Reading and its Relevance in Learning a New Language

No language can be fully understood or properly learnt unless  one can read it  effectively, pronounce  words correctly and write it well.

How to enhance the process of learning a language?

It is  really simple. The answer to this question is- READ.

It is extremely important that a person who is engaging himself / herself in learning a new language reads texts in that language. It increases his/her vocabulary and helps  understand the usage of grammar pertaining to each language.

It helps more if one reads a story they’ve read before in a language they know in the language they’re pursuing. For example- if you are learning Spanish, it will help if you try looking up a simple story like, Little Red Riding Hood in Spanish, and go through the story. It gives you an idea of sentence formation, usage of words and grammatical knowledge of the language.

Now a days it is simpler still to punch in a topic you would like to read about, and come across blogs which can be read. This, however, requires discretion of websites one looks up, but blogs can turn out to be a good source of reading for people.

The gist of the matter is that reading is a crucial step in the process of learning a language well.

So, read up!

To learn a new language enroll at SIFIL ELTIS- http://www.eltis-symbiosis.org/SIFIL.html

Misspelled words

Many people say: English is not an easy language to learn.

Do you think so? If yes, why?

If you do not think so, is it because you can speak, read and write in English? Well, the fact of the matter is that learning a language is a little difficult than most people think because everyone does not learn the correct usage, at least as far as spellings of words go.

There are some words in English that are commonly misspelled-

(Misspelled- there’s a double ‘s’ and a double ‘l’.)

Their, They’re, There- The most common mistake. “Their” means belonging to a group of people. “They’re” is a contraction of “they are” and “There” is in reference to a place.

‘Your’ and ‘you’re’- “Your” means belonging to someone in the second person. “You’re” is a contraction of “you are”. This is the most commonly misspelled word.

People seem to face problems where there are double letters. The trick is to pronounce the word and spot the places where the syllables are stressed. This makes it easier to spell words correctly.

Another area where people tend to botch up is in the usage of ‘i’ and ‘e’. There is a rule to remember which order to use these letters in- “i is always after e, except after c”. For example- the word believe is written with the letter ‘e’ after the letter ‘I’, whereas the words ‘receive’ and ‘deceive’ see the letter ‘e’ before the letter ‘I’.

Let us study some more examples-

Lose- the verb form of the word ‘loss’. The opposite of the word win
Loose- not tight

Its- an indicator of possession
It’s- the contracted form of “it is”

Definitely- it is NOT spelled with the letter “a” as in definately’

Weather- snow, rain, sunshine, humidity, are types of weather
Whether- a word used as a substitute of “if”

A lot- it is NOT a word

Then- used to specify a particular time
Than- used for the purpose of comparisons

These are few of the commonly misspelled words in the English language. But these are only a few. The best way to avoid spelling mistakes is to read a lot. Have fun working on your spellings!

To learn good English enroll at ELTIS- SIFIL:  http://www.eltis-symbiosis.org/SIFIL.html

Hospitality and Festivals of India

It is no covert that people enjoy the culture of India  through its festivals. Indian festivals not only signify joy and laughter but also illustrate colour and light.

What is interesting to notice is  the easy way  in which a foreign tourist is welcome into the festivities that surround India at any time of the year. It is as though for a moment, all differences are kept aside and the people are more than welcome to be a part of the festivities.

It is obvious that people plan their vacation to visit India based on the festival calendar of the country.  Thus, India sees a large number of tourists around the time or when festivals like Holi , Diwali   Navratri are round the corner. The idea is to give them a taste of the Indian celebration. Because of this , India seems to be more hospitable than ever during these  festivities.

People who really benefit and enjoy are NRIs. They come back home on these occasions and  meet all  whom they miss while they are away. . Indian traditions are magnified at the time of festivals and this somehow fills any void that NRIs might be feeling away from home. The music, the food, the dresses, they all scream Indian festivals and people need that when they come back home after a long time away!

The best thing, however, is that families  get  much time to be together.  Grandparents meet their grandchildren, cousins meet each other and that in reality is what makes the festivals of India so memorable for NRIs. Family and festivity  becomes   a good combination there !

To  know more about Indian culture and festivals, enroll at SIFIL-ELTIS- http://www.eltis-symbiosis.org/SIFIL.html

What are you doing?

Notice the headline. Can you spot the verb in the headline? Was your guess ‘doing’ or 'are'? If yes, then you are absolutely right!

Verbs are words that talk about actions or activities. For instance, in the sentence, ‘What are you doing?’ there are 2 verbs, 'are' and ‘doing’.

Like right now, for example! You are reading this blog post. The verb here is- reading! What is interesting realize is that we use verbs in almost every sentence we speak. If you focused a little harder on what you were speaking, you would be able to recognize the presence of verbs in your sentences. In short, there can not be a sentence without a verb.

Verbs can be classified into two main groups: Regular and Irregular Verbs. The main difference between the two is that regular verbs in their past tense end with ‘ed’, and irregular verbs end differently. 

For example:

·         dance – danced

·         work – worked

·         play – played

Now let us take a look at some examples of the past tense of irregular verbs.

·         catch- caught

·        sit - sat

·         do - did

·         eat – ate

·         be – was

·         become – became

·         build – built

If you notice, you will find that irregular verbs in their past tense do not end with ‘ed’. However, this does not disqualify them as verbs.

Here is a paragraph from the famous Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll. Try and find verbs here:   

Alice was beginning to get very tired of sitting by her sister on the bank, and of having nothing to do: once or twice she had peeped into the book her sister was reading, but it had no pictures or conversations in it, `and what is the use of a book,' thought Alice `without pictures or conversation?' 


Could you pick out the verbs? Good!


Visit our Speakfast link to know more about learning English!  

La Tamborrada, Por Favor!

If you’re planning on visiting the lazy, laid back town of San Sebastian in Spain, you might need to take your ear plugs with you.

The town which is otherwise a sleepy town comes alive to the sound of a thousand beating drums on this day.

Yes, you read it right! Thousands of beating drums all day and night! Spain has always been known for its outrageous festivals. (Remember the La Tomatina!)

But this one just takes the cake!

The parade begins on the evening of 19^th January at the Plaza de la Constitution and goes on till midnight the next day, in honor of their patron saint, the Donostia of San Sebastian. What you get to see is a parade of uniformed marchers through the streets of San Sebastian, beating on their drums. Loud, eh?

There is a brief break in the parade around dawn the next day. And we do mean brief. Lasts long enough for everyone to take a quick swig of brandy and a bite of churros. (Deep fried dough sweet snack dusted with sugar!)

Each team of marchers represents the various gastronomic societies of San Sebastian. We must tell you, it is a very intense competition!

The origin of this festival dates back to 1720, where rumor has it that a baker while filling barrels of water from a fountain began singing. A bunch of girls nearby began beating their own barrels as accompaniment.

That evolved into this marvelous festival you see today!

Learn more about Spanish culture and the language at SIFIL!

Get fluent!

As you learn more English, it will become apparent to you that there is no limit to how much you can know about a language.

What you start to see after a point is the need to know more, read more and learn more. Now you needn’t always rely on textbooks and study material to get fluent in a language. You can do it the fun way, too!

And that is exactly what we want to talk to you about.

What we find is the most effective is immersing oneself in the culture and cuisine of the country whose language one is trying to learn. Why? Because it is fun!

Think about it, wouldn’t you want to know what the Japanese eat? or how the Italians wed? or interesting traditions people follow in India? Everybody does! Even those who are not learning the language!

So what we’re trying to say is while learning a language, try to see every facet of it. Try to find out where it originated from and its dialects. We are not suggesting you LEARN all of them. We’re simply suggesting you get right INTO it.

Think about it. Why did you want to take up a language anyway? Maybe because you thought it sounded beautiful? Maybe because you thought it might be helpful for when you travel? Maybe you just found it interesting. But most of all, we find that people take up languages because they are intrigued by the culture.

Come, take up a language of YOUR choice at SIFIL! 

Read this carefully

Did you read the headline carefully? That right there is an adverb.

Adverbs, like nouns, adjectives and verbs are part of our everyday speech. We use them in almost every sentence we speak and yet we may not realize it.

If you have just started learning English, you might be a little overwhelmed by everything that is coming your way. So let’s take it slow. Read the next few sentences to get a better understanding of what adverbs are.

Looking at a few examples will make you see in which cases adverbs can be used.

“She drove the car slowly to the end of the road.”

“She sang merrily.”

“It was raining heavily.”

“She smiled at her students happily.”

Now before we ask you to try and identify adverbs in the above sentences, let us explain to you what adverbs are.

Adverbs are words that describe adjectives or verbs with a simple of addition of ‘ly’ at the end of the word. For example: In the above mentioned sentences, we said, “She drove the car slowly to the end of the road.” The adverb in the sentence is ‘slowly’. It is used in answer to the question ‘how’. How did she drive the car? She drove the car slowly to the end of the road. Most adverbs are used as an answer to the question ‘How?’

Please keep in mind, though, that not all words ending with ‘ly’ become adverbs. For example, ‘lovely’, is not an adverb. In a sentence like ‘He ran fast’, the word ‘fast’ is an adverb. It does not have ‘ly’ ending.

We have provided you with a small exercise to help you better grasp the meaning of adverbs.

·         He entered the room ___ since the baby was sleeping. (quiet, quietly)

·         I have ___ any money. (hard, hardly)

·         He lived very ___ with his wife for many years. (happy, happily)

·         Try to speak as ___ as you can. (clear, clearly)

We hope this helped you understand adverbs. To learn adverbs better, enroll for the English language course at ELTIS! 

Exploring the Red Colours of the Chinese Wedding!

If you are in China and witness an event full of red colour all around, you are probably witnessing a Chinese Wedding. The theme of a Chinese wedding is red from the beginning to end. The red colour signifies love, joy and prosperity. The bride wears red, gift boxes are red, wedding decorations are red and even cash gift envelopes are red in colour.

Before the wedding, the bride is alone with a few of her close friends. This period of being alone traditionally meant for the bride to mourn the fact that she will be away from her family and friends after the wedding. During this phase, the groom’s family brings over red gift boxes for the bride. One box contains "uang susu" or 'milk money', and the others contain personal things for the bride to take her to her new home. Three days prior to the wedding, the women from the bride’s family take gifts and return gifts in red packages to the groom’s family.

The wedding date is chosen keeping in mind astrological signs. It is interesting that Chinese weddings commence at half hours, so that the couple starts a new journey at the up-swing of time and not when the clock is moving downwards.

The groom’s attire is decided by his parents. He arrives at the bride’s house and has to give money to the bride’s friends to ‘let her go’ with him. This gesture is symbolic of the groom asking for permission to take his bride. The bride and groom then leave for the wedding site together. The wedding ceremony is a close-knit affair, usually attended only by the couple’s immediate families. Just after the ceremony, the bride who honors the tradition serves tea to her in-laws in a formal ceremony. 

At the reception, the wedding cake with several layers is a symbol of the success ladder that the bride and groom climb as a couple. The reception is full of musical entertainment with meals as elaborate as up to ten courses.

A truly festive wedding!

Wish to know more about Chinese culture? Know it by learning Chinese at SIFIL!

Célébrations de Mariage Français- French Wedding Celebrations!

French weddings are found to be a lot more traditional in the small villages of France. In the earlier days, the bride’s best dress was made into a wedding gown by adding lace and beads to it. However, the customary white dress soon took over, as it symbolized the innocence and purity of the bride. Earlier on, blue was a symbol of purity.

It is French tradition that the ‘wedding armoire’, also known as the ‘hope chest’, carries the bride’s ‘trousseau’, which literally means bundle. The trousseau is a bundle of her linens, silks etc. This hope chest is hand-carved by the future bride’s father and is given to her while she is still an adolescent. She then collects the favourite clothes from her wardrobe in this chest, to take to a new home, as a souvenir of her prosperous and happy childhood.

The wedding itself is carried out traditionally only in villages today. The groom calls upon his future wife on the wedding day. They walk to the venue of the wedding together, and on their way, the kids in the crowd hold out white ribbons to block the bride’s way, and it is custom that she cuts each of them.

The wedding is carried out as per normal customs. A square silk cloth, called a ‘carre’, which means square, is held over the bride and groom as they receive the final blessings of the priest. The same ‘carre’ is later used for the baptism of their child.

As the newlyweds walk out of the chapel, the people shower them with rice, as rice is a symbol of prosperity and fertility. At the wedding reception, the couple toast to each other in an engraved, two-handled cup ‘la coupe de mariage’ meaning the wedding cup.

A toast and a party finish off the ceremony with greeting and blessing from family and friends!

Click here to learn French at SIFIL now!

Prepping up for Prepositions!

So how do you like the English language so far? We sincerely hope that with all the help we provide you, it’s gotten easier.

Learning a new language is never easy but it’s a lot of fun! And while learning a new language, you must know the finer details about the language.

We’ve been talking about nouns, adjectives, articles, verbs etc for quite a while now. So today we’re going to look at prepositions.

What are prepositions?

Prepositions are words which are placed before nouns. They usually express a relation between 2 words. For example: “The book is on the desk.” Here, the 2 nouns are ‘book’ and ‘desk’. The relationship between the 2 is ‘on’.

To make it easier on you, let’s just say that prepositions specify:

•     Direction: left, right, across, around etc
•      Placement: behind, in front of, under, over, on, in, inside, beneath etc
•      Time: during, in (as in, in time for the meeting), for, during, while etc

However, there are other important prepositions which you can understand only if you understand the context in which they are used. Let’s take a look at what we’re saying in detail.

•  At: used in the context of age. For example: She learnt to ride a horse at 45!
• About: used in context of topic. For example: We were just talking about you.
• By/on: used in context of medium or method. For example: He got to the restaurant by train. OR He got to the temple by foot.

Now here is an exercise where you can test how well you understand prepositions:

1.     _______ the picture, I can see a woman. 
2.     The woman is sitting _______ a table.
3.     She is sitting _______ a chair.
4.      _______ the table are a laptop, paper, a calculator, two pens and a muffin.
5.     The woman is looking _______ her laptop.

Learn more at ELTIS SIFIL today!

The Spanish Tomatina!

If you were in Spain, on the third Wednesday in August, you would witness the craziest, most bizarre tradition one could possibly see in Spain. Oh but wait, you might also be covered with tomatoes which are most likely to be flung on you from every which direction.

The Spanish tomato festival, known as the Tomatina, is a traditional festival, held in the Valencian town of Buñol, in which participants throw tomatoes at each other. It is held during the week of festivities at Buñol.

The first part of this sort was allowed to take place in 1950, by the council. People faced a few lows in making this event official, but finally, the Tomatina was sanctioned officially. 

Once this happened, people became very innovative with how they ‘launched’ their tomatoes. They began using water cannons and catapults. It also became common to fill the opponent’s fountains with tomatoes. In 1959, when the Tomatina was approved by the town due to local pressure, there was a rule which stated that the festivities can commence and should end, at the sound of a horn.

The festivities start at around 10am. The first event of this day is the "palo jabón", meaning greasy pole. The goal is to climb a greased pole with a ham on top. The second someone is able to drop the ham off the pole, the signal to begin the tomato fights is given. This usually happens at around 11 in the morning, and the chaos commences!

Tomatoes come in truck loads. Participants are encouraged to wear goggles and gloves. It is also essential that the tomatoes be crushed before throwing, so as to reduce the risk of injuries. The event end after exactly one hour, as the horn goes off again. The city is then hosed down by the fire trucks. Locals are provided with hoses, to get themselves cleaned as well.

This Spanish tradition has not only made it to international popularity, but it has also influenced other countries to inculcate similar traditions.

Click Here to learn Spanish at SIFIL now!

Essay 101

Now as you begin to explore the mysterious and (let’s admit), confusing world of the English language, you might be asked to write an essay.

An essay is a short piece of writing usually relating an experience or a point of view to the reader. The nature of the essay might change, for instance, you could be arguing a point or you could be describing an event, place or incident or you could be narrating an experience.

The point is that no matter what the nature of the essay might be, what is important to remember is that there are a few standard rules you must keep in mind while writing them.

Today we’re going to discuss the guidelines you should follow to write an interesting, easy to understand essay.

Right after you decide what the topic of your essay is going to be, you should create an outline of ideas that you want to put into the essay. Meaning, create a rough sheet of ideas that you will be putting into your essay.

Once you have that in order, you must follow the typical structure of essays. That is:

• Introduction
• Body
• Conclusion

Your introduction should be gripping. You should be able to hold the attention of the reader from the very first sentence. The introduction itself should be directly connected to the topic so that the reader isn’t confused about what he’s reading.

In the paragraphs that follow, refer to the rough notes you’d made earlier. Keep each paragraph precise and interesting. Don’t make them long and boring. No one wants to read long and boring essays! ;)

With that, we’d like to remind you that ELTIS SIFIL conducts English learning courses that will help you learn better. So, what are you waiting for?!

Make an Enquiry

Now while we’re on the topic of ‘All things English’, and if you’re in a new country, you might be aware that making conversation is not just about exchanging niceties and small talk.

It is about expressing an opinion or a desire, arguing a point of view, debating on a topic you might have strong opinions about, making enquiries etc.

And we are here to help you with just that.

Today, we are going to talk about making enquiries.

The first thing you must keep in mind while making an enquiry is the fact that the person who you are speaking to isn’t necessarily someone you might know. Hence, remember to be polite and soft spoken. You are not making a demand, but asking for information about something that is of interest to you.

As is always true while speaking to someone, you introduce yourself. We aren’t going to help you with that as you already know how! ;)

What follows is talking about the subject of your enquiry. You could say, ‘I read your article in the newspaper.’ Or, ‘Your advertisement has come to my attention. I understand that you offer courses in/hold classes in/ have a scheme on.’ You could say anything along these lines as long as you make it clear what you are talking about.

What follows is your intention behind calling. ‘I intend to buy/ would like to know more/ would be grateful if you could provide me the information etc’.

You then proceed to saying, ‘could you please send me the information via e-mail/ could you mail me the catalogue/ information about your projects and the price list?’

You then thank the person you are making the enquiry from. Again, this is part of the standard rules you should follow while making a conversation with someone.

Come learn more at ELTIS SIFIL!

Hello, how do you do?

If you are new to India, you might want to interact with people here and make new friends. You might worry about how to start and carry on a conversation with someone. Well, don’t worry. We’re going to provide a few guidelines on how to begin a conversation with someone you meet for the first time. You cannot go wrong with this!

When you meet someone for the first time, you usually shake hands with a person. It is an informal situation, for example speaking with friends or family members it is alright to say ‘Hi’. However, when meeting someone for the first time or at a work place, it is preferable to say ‘Hello’.

After greeting someone, you introduce yourself to the person. “Hello, I’m Rajesh.” Remember to smile and maintain eye contact with the person you are speaking to. You should follow this as a general rule while speaking to someone. People like it when they have your absolute attention and you can give them that by never breaking eye contact. Smile and pay attention to what they say to you.

Once the initial introductions take place, you can to say, “Nice to meet you.” or, “It’s a pleasure meeting you.” These are niceties you make while speaking to someone. Often is the case that once you are introduced to someone, you will be asked about yourself. The most general questions asked are, “Where are you from? Where do you study/work? How do you like India? Have you eaten at so-and-so yet? You must visit so-and-so!”

Similarly, the above mentioned questions are questions you can also ask people when you first meet them. It is advisable not to ask personal questions.

You must keep a few things in mind while speaking to people at all times, though. Always be polite. Smile and maintain eye contact. Ask questions and respond to questions asked to you. And most importantly laugh at the jokes they tell you.

Now, don’t you think making friends in a new place is easy?

Come learn the fascinating world of the English language at ELTIS. 

Meet and Greet!

We greet people whenever we meet them. It is our way of acknowledging someone’s presence. It would be rude if we just looked at someone and said nothing! We should know what to say to someone in the right kind of situations.

Now as you all know, there are a few standard every day greetings. Those are:‘Good morning/afternoon/evening/night.’

But those are not the only greetings. As we all know there are greetings for special occasions as well.

What would you tell someone if you met them on Diwali? You’d wish them a, ‘Happy Diwali!’. Similarly, if you met someone on Christmas, you’d say, ‘Merry Christmas!’ These are known as special greetings.

In the category of special greetings comes: wishing someone luck before a task or wishing them a speedy recovery from an illness or congratulating them on a job well desk.

Complete this conversation between 2 people to get a better idea:

Mr. Baker:	Good morning, Mrs. Brendan.
Mrs. Brendan:	­­­Good morning, Mr. Baker. _______?
Mr. Baker:	I'm fine thanks, ______?
Mrs. Brendan:	Not too bad. Mr. Baker, this is my husband Michael, Michael this is Mr. Baker my English teacher.
Mr. Baker:	Pleased to meet you.
Mr. Brendan:	__________. Are you from Germany, Mr. Brendan?
Mr. Baker:	Yes, East Germany, from Dresden. And you? Are you from London?
Mr. Brendan:	No, I'm from Derby, but I live in London now.
Mrs. Baker:	Well, goodbye Mr. Baker, it was _______.
Mr. Brendan:	You too, goodbye.

Come learn more at ELTIS SIFIL today!

O Shinzen Shiki- The Japanese Wedding

Japanese weddings are celebrated as an integration of modern and traditional values. These weddings traditionally take place in the 'shinto' style at a shrine. The Shinto priests conduct these ceremonies. The guest lists in Japanese weddings usually include only family and close friends. They are close-knit events, to say the least!

During the ceremony, the groom reads his vows of commitment. The couple is purified by drinking a drink called ‘sake’, a Japanese rice wine. The couples, who are dressed in the traditional ‘kimono’, give offering to ‘kami’, the Shinto gods, at the end of the ceremony. The bride wears a kimono called the shiromuku (white kimono robe), and the groom wears montsuki (black formal kimono), haori (kimono jacket), and hakama (kimono pants). The couple is required to change costumes a few times during the ceremony.
It is interesting to note that Japanese weddings do not see the presence of a bridesmaid, or a best man.

At the end of the ceremony, at the reception, the newlyweds are usually seated on a stage. They enjoy the speeches and performances of their guests. After the performances, once the wedding cake is cut, it is tradition that the bride and groom walk around the room lighting candles and greeting their guests.

The guests are gifted wedding souvenirs. These souvenirs include tableware, sweets, interior decorations etc. In more recent times, guests are given a catalog from which they can choose their gifts.

Japanese people are known for their traditional values, and to know about a Japanese wedding, is the best way to know about Japanese culture.

To learn Japanese at SIFIL, click here!

Adjectives, anyone?

If you ever paid attention to yourself while speaking, you would realize that many words make up your sentence; nouns, articles, adjectives, pronouns, adverbs etc. We will take a look at each of them in due time. 

But today let’s take a look at adjectives!

Adjectives can simply be defined as words used to describe objects, places and people. Let’s take a look at 

a sentence to help you understand adjectives better.

“A beautiful garden of roses.”

Can you point out the adjective in this sentence? If you guessed ‘beautiful’, your guess was right!

Now let us ask you: How were you able to identify the adjective in the sentence above? It’s simple! You looked out for the word that described the garden of roses- beautiful.

Now that wasn’t so difficult, was it? A quick tip: While reading, always try to identify the adjective in the sentence and make a note of it. You should then try to use it in a sentence later yourself! Not only will this help you understand the English Language better, but it will also improve your vocabulary!

Who wouldn’t want that?

Here are a few sentences to help you understand adjectives better. Why don’t you try and identify the adjectives in the following sentences?

·         Rohan’s mother is a wise woman.

·         Children are innocent.

·         She has long, brown hair.

·         Sleeping early makes you feel fresh and alert in the morning.

·         The red apple is juicy and very tasty!

Have you enrolled yourself at ELTIS SIFIL’S English Course yet?

The Big Fat Indian Wedding

Everyone has varied opinions on weddings. Some love the little traditions and rituals that come with weddings. Some get bored sitting through the long ceremonies. Some are simply grateful for the food! Whatever a person’s opinion might be, one cannot argue with the fact that a wedding packages all the traditions and culture of a country in it.

Indian weddings, like in any other country, vary from state to state, even city to city. And each state brings with it a new tradition, a new ceremony.

A traditional Indian wedding, in its most basic form, consists of three phases. The pre-wedding ceremonies suck as the ‘mehndi’ and ‘sangeet’. These ceremonies build up to the wedding in a way. You’ll always hear brides saying they don’t really feel like they’re getting married until the day of their ‘mehndi’. The point of the pre-wedding rituals is to simply set the ball rolling. Families get together and have fun. Dance and music is an essential part of these festivities.

After the pre-wedding phase, comes the actual wedding day. The wedding day brings with it the ‘baraat’ that is, the groom’s side of the family being welcomed to the wedding venue by the bride’s family. The ‘varmaala’ stage of the wedding is the exchanging of garlands between the bride and groom. Towards the end of the wedding ceremonies one will see the ritual of ‘satphere’, that is the seven rounds around the fire by the bride and groom, each round; a vow between the two.

The third phase is that of the ‘kanyadan’ and the ‘vidaai’. The ‘kanyadan’ refers to the ritual wherein the father hands his daughter to her groom. The ‘vidaai’ is the sad part of the wedding, where the bride leaves behind her family, as she becomes the part of a new one.

Yes, the Indian wedding is full of small rituals. They’re the key to a memorable wedding!

Click Here to enroll at SIFIL and learn a new language!

The Beats and Rhythm of India- Dance & Music

When one talks of Indian culture, it is essential to throw light on the dance and music of the country. The concepts of ‘nritya’ and ‘sangeet’, i.e., dance and music respectively, have been a part of Indian culture throughout time.

Indian dances are segregated into classical and folk. Though there are umpteen folk dances, coming from various parts of the country, there are few main classical dances. The classical dance forms come from different states; Bharatnatyam (Tamil Nadu), Kuchipudi (Andhra Pradesh), Kathak (Uttar Pradesh), Doisy (Orissa), Kathakali (Kerela) and Manipuri (Manipur).

Apart from the classical dances, there are folk dances which not only belong to different states, but often are different in different districts as well. Just like dialects of a language, these dance forms have developed over a period of time.

With dance comes music. Classical music is segregated into north Indian classical and south Indian classical. Folk music has more life, it tells a story. Folk music and dance goes hand in hand mostly at the time of particular festivals, like the ‘bihu’ dance in Assam is performed at the time of the Bihu festival. In the same way, people dance to the beats of ‘bhangra’ in Punjab at the time of Baisakhi.

The best thing about the dance and music of this country is that it promotes a sense of festivity, and joy. Stories can be told not only through the lyrics of music, but also through the expressions of dance. Artists have found a way to express themselves through this part of our culture, and it is something to be truly proud of!

Know more about languages and culture. Click here to enroll at SIFIL!