Skip to main content

Posts

Showing posts with the label Khela Hobe

Khela Hobe: Connotation & Interpretation

                Photo Courtesy vaishnudebi-dutta-JShfWXJrAvc-unsplash As someone who knows Bengali (the language), I often wonder how to describe maal (Bengali: মাল ; Hindi: माल ). The word may have a different connotation in different contexts. With a simple Google translation comes the following suggestions: goods, property, booze, wealth, merchandise, revenue, freight, etc. In my life, I have come across various others: fool/idiot, good looking (mainly the fairer sex), difficult, sperm, cash, object, etc. Catch the drift? No? Because the tangential reference lies in the topic being discussed at the particular time the word was used in a sentence. Or try to catch the drift of the word in tandem with facial expression, or eye movement, or gesture. Even while uttering the word, a slow shake of head may refer to an idiot, a quick glance may mean reference to the person being glanced at, flicking the thumb off forefinger may mean money, mi...