‘Zoot Suit

‘Zoot Suit,’ a classic play about discrimination, finds renewed purpose

It's the story of a real-life murder trial and the so-called Zoot Suit Riots, set amid rampant discrimination in 1940s Los Angeles. A play called "Zoot Suit" was a cultural phenomenon in the 1970s and ‘80s, launching the careers of many Chicano actors. Now it's in revival at the theater where it all began. Jeffrey Brown reports talks to writer and director Luis Valdez.

From: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Le99Z0KVbro

‘Zoot Suit,’ a classic play about discrimination, finds renewed purpose

Diwali Song

Happy Diwali, everyone! It’s time to light up your house, dish up some sweets and spread all kinds of goodies around. Here is a song that tells you all about this sparkling festival.

from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CLXazdZPlcA

Exile by R Parthasarathy

Exile by R Parthasarathy, a video made by Zaheer Abdul Ghafoor.Y.A for the students of The New College, Chennai-14

from:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-GkX7iGxTHk

English Grammar Non Finite Verbs

A non-finite verb is any of several verb forms that are not finite verbs; they cannot perform action as the root of an independent clause. Most non-finite verbs found in English are infinitives, participles and gerunds (They sometimes are called “verbals”, but that term has traditionally applied only to participles and gerunds).

Noun Clause

This animation teaches the learner to define, identify a noun clause in given sentences. It also teaches the learner how to use noun clause as subject of a verb, as object of a verb, as object of a participle, as object of an infinitive, as object of a preposition, as complement of a verb of incomplete predication, as adjective complement, in apposition to a noun or pronoun. And the leaner can also learn to identify noun clause as subject of a verb, as object of a verb, as object of a participle, as object of an infinitive, as object of a preposition, as a complement of a verb of incomplete predication, as an adjective complement, in apposition to a noun or pronoun in given sentences.

From: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cslLNfoESGw

Glossary Gandhi

Adivasi: original inhabitants, indigenous people

Ahimsa:  nonviolence

Anna:  one sixteenth of Indian rupee

Ashram:  spiritual community

Bania:  third highest class in Hindu social hierarchy, Gandhi’s caste.

Bapu:  father

Bhajan:  devotional song or hymn

Bhangi Bustee: weeper colony

Baisakhi : A festival marking the beginning of a solar year.

Bhoodan:  Gift of land, associated with Vinoba’s Bhoodan movement

Bustee: colony

Brahmacharya: celibacy

Charkha: spinning-wheel

Chipko: to cling or hug,

Crore: a sum of 10,000,000

Dalits: the oppressed, ‖ formerly called the untouchables, ‖ or harijans‖ as Gandhi called them, scheduled castes, under the Indian constitution.

Darshan: to see, to pay homage

Dharma: duty, ethics, moral law

Dharana: sit-ins, a sit-down strike.

Diwan: prime-minister

Dhoti: cloth covering waist down to ankles

Durbar: royal court

Hartal: cessation of all economic activities

Harijans: children of God, a term Gandhi used for the untouchables

Jain: follower of Jainism, a sixth century BCE religion in India

Katha: story

Khadi: home-spun cloth, made famous by Gandhi

Khudai Khidmatgars: Servants of God, the nonviolent soldiers of Islam

Lathi: stave, steel-clubbed stick

Mahatma: the great soul, the title Tagore gave to Gandhi

Mandir: sacred space, a temple

Mantra: sacred formula

Metta: amity, friendship

Moksha: salvation, final goal in Hinduism

Mullah: religious leader in Islamic traditions

nai taleem: new education, holistic model aimed at the development of mind, body and spirit.

Panchayat: village council, a form of local self government in the villages

Pandal: a temporary or permanent structure made for an event

Patidars: land-owning farmers

Pranami: a syncretistic sect of Hinduism that venerates the Quran

Prarthana: prayer

Poorna swaraj: complete freedom, freedom for all

Pugri: turban

Raj: British rule in India, literal meaning is rule.

Ryot: tenant-farmer

Sabha: organization

Samadhi: memorial

Sarvodaya: welfare of all, awakening of all

Satyagraha: insistence on truth, firmness in a true cause

Satyagrahi: one who observes satyagraha

Shanti sena: peace brigade

Shramadana: gift of service or physical labour

Sthitha-prajana: the one who maintains equanimity

Swaraj: self-rule, self-government, freedom

Swadeshi: pertaining to one’s own country

Tilak: auspicious mark or symbol of devotion marked on forehead

Tinkathia: an exploitative system in which fifteen percent of the land rented by ryot had to be planted with indigo for the landlord

Vaishnava: Belonging to the sect which worships Vishnu, a Hindu God

Improve Your English Writing Skills

How to improve your English writing skills? - Free English lesson

I will share easy and quick tips that will improve writing in formal and academic settings.

• Avoid using contractions – Do not use contractions while constructing your sentences, esp. if you  are writing a business email or formal letters i.e. words like don’t, can’t, shouldn’t, couldn’t, wouldn’t, isn’t, haven’t should be avoided.

• Avoid there are/ there is – It will make your sentence more lengthy and boring to read. e.g

There are many problems in her class (incorrect)
Her class is facing many problems. (Correct)
There is an exhibition at the hotel. (Incorrect)
The hotel is holding an exhibition. (Correct)

• Avoid using unnecessary words in your sentences like   very; really, a lot instead use better vocabulary. It will definitely not change the meaning of your sentence but will make it sound interesting.

                Students think literature is very hard.
                Students think literature is difficult.

• Make use of strong verbs – It will make your sentence sound more appropriate and concrete.

                  He gave assistance to my friend. (weak verb)
                  My friend assisted him. (Strong verb)

From: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p6qVJ1KhHek