The use of the word ‘that’ as a conjunctive

The use of the word ‘that’ as a conjunctive

Narrative:  When we first learned English we associated the word that as an opposite to this. “that apple”, “that toy”, “that man”, anything that was not “this.” It indicated something or someone that was somewhat away from where you were. Simple, till now. But the...
Why Zabaan

Why Zabaan

When I first enrolled as a student in Zabaan, the name suggested Urdu to me, all the way. I did not even think any other Indian languages were taught at Zabaan. I was astonished to find out much later that Urdu was only a small part of the offerings of this amazing school.

Lockdown Diary Day 17: A New Lexicon

Lockdown Diary Day 17: A New Lexicon

In this blog Rakesh Saraf talks about the new words that have been coined in the wake of the COVID-19 crisis.   Much like most of humanity, I have spent pretty much the last 16 days at home. Today is Day 17 and, at the very least, I would suspect I have another 8...
The Remarkable Use of English in India

The Remarkable Use of English in India

In this blog Rakesh Saraf talks about some interesting and amusing usages in Indian English.   When I left India for the first time, I was in my late teens, freshly educated in a Scottish Baptist school, and taught English by Englishmen who were very intolerant...