Nawab Ki Padhaayi

Dhananjay Singh Sisodiya, a.k.a. Nawab – my favorite cousin. And now, well, my student. You won’t think teaching mathematics to a 14-year old will be a tough job. Neither did I, that is, not till I actually began with it.

Even I’ve done my schooling from a hindi medium school, the same school as his, in fact. But I was yet again reminded how easily we forget things once out of touch.

Mathematics (Ganit) in shuddh hindi, believe me, that’s not easy.

K: “Haan to Nawab, first chapter kaun sa hai?”
N: “Pahla adhyaay Samuchchay hai.”
Now, now, I remembered that Samuchchay means Set, and was proud of the fact. But remembering something, and using it in your language are two different things.

N: “Kanu didi, Rikt Samuchchay kya hai?”
K: “Jis Set mein koi element na ho”
N: ?
K: “Jis Samuchchay mein koi avayav na ho.” (sigh)

And when you think you know it all,
K: “Samuchchay(Set) ka Sarvanishth (Intersection) nikaalne ke liye jo avayav(elements) dono mein hon, unhe lete hain, aur Sangh (Union) ke liye dono Samuchchayon(Sets) ke avayav(elements) lete hain.”
N: “To Sangh aur Sarvanishth ek hi hue na?”
K: 8-

How do you read A = {x: x is a natural number and x<=10}??
Samuchchay A, jahan A ke avayav x hai, jabki x ek Prakrat Sankhya hai, aur x is less than or equal to 10. (Jhappu, “less than or equal to” ko hindi mein kya kahte hain?)

Root 2? Square root of two? No! Do ka vargmool.

“Exercise 10.1 kar lena”
“Kya karna hai?”
“Abhyaas das dashamlav ek.”

You do get better with time! B-)

Trigonometry has never been more difficult.
K: “Dekho Nawab, ek Saral Rekha (Straight Line) ek sau assi ansh (180 degrees) ka kon (angle) banaati hai, aur yeh prashn mein diya hai ki dono angles ke beech ka antar (difference) right angle ke barabar hai. To a+b = 180, aur a-b = kitna hua?”
N: “Right Angle kya hota hai?”
K: “Nabbe ansh ka kon”
N: “To aise boliye na!”

Sankhyiki (Statistics), Trikonmiti (Trigonometry) – you learn mathematics from the scratch. And thank your stars for the wonderful teachers that you got!