Devanagari
This is Devanagari, which is the alphabet used to write both Hindi and Sanskrit.My partner and I practiced writing the letters and it was a lot of fun, though we weren’t totally prepared to fully comprehend them. Once we got used to the spelling of words, we were able to write in the Devanagari script—-although it did take a little while.
Here’s a basic phrase that is really worth knowing.
Namaste
Na-Ma-Stay
There, now you can say good morning, good afternoon, good evening, good night, good bye and hello! :)
Here’s a basic phrase that is really worth knowing.
Namaste
Na-Ma-Stay
There, now you can say good morning, good afternoon, good evening, good night, good bye and hello! :)
Annotated Bibliography
Annotated Bibliography for Diwali Project Diwali Project:
Annotated Bibliography
Cypress Ellen
Humanities
10/6/11
Ager, Simon. "Hindi Alphabet, Pronunciation and Language." Omniglot - the Guide to
Languages, Alphabets and Other Writing Systems. 1998. Web. 04 Oct. 2011. <http://www.omniglot.com/writing/hindi.htm>.
This site gives the Hindi alphabet, numbers, and some nice basic information on the Hindi Language. It doesn’t give you phrases or vocabulary at all, but it’s a good start for getting used to the sounds of the alphabet. Even more useful, it shows how to write the alphabet and numbers, so that we can learn how to write them in their traditional lettering. It also has a listen to speech which you can read along to. Furthermore, it gives links to many, many sites that could be used to learn Hindi and even find sources in Hindi.
The site specializes in alphabets abjads, scripts, and languages throughout the world. It was created by Simon Ager who spent much of his education learning languages and has specialized in them ever since. He is extremely fluent in four varying tongues and knows quite a bit in at least ten other languages. He is well educated, and knows what he’s doing. The website, likewise, is very trust worthy.
In my project, I learned just about all of my Hindi phrases from this site and went continuously back to it to practice pronunciation and get additional information. I found this site to be an amazing resource and it played a very active role in my research.
Barnes, Trevor. Hinduism and Other Eastern Religions. London: Kingfisher, 2005. Print.
The book gives detailed information on Hinduism and many other Eastern religions, including Sikhism. It is a short book, but it is packed with information and colorful pictures. It is extremely useful in explaining the background and history of all the religions it includes. Because it is so packed full of information, it is not a quick read nor can it be sifted through easily. Nonetheless, to get a complete and detailed idea of the history and customs of Hinduism, Sikhism, and many other languages, this is a great start.
The information in this book comes from a long list of trust worthy sources, so the information is definitely stable and trustworthy as well.
This book was used in project to help fill in some of my understanding of Hinduism, but the religion of Hinduism is such a broad and expansive topic that I couldn’t completely delve into all that was provided by the book. None the less it was an important recourse that aided wonderfully in my understanding of Hinduism.
"Diwali Rangoli Patterns and Designs." TheHolidaySpot: Holidays and Festivals Celebrations,
Greeting Cards, Activities, Crafts, Recipes Wallpapers, and More. Web. 04 Oct. 2011. <http://www.theholidayspot.com/diwali/rangoli.htm>.
This article is about rangoli and its history. It gives basic, but detailed explanations of the history and cultural impact of rangoli design. For anyone curious about rangoli but not looking to read a long and complex article or book, this site gives the perfect description. It also gives colorful examples of various rangoli designs with a wide variety of styles. Furthermore, the site has a lot of information on the holiday Diwali itself. Knowing about Diwali is of course, extremely important to our project, because that’s what all of us in Humanities are working towards, a Diwali night that can be shared with our friends, family, and community. This site will gives some basic information on the holiday that I didn’t yet know.
This site is not the most authoritative, it has a bit of a commercial side to it, but it serves it’s purpose. It gives good explanations of various holidays all over the world that can be backed up by other sites and defined as true.
This site was where most of my information on Rangoli came from. Mainly the simple facts like why it’s done and why. It was definitely useful to me so that I could explain, in a little depth, the essential details of Rangoli and it’s importance in Indian traditions and culture.
"Hinduism Facts, Hinduism Original Language, Stages of Hinduism, Basic Facts about
Hinduism." Hinduism, Hindus Ideology, History of Hinduism, Hindus Culture, Hindu
Festivals & Gods, Hindu Weddings. YGoyY, 2005. Web. 04 Oct. 2011. <http://hinduism.ygoy.com/hinduism/facts.php>.
This site provides some of the most basic facts about Hinduism, and then goes on to explain some of the important factors in the religion itself. Such as the three paths to be followed, the four stages of life, and other basic ideas that Hinduism is formed from. It also gives some interesting common knowledge that I was not yet familiar with, like the fact that Hinduism is the third most popular religion in the world. Over all, it is not a site to end one’s research on, but it’s also not a bad place to start. The entire site is also dedicated to Hinduism, and if you explore further, more in depth information can be found on the religion.
The information given is trust worthy because it matches up with the information of other authoritative sites.
I used the information here to create a skeleton of the Hindu religion so that I could build my understanding around it. I didn’t end up going into depth with the people who came to talk to me about Hinduism, so much of the information I learned on Hinduism wasn’t useful for Diwali night itself, but I personally found this information invaluable to my understanding of Indian culture.
"Rangoli Craft for Kids." Free Coloring Pages, Kids Crafts and Printable Activities For Kids.
Web. 04 Oct. 2011. <http://www.activityvillage.co.uk/rangoli.htm>.
This site gives simple and practical instructions on how to create rangoli designs. This includes the process of making make-shift colored 'sand', and then a good way to apply it to pavement or other rough medium. This specific activity is aimed at little kids, so it gives some very simple options. None the less, it is easy enough to adapt the ideas to something far more complex and detailed. I recommend this site and activity to anyone who’s interested in experiencing Diwali in a more artistic way.
In someways, this site doesn’t quite need to be proven as trustworthy, because the important thing is not that the information is true, but that the instructions given will work. I’m fairly certain they will. The site is a collection of fun activities using simple methods that have been tested and enjoyed many times before.
This site was one of the most important resources to my project, because without it I couldn’t have so easily created the Rangoli formula, which was what I used to create the rangoli on the CSPAC floor. I messed with the formula a little, creating my own special variety, but none the less I would have found it much harder if I had needed to figure out the whole thing myself, even with the help of my partner. This resource had a very active role in my project.
Daniel Marcus and Amba Connors
Daniel and Amba teach yoga classes frequently, at least twice a week. They have been teaching for twenty years or more. They both learned yoga at Kripalu, which is considered to be an extremely prestigious school for yoga. As such, they understand and can demonstrate much of the important aspects of enlightenment through yoga. What I will be asking them to guide me in, is the use of some chants that can be used during yoga, or just in general.
I did not end up using the chants taught to me by Daniel and Amba in my presentation, but I did find some key points of the information they shared with me to be exceptionally valuable. For instance, I would not have known that Hindu prayers are always said in Sanskrit, not Hindi, which was one of my misconceptions. I did not use them as a resource as much as I had originally planned to, but the information given to me by them was still important in my ability to articulate and truly understand my topics.
Annotated Bibliography
Cypress Ellen
Humanities
10/6/11
Ager, Simon. "Hindi Alphabet, Pronunciation and Language." Omniglot - the Guide to
Languages, Alphabets and Other Writing Systems. 1998. Web. 04 Oct. 2011. <http://www.omniglot.com/writing/hindi.htm>.
This site gives the Hindi alphabet, numbers, and some nice basic information on the Hindi Language. It doesn’t give you phrases or vocabulary at all, but it’s a good start for getting used to the sounds of the alphabet. Even more useful, it shows how to write the alphabet and numbers, so that we can learn how to write them in their traditional lettering. It also has a listen to speech which you can read along to. Furthermore, it gives links to many, many sites that could be used to learn Hindi and even find sources in Hindi.
The site specializes in alphabets abjads, scripts, and languages throughout the world. It was created by Simon Ager who spent much of his education learning languages and has specialized in them ever since. He is extremely fluent in four varying tongues and knows quite a bit in at least ten other languages. He is well educated, and knows what he’s doing. The website, likewise, is very trust worthy.
In my project, I learned just about all of my Hindi phrases from this site and went continuously back to it to practice pronunciation and get additional information. I found this site to be an amazing resource and it played a very active role in my research.
Barnes, Trevor. Hinduism and Other Eastern Religions. London: Kingfisher, 2005. Print.
The book gives detailed information on Hinduism and many other Eastern religions, including Sikhism. It is a short book, but it is packed with information and colorful pictures. It is extremely useful in explaining the background and history of all the religions it includes. Because it is so packed full of information, it is not a quick read nor can it be sifted through easily. Nonetheless, to get a complete and detailed idea of the history and customs of Hinduism, Sikhism, and many other languages, this is a great start.
The information in this book comes from a long list of trust worthy sources, so the information is definitely stable and trustworthy as well.
This book was used in project to help fill in some of my understanding of Hinduism, but the religion of Hinduism is such a broad and expansive topic that I couldn’t completely delve into all that was provided by the book. None the less it was an important recourse that aided wonderfully in my understanding of Hinduism.
"Diwali Rangoli Patterns and Designs." TheHolidaySpot: Holidays and Festivals Celebrations,
Greeting Cards, Activities, Crafts, Recipes Wallpapers, and More. Web. 04 Oct. 2011. <http://www.theholidayspot.com/diwali/rangoli.htm>.
This article is about rangoli and its history. It gives basic, but detailed explanations of the history and cultural impact of rangoli design. For anyone curious about rangoli but not looking to read a long and complex article or book, this site gives the perfect description. It also gives colorful examples of various rangoli designs with a wide variety of styles. Furthermore, the site has a lot of information on the holiday Diwali itself. Knowing about Diwali is of course, extremely important to our project, because that’s what all of us in Humanities are working towards, a Diwali night that can be shared with our friends, family, and community. This site will gives some basic information on the holiday that I didn’t yet know.
This site is not the most authoritative, it has a bit of a commercial side to it, but it serves it’s purpose. It gives good explanations of various holidays all over the world that can be backed up by other sites and defined as true.
This site was where most of my information on Rangoli came from. Mainly the simple facts like why it’s done and why. It was definitely useful to me so that I could explain, in a little depth, the essential details of Rangoli and it’s importance in Indian traditions and culture.
"Hinduism Facts, Hinduism Original Language, Stages of Hinduism, Basic Facts about
Hinduism." Hinduism, Hindus Ideology, History of Hinduism, Hindus Culture, Hindu
Festivals & Gods, Hindu Weddings. YGoyY, 2005. Web. 04 Oct. 2011. <http://hinduism.ygoy.com/hinduism/facts.php>.
This site provides some of the most basic facts about Hinduism, and then goes on to explain some of the important factors in the religion itself. Such as the three paths to be followed, the four stages of life, and other basic ideas that Hinduism is formed from. It also gives some interesting common knowledge that I was not yet familiar with, like the fact that Hinduism is the third most popular religion in the world. Over all, it is not a site to end one’s research on, but it’s also not a bad place to start. The entire site is also dedicated to Hinduism, and if you explore further, more in depth information can be found on the religion.
The information given is trust worthy because it matches up with the information of other authoritative sites.
I used the information here to create a skeleton of the Hindu religion so that I could build my understanding around it. I didn’t end up going into depth with the people who came to talk to me about Hinduism, so much of the information I learned on Hinduism wasn’t useful for Diwali night itself, but I personally found this information invaluable to my understanding of Indian culture.
"Rangoli Craft for Kids." Free Coloring Pages, Kids Crafts and Printable Activities For Kids.
Web. 04 Oct. 2011. <http://www.activityvillage.co.uk/rangoli.htm>.
This site gives simple and practical instructions on how to create rangoli designs. This includes the process of making make-shift colored 'sand', and then a good way to apply it to pavement or other rough medium. This specific activity is aimed at little kids, so it gives some very simple options. None the less, it is easy enough to adapt the ideas to something far more complex and detailed. I recommend this site and activity to anyone who’s interested in experiencing Diwali in a more artistic way.
In someways, this site doesn’t quite need to be proven as trustworthy, because the important thing is not that the information is true, but that the instructions given will work. I’m fairly certain they will. The site is a collection of fun activities using simple methods that have been tested and enjoyed many times before.
This site was one of the most important resources to my project, because without it I couldn’t have so easily created the Rangoli formula, which was what I used to create the rangoli on the CSPAC floor. I messed with the formula a little, creating my own special variety, but none the less I would have found it much harder if I had needed to figure out the whole thing myself, even with the help of my partner. This resource had a very active role in my project.
Daniel Marcus and Amba Connors
Daniel and Amba teach yoga classes frequently, at least twice a week. They have been teaching for twenty years or more. They both learned yoga at Kripalu, which is considered to be an extremely prestigious school for yoga. As such, they understand and can demonstrate much of the important aspects of enlightenment through yoga. What I will be asking them to guide me in, is the use of some chants that can be used during yoga, or just in general.
I did not end up using the chants taught to me by Daniel and Amba in my presentation, but I did find some key points of the information they shared with me to be exceptionally valuable. For instance, I would not have known that Hindu prayers are always said in Sanskrit, not Hindi, which was one of my misconceptions. I did not use them as a resource as much as I had originally planned to, but the information given to me by them was still important in my ability to articulate and truly understand my topics.
Self Evaluation of Diwali Project
In this project, I think I learned and experienced a lot, just like I wanted to. The experience of spending all day, just to spread color on the floor is soul draining, but it’s also wonderful, and it’s not something I get to feel very often. Similarly, learning to say something in a different language is thrilling. Sadly, this couldn’t be conveyed quite as perfectly to the audience as much as I would have liked. In many ways, its just something you have to experience yourself. But I believe that both I and my partner were very informative and friendly allowing guests to speak with us at ease and hopefully, come to learn several things they didn’t know.
If we were to do the project again however, I would try to be more interactive. Perhaps I would try to link my project to others projects, or perhaps I would add onto my project. For instance, we might have taught small amounts of Hindi to those who were interested. I know if we were to repeat the project, I’d be able to be even more helpful in explaining Rangoli, Hindi and Hinduism. In general, if I could have been there for the general public more and took extra time to fine tune my project, that would be how I’d want to improve it.
During this project I learned a lot, about India itself, and many of the things that make the Indian culture strive. It’s hard to describe the experience of creating something like Rangoli, but I’ll say this. It’s fun at first. It’s like you’re playing a game, drawing on the floor in random shapes and beautiful bright colors. Then it begins to draw you in. Your arms grow heavy, but you don’t stop. You are no longer controlling the design, it is controlling you. You drag the paint brush carefully across the floor, in a trance, as though you have been doing this for years. Perhaps you have. Perhaps you are now connected to everyone who has ever made Rangoli. But that is unlikely. What do you, a 15 year old girl in Vermont, have to connect yourself to something as majestic and cultural as Rangoli. Nothing, this is the first time you’ve really done it. But maybe, just maybe, you are connected to something greater. Perhaps something even greater than just Rangoli. You’re connected to art itself, it has taken hold on your soul and is pouring it unceremoniously on the floor. It doesn’t feel good, but it’s a wonderful thing even if only you understand that. Judging from that, can you say that I’ve learned anything? I can definitely say that I’ve learned a multitude of facts around the topic of India. Certainly, I can engage in an in depth conversation on India, or at the very least on Hindi and Hinduism. But would you consider agreeing with me, in that the art that I produced, meant so much more than those titling facts? In any case, I’ve told you what I think, and I can do no more for you. I know what I’ve learned, but it is up to you, to judge how well I’ve learned it.
If we were to do the project again however, I would try to be more interactive. Perhaps I would try to link my project to others projects, or perhaps I would add onto my project. For instance, we might have taught small amounts of Hindi to those who were interested. I know if we were to repeat the project, I’d be able to be even more helpful in explaining Rangoli, Hindi and Hinduism. In general, if I could have been there for the general public more and took extra time to fine tune my project, that would be how I’d want to improve it.
During this project I learned a lot, about India itself, and many of the things that make the Indian culture strive. It’s hard to describe the experience of creating something like Rangoli, but I’ll say this. It’s fun at first. It’s like you’re playing a game, drawing on the floor in random shapes and beautiful bright colors. Then it begins to draw you in. Your arms grow heavy, but you don’t stop. You are no longer controlling the design, it is controlling you. You drag the paint brush carefully across the floor, in a trance, as though you have been doing this for years. Perhaps you have. Perhaps you are now connected to everyone who has ever made Rangoli. But that is unlikely. What do you, a 15 year old girl in Vermont, have to connect yourself to something as majestic and cultural as Rangoli. Nothing, this is the first time you’ve really done it. But maybe, just maybe, you are connected to something greater. Perhaps something even greater than just Rangoli. You’re connected to art itself, it has taken hold on your soul and is pouring it unceremoniously on the floor. It doesn’t feel good, but it’s a wonderful thing even if only you understand that. Judging from that, can you say that I’ve learned anything? I can definitely say that I’ve learned a multitude of facts around the topic of India. Certainly, I can engage in an in depth conversation on India, or at the very least on Hindi and Hinduism. But would you consider agreeing with me, in that the art that I produced, meant so much more than those titling facts? In any case, I’ve told you what I think, and I can do no more for you. I know what I’ve learned, but it is up to you, to judge how well I’ve learned it.