ESHA (Educators' Society for Heritage of IndiA) has produced 28 videos in Hindi on some of India’s most famous monuments and institutions in Delhi and Jaipur that not only have historical significance, but also have interesting science or technology features. This project had twin objectives:
- To provide authentic and interesting resources on India in Hindi, especially resources with a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) perspective, and designed for young learners.
- To provide interesting and incredibly rich context to create learning experiences that can push learners to the Advanced Level in Hindi. Many heritage learners are stuck at the Intermediate level in Hindi and crossing the border from the Intermediate level to the Advanced level is difficult. The project targets middle school, high school and college students.
These videos could be used in curricula with themes around traveling to India (tourist and traveler themes), science and technology in India, or history in India.
India is a country with many different languages spoken in different states; however, Hindi has emerged as the lingua franca. However, in the process of developing a lingua-franca for India, English has become strongly intertwined with Hindi.
These videos present a range of Hindi speakers: those speaking Advanced Hindi without mixing Urdu or English words, to people speaking everyday Hindi (mixing Hindi, Urdu and English words) with accents from different parts of India, such as Haryana, Punjab, Jaipur and Delhi, as well as interviews with technical people who mix Hindi and English in every sentence.
These videos series are arranged around different monuments and artifacts. For each topic, there is one video that provides an introduction, with general information that tour guides provide to the tourists. Then additional videos on the subject provide details of various aspects of the topic, as it pertains to STEM ( i.e., the architecture, construction, metallurgy, etc).
Monuments & Artifacts
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Hawa MahalHawa Mahal (Air Palace) is an architectural marvel in Jaipur. Hawa Mahal has over 900 intricately carved small windows, designed to see outside the building and allow proper ventilation of the air in the palace, keeping it cool and airy even during peak summer. |
Learning Plans and Documents |
Videos |
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Iron pillar of DelhiThe Incredible Rust-Resistant Iron Pillar of New Delhi, a UNESCO World Heritage site. This ancient iron pillar, built during King Chandra Gupta Empire in 400CE, is still rust free. Videos in this series include: We have made several videos giving introduction, history, and then technical perspectives covering the chemistry and process making. Included is also: (1) an interview with Dr. Bal Ram Singh, formerly Chemistry professor, and Director of Indic Center at University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth, and (2) an interview with Mr. Sahil Ahuja, an expert on many of the monuments and world heritage sites in India. |
Learning Plans and Documents |
Videos
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Qutub MinarQutub Minar, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, has a historic significance as a structure that demonstrates a fusion of India’s indigenous Hindu culture-dominated architecture with Islamic/Arabic/Persian architecture in the successive stages of its construction. Videos in this series include: Part I: Introduction; Part II aspects of Qutub Minar’s architecture, and Part III, an interview with Mr. Sahil Ahuja, an expert on monuments and world heritage sites in India. |
Learning Plans and Documents |
Videos |
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Amer FortAmer Fort, a palace in Jaipur. Videos in this series include: Part I-Introduction; Part II details of Amer Fort’s architecture, including the Shish Mahal (mirror palace), and the network of steams that keep the the palace cool in summer. |
Learning Plans and Documents |
Videos |
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Jaipur FootJaipur Foot is the world’s largest institution providing artificial limbs to people with disabilities all over the world. This non-profit institution practices “Frugal Engineering” and makes artificial limbs at a fraction of the standard market cost. , Videos in this series include: 1. Interviews with the organization’s founder, Mr. D.R. Mehta. 2. Interviews with four beneficiaries of the organization, who speak with various dialects, accents, and levels of Hindi. 3. Interviews with factory employees and supervisors who share their knowledge and experience in making artificial limbs. |
Learning Plans and Documents |
Videos
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Chand BawriChand Bawri is the world’s largest step well. This video captures the history, geography, purpose, and architecture of the well. |
Learning Plans and Documents |
Videos
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Jantar Mantar - Ram YantraJantar Mantar, the 18th century astronomical observatories in Jaipur built by Raja Jai Singh II, the mathematician and astronomer king. These observatories havemasonry instruments to measure time, observing constellations and orbits of astronomic objects. The Jaipur observatory is a UNESCO World Heritage site. Although there are many instruments, and each one has its own astronomical significance, and explaining them in Hindi for students who have no background in Astronomy is a very challenging task. Therefore, there are two videos on one important instrument, called Raam yantra. Part I provides the introduction and part II provides the technical information on how this instrument is used for measurement of local time. |
Learning Plans and Related Documents |
Videos |
Language(s):
- Hindi
Proficiency Level(s):
- Intermediate
- Advanced
Material Type(s):
- Video
- Learning Plan/Lesson Plan