by Zabaan | May 19, 2020 | Arabic, Etymology, Hindi, Vocabulary
The trilateral root ‘ha-fi-za’ in Arabic means to protect, preserve, guard or sustain. Hifz is the noun form of the root and it means ‘preservation’ or ‘protection’. In Hindi/Urdu we also use hifaazat (protection, safety) which is a...
by Zabaan | May 19, 2020 | Arabic, Etymology, Hindi, Vocabulary
Ka-ma-la, the Arabic trilateral root for ‘perfection’. Most Hindi/Urdu speakers are familiar with this root from usages like kamaal ka meaning ‘excellent, wonderful’ and ‘kamaal hai!’ which means ‘Great!’ but more often...
by Zabaan | Dec 12, 2019 | Learning and Teaching, Urdu
In this blog Rakesh Saraf talks about the challenges he faced while learning how to read and write Urdu. “Arabians learn Arabian with the speed of summer lightning. And the Hebrews learn it backwards, which is absolutely frightening.” I remember these...
by Zabaan | Dec 3, 2019 | Learning and Teaching
In this blog Rakesh Saraf talks about the benefits of continuing learning well into one’s silver years. I was 67 years old when I looked at my collection of old Urdu literature, with prints from the 1920s onwards, once again in despair. Was I going to the...
by Zabaan | Sep 11, 2019 | Classical languages, Philosophy, Sanskrit, Spirituality
The Upanishads are a repository of some of the finest and most intricate thoughts and sayings in the Indian philosophical and spiritual tradition. Of these, traditionally, four sayings (vākya), one from each of the Vedas, are said to sum up the essence of all the...
