For all the Hindi imposition in this country, for all the pride and heritage of this ‘cultural capital of Maharashtra’, for all the ‘Oxford of the East’ boasts, for all the claims of having the finest education in the country, my quest for finding a Hindi teacher for my daughter have produced a cipher.
Do you know what I seek? Someone to speak unadulterated Hindi to my child for 3 hours a week. I need them to be native Hindi speakers, use a minimum of English words, and be able to narrate stories and poems, sing songs, encourage her to hold a conversation, teach her proverbs and idioms, and bring her to a level of expertise of someone who can debate, argue, and even fight in Hindi (to me, the epitome of linguistic prowess), without bothering about the Nagari lipi ( script) for writing or reading.
Do you know for how long we’ve been looking for someone like this? Since May 2021. That’s almost an entire year now.
When we started, I thought I’d get someone like this quickly. Also, for a native speaker, this should be a dream job: play with a curious, shy child in their native tongue for an hour a day trice a week, with absolutely zero expectations of completing a syllabus or a course or certification or passing an exam or any tests whatsoever. And get paid for it!
I thought once a good 6 months have passed, I will ask them to focus on the script (which she already knows, but is not yet confident in using to write) and introduce her to literature and poetry, to the great names in Hindi and their stories, to the heritage and history of the language. And then on, let her take this (hopefully) love for the language anywhere she wishes.
But nopes. After 11 months of search, extensive advertising, writing about it, asking friends, talking to tuition classes and moonlighting teachers, and even asking friends and family to fill in, what do I have to show for it? Nothing. Not one single professional teacher who is ready, willing, and able. Funnily, more than ready and willing (which are also problems because it is difficult to explain to the teachers why we are doing this, especially to those who teach Hindi as a subject to pass examinations in), I am running into the problem of ability. Which is why this post. I am nonplussed. How come we lack people with native knowledge of Hindi in a city like Pune? It’s not even that we are in Tamil Nadu. We are literally at the cup of the Hindu-Hindi-Hindustan culture in Maharashtra, almost falling off on the wrong side of the Vindhyas. OK, the last one was pushing it, but you know what I mean.
So anyway, I shifted our search to outside the city, resigning to the fact that it would have to be online and getting a visiting teacher is something we should be willing to let go of and compromise on. But once again, I am stymied. Not one reference is working out.
Indeed, some of my conversations with them (and I have had almost 2 dozen by now) are hilarious because I start off in pure Hindi (and if I may say so myself, I am pretty good at speaking the language) and they answer in broken Hindi and then finally give up and speak in English! Today, after I spoke to someone who actually runs classes teaching only Indian languages and teaches Hindi herself as the Principal of her tutoring school, the lady was frank enough to tell me that it was difficult to keep up with what I was saying to her because my Hindi is so much better than her. I was, for once in my life, rendered speechless.
But, lest you think this was an exception, I have had similar experiences with many others who are unable to hold a conversation in that tongue even with me on the phone, forget being capable of teaching such conversational skills to a child of 7. I really am perplexed: How. Are. There. So. Many. People. Who. Cannot. Speak. Hindi. Teaching. Hindi. In. India?
Also, in case you’ve read this far, here is what I am looking for. If you know someone, please help: A native Hindi speaker (ideally, a woman) to teach conversational Hindi to my 7yo 1 hour per session (any time between 1400 and 1530h IST) x 3 sessions per week online, for a fee.
If we find someone on your reference, you shall have my eternal friendship, and perhaps even a drink or two should we meet in either my town or yours.
P.S: Many of you rightly pointed out that there are different Hindis like Banarasi and Allahbadi, Bhopali and Indori, and there are dozens of dialects. Which specific Hindi am I looking for? Is it the ‘government-approved’ Sanskritised AIR Hindi? The answer is no, I am not looking for any one specific kind. I myself speak what I call ‘Fauji Hindi’ because I grew up in Air Force cantonments. So, who am I to judge? But if you really want to know, I want the Ravish Kumar kind of Hindi (I have been told it is more of a Bihari dialect), if that is possible. I do not know what that specific dialect is called. But if I must choose, that is the one I’d rather. Why? No particular reason. Just seems to be more familiar to my ears and so, would be nice for my child to speak. Also, I think it is more ‘universal’, if that can be said about it. I hope this brings more clarity in my quest.
