World Hindi Day

On this great day of World Hindi Day, here’s a video of me speaking (mostly) Hindi at a Hindi Day celebration in September. It’s such a wonderful opportunity to celebrate the Hindi language, which I feel so grateful and privileged to have had the opportunity to learn. I never studied Hindi formally, academically, or in any class or by any book. Rather, I picked it up speaking with the children of the Ashram, as they teased me and laughed. Thankfully, over the years and decades, my Hindi got decent enough to speak with adults and even large audiences as well! I’m so grateful to everyone who had the love and care to guide me, correct me and teach me throughout the years, continuing to this day. The Hindi language, anchored in Sanskrit, is so incredibly rich, so deep and so profound. Imagine! They have 52 letters compared to the 26 in the English alphabet. That is God only knows how many more possible permutations of words. It is so subtle and powerful. It is, of course, also the language of so many of our sacred scriptures. What a gift to be able to learn it and speak it.