Happy New year!

Its chinese new year today. We wish everyone a very Happy and fantabulous New Year! May this coming year of Tiger brings lots of good luck!
A Year to Roar
Legend has it that in ancient times, Buddha asked all the animals to meet him on Chinese New Year. Twelve came, and Buddha named a year after each one. He announced that the people born in each animal's year would have some of that animal's personality. Those born in tiger years are natural leaders and excel as actors, pilots, writers, and managers. They are authoritative, courageous, emotional, and intense. Demi Moore, Emily Bronte, Tom Cruise, and John Steinbeck were all born in the year of the tiger.
English Words Borrowed from Chinese
Words taken completely or in part from another language are known as loanwords. In the English language, there are many loanwords that have been borrowed from Chinese languages and dialects.  Here are a few common English words that are borrowed from Chinese.
Coolie: While some claim that this term has its origins in Hindi, it's been argued that it could also have origins in the Chinese term for hard work or 苦力 (kǔ lì) which is literally translated as "bitter labour."
Gung Ho: The term has its origins in the Chinese word 工合 (gōng hé) that can either mean to work together, or as an adjective to describe someone that is overly excited or too enthusiastic. The term gong he is a shortened word for industrial cooperatives which were created in China in the 1930s. During that time U.S. Marines adopted the term to mean someone with a can-do attitude.
Chop Chop: This term is said to originate from the Cantonese dialect for the word 快快 (kuài kuài) which is said to urge someone to hurry up. Kuai means hurry in Chinese. "Chop Chop" appeared in English-language newspapers printed in China by foreign settlers as early as the 1800s.
A Few of the Best Chinese Proverbs
  5. Three humble shoemakers brainstorming make a great statesman.
  6. Visiting monks give better sermons.
  10. How To Speak Chinese (Funny)
With that smile here's wishing all a fun filled new year day spent with family and friends and lots of food and drink and merriment and a new year night to bring a fresh and shiny day ahead.


The pink city, maharajas and books! - recollecting Jaipur's literature festival

The pink city, wrapped in the warmth of sunshine, welcomed the book lovers for the five days literature festival.
The venue was the Diggi Palace situated in the heart of the city and it played a perfect host to the writers. Amid portraits of Raja, Maharajas, the authors and poets read their creations to an enthralled audience. 

I was fortunately in Jaipur and enjoyed every bit of it. What was wonderful about the event was, people could easily interact with their favourite authors. There was no artificial attempt to keep the celebrities at a distance. The men of pen were openly meeting their fans. Moreover all the events were free, which brought a large number of students and youngsters to the venue.
Wole Soyinka’s readings from ‘The Road’ were something I found really interesting. How many thoughts can the roads evoke and how those thoughts can be conceptualised philosophically and emotionally. Soyinka’s words reveal the character of the roads and its meaning for the traveller.

From the UK, Hanif Kureishi and Amit Chaudhuri attended a few sessions and shared their views. Lord Meghnad Desai was there too. Chaudhuri’s prose and music both were impressive. After the sessions, there was a large crowd for book signing around him. Some of his books were soon out of stock.
The festival of books has two distinguished directors, Namita Gokhale and William Dalrymple. Gokhale was present at most of the discussions and was involved every bit, not only providing the ideational inputs but also taking care of the nitty-gritty.
The popularity of Indian author, Chetan Bhagat proved to be an enigma for many. As he has sold more copies than many of the literary geniuses, Chetan Bhagat phenomenon intrigued some.

All the main India publishing houses were represented by their CEs. They discussed the future of publishing industry but there was no insight into the working of these houses or how heavy is the slush pile.
The five days filled me with new insights and fresh inspiration to write, write and write. 

By Nandini
Visit Jaipur Literature Festival here.

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