Well, considering I’m not doing much with it anyway, and it is slipping away from me for lack of practice.

I really don’t mind doing a language exchange with people who want to learn Hindi. At the very least, you could learn a few useful phrases for when you’re traveling in India, and I will not forget them.

Sad state of affairs, especially because I used to be a Hindi topper in school (if any school buddies are reading this, remember you have no right to dispute anything on this blog.. I know too many of your dark secrets. grrr..)

Both P and I have noticed a sharp decline in our usage of Hindi in the last year or so but the beast has been rearing its ugly fangs once too often in the last month. We’ve always been more comfortable conversing in english, reserving our depleting hindi vocabulary for rainy moments, i.e. when we need to communicate secretly in the presence of non-Hindi speakers. But then, you can easily get away with speedy Hinglish too.

So now we’re left groping for words, words which once came so, so naturally to us. Just last night, as we walked out of the club after a good 40 lengths or more, we were struck by the stillness of the air. The sun seemed to have sapped all the energy from everyone – the alley was quiet where there are usually kids running around, men playing cards, and pigs snorting in anticipation of imminent slaughter. An old woman was squatting – still in her conical hat – leaning her frail body against the wall – not even flashing the customary Vietnamese smile as walked past her.

Yeah, everything was still.

And I started to say something to the effect in Hindi.

sab kuch kitna sthar… sthal… ugh, kitna sthir hai.

Well, that’s still a comparatively difficult word – sthir.

‘How about I try to say, nothing’s moving at all?’ I thought to myself.

And I found myself racking my brains for the Hindi word for movement. It finally came to me.. kuch bhi hil nahi raha hai.

Perhaps it’s just because we talk in English much more now, not just with each other but with everyone else, whereas in the States, there weren’t so many others to talk to anyway. So we’d keep switching between English and Hindi, but with so many friends here, we’re bound to talk more in English all the time. It’s only when we’re alone that we banter in hindi at all, and that too, not very often.

And so I’m left wondering how I’m gonna keep my Hindi language skills intact. Any suggestions?

In: India, Vietnam | | #