Hindi pakka), nulla
or nullah (Hindi nala), khidmutgar (Hindustani
khidmatgar) meaning a servant, chintz (Hindi chint) meaning
spotted cotton-cloth, baksheesh (Hindustani bakhshish)
meaning a tip, dacoit (Hindi dakait) meaning robber, sorbet
(Hindustani sherbet), jungle (Hindi jangal) meaning
forest, adorn the English language. Maidan, bazaar, zila
or zillah, bhang (a narcotic drug), bhishti (water
carrier), trees like neem, pipal (pipal) bael (bel)
and mahua, mahout (Hindi mahawat), Pindari (a
mercenary freebooter), loot (plunder), bulbul, bund
(an embankment or dam), khaki (dust coloured cloth), kheda
(an operation to catch wild elephants), chela (a disciple),
kachahri or kicheri (a courthouse), bandar (monkey),
machan (a platform up a tree for hunting), kalmadan,
bundook (a rifle), dak, dal (pulse), thug, bigha
(a unit of land measurement), lakh, crore, raga, badmash,
(rogue), nautch meaning dance, madrasa or madrasah
(a school), tonga (Hindi tanga), sepoy (Hindi
sipahi), durbar (Hindi darbar), gadi (Hindi gadi),
yojan (an old Indian unit of distance measurement), serai
(Hindi sarai), chutney (Hindi chatni), durrie (Hindi
dari) meaning a cotton carpet, also used as a piece of bedding,
baloo or balu (Hindi bhalu) meaning a bear, chital
(a deer), chuddar (Hindi chaddar), a sheet worn as
a shawl in India, chukor (Hindi chakor) meaning an Indian
partridge, chupati (Hindi chapatti), kheda or keddah
(Hindi kheda) meaning an operation for catching wild elephants,
langur (a species of monkey), chillum (Hindi chilam),
choky (Hindi chauki), chowkidar (a watchman), chaprassy
(Hindi chaprasi), cheetah (Hindi chita), chatta
(an umbrella) are some token examples culled out of a very large
number of Hindi words adopted and absorbed in English. Happily,
this trend seems to be continuing. Not only Hindi but some other
Indian languages too have contributed to the English vocabulary.
The English words coir and betel have evolved from
the Malayalam words kayar and vettila respectively.
Similarly, curry and cheroot have their origins
in Tamil words kari and shuruttu. Mongoose,
the killer of snakes and rats, got its English name from the Marathi
word mangus.
Hopefully, more
and more words from the Indian languages will find a place in
English lexicons as the Indian diaspora is making a big cultural
impact at the international level. The Indian spiritual gurus,
yoga experts and Indian restaurateurs are popularising Indian
words and phrases abroad. For example, the young Londoners are
now quite familiar with the highly popular spicy Indian dishes
like balti-curry, tandoori-chicken, korma-bhaji and the refreshing
Amritsari lassi. English, too, had a profound influence on Hindi.
But this write-up is limited to the presence of Hindi words in
the English language.
* Freelance Writer
