December 06, 2006

Money for Marriage

One day I was approached by a beggar who said something to me in rapid Hindi. Being a frequent viewer of Bollywood movies and a heavy visitor of matrimonial websites, I only understood the word shaadi, which means marriage. I also assumed the beggar’s request had something to do with money. I interpreted the phrase as “My sister is getting married, so please give me money”. My Hindi-speaking coworker informed me that what was actually said was “Give me money and I will pray for a quick and happy wedding for you”.