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# 78
March 9, 2021
Today’s Hindi idiom (मुहावरा) is:
मन हल्का करना।
(Transliteration: Mann halka karna.)
Literal translation: To make (one’s) mind lighter.
Figurative meaning: To feel happy. To be cheerful. To be relaxed.
Usage in a sample sentence:
कल के अन्धेरे बादलों को चीरकर सूरज आज सुबह चमक बिखेरा, लेकिन वो भी मेरा मन हल्का करने में कामयाब नही हुआ।
(Transliteration: Kal ke andhere badalon ko cheerkar suraj aaj subah chamak bikhera, lekin woh bhi mera mann halka karne mein kaamyab nahi hua.)
Translation: Ripping apart yesterday’s dark clouds, the Sun shone brightly this morning, but even that failed to lighten my mood.
Origins of the idiom: When a person is feeling happier, relaxed or cheerful, we imagine his mind or mood as being lighter. This idiom refers to this imaginary lightness of one’s mood to convey the meaning that when the mood or mind is lighter, he or she is in a happy or cheerful mood. Compare this idiom with yesterday’s one that alluded to making one’s mind “smaller,” giving it a totally different meaning.
# 77
March 8, 2021
Today’s Hindi idiom (मुहावरा) is:
मन छोटा करना।
(Transliteration: Mann chhota karna.)
Literal translation: To make (one’s) mind small.
Figurative meaning: To feel disappointed. To be disheartened. To be sad.
Usage in a sample sentence:
मैं मानता हूँ के तुम्हारे साथ अन्याय हुआ है; लेकिन तुम मन छोट मत करो। अच्छे दिन आएंगे।
(Transliteration: Main manata hoon ke tumhare saath anyaay hua hai; lekin tum mann chhota mat karo. Achhe din ayenge.)
Translation: I agree that injustice was done to you, but you don’t (make your mind small) be sad. Good days are coming.
Origins of the idiom: When a flower dries up, it shrinks and becomes smaller in size. The same way, when someone is feeling sad and disheartened, we imagine his mind shrinking and becoming smaller. This imaginary reduction in size is alluded to by this idiom, which is commonly used in Hindi while comforting people who are feeling let down or disappointed.
#59
February 4, 2021
Today’s Hindi proverb (कहावत) is:
ना नौ मन तेल होगा ना राधा नाचेगी।
(Transliteration: Na nau mann tael hoga, na Radha naachegi.)
Literal translation: Neither will there be nine maund oil, nor will Radha dance.
Figurative meaning: An event will not occur or a deal will not be concluded (because the terms and prerequisite conditions will not be fulfilled).
Usage in a sample sentence:
आप चितां ना करें। अदालत में आप की ही जीत होगी। आरोपी के पास वकील करने का भी कैश नही है। ना नौ मन तेल होगा ना राधा नाचेगी।
(Transliteration: Aap chinta na karein. Adalat mein aap ki hi jeet hogi. Aaropi ke paas vakil karne ka bhi cash nahi hai. Na nau mann tael hoga, na Radha naachegi.)
Translation: Don’t worry. You will win in court. The accused doesn’t even have the cash to arrange a lawyer. Neither will there be nine maund oil nor will Radha dance.
Origins of the proverb: This proverb is quite old and nowhere could I find a confirmation of its origin. A ‘mann’ is a measure of weight from ancient India, which approximates 35 kgs. ‘Maund’ is probably the anglicized version of mann. Some people believe that in the ancient times, in the king’s court, the chandeliers were lit with oil lamps. In a large courtroom, where dances were staged, there were many chandeliers, and to light them they required a huge amount of oil (at least 9 mann or over 300 kgs). Radha was a common name for dancers in those days. (I have heard people say that ‘Radha’ was a generic name for male dancers of a particular tribe who earned their living by dancing in the cities.) When there was not enough oil to light the lamps, the dance was called off and Radha would not have to dance. These stories of origin cannot be authenticated now because they are several centuries old and there seems to be no written record expounding these traditions.
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