We use many Hindi words daily, but it is often difficult to recall their English equivalents. There are words related to religious rituals, such as camphor, batti, agarbatti, shankh, and belpatra, as well as everyday concepts like staring, hiccups, nodding, or yawning. Although we can easily name them in Hindi, the correct English names may be unknown to many.
Furthermore, products such as malai, chutney, papad, and tadka are part of our daily diet, but their English names can cause difficulty for many people. Therefore, we will conduct a small vocabulary challenge to find out what these common words and items are actually called in English.
Camphor translates to Camphor, and there is a tradition of burning camphor during worship. Batti, which is a cotton wick used in oil lamps, is called Cotton Wick. Agarbatti, which is burned for fragrance in temples or homes, is known as Incense Stick.
Songs praising a deity are called Hymns. Dhoop, burned in rituals, is usually called Incense. The term Vigil is used in the context of continuous fire burning or religious watch. Shankh, which sounds during worship, translates to Conch Shell. And Kalash, used in rituals, can be called Sacred Pot or ritual pot. Belpatra leaves, which are offered to Lord Shiva, are called Bael Leaves.
The word 'ghoorna', meaning to look at someone intently and carefully, translates to Stare. 'Takatki lagakar dekhna', meaning to observe something or someone long and concentratedly, is called Gaze. A sudden hiccup translates to Hiccup. A nod of the head in sign of agreement or response is denoted as Nod. Burping after eating or drinking is called Burp. The act of opening the mouth to breathe due to tiredness or sleep is called Yawn.
A person who has serious or complete hearing difficulties is called Deaf. And a person who cannot see is called Blind.
In conclusion, readers are invited to assess how many of these English words they knew beforehand.