Khadi Boli, also known as Khāri Boli and Kauravi, is the local dialect spoken in Western Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Delhi, and some parts of Haryana.
Khadi Boli (Khadi Bhasha, Khadi Language, or Khadi Boli Language) uses strong sounds that may hammer some ears. The authentic pronunciation is Khadi Bolli (खड़ी बोल्ली), but to keep things simple, I shall address it as Khadi Boli. Now, since it is my native language, let me give you a taste of this vibrant language with some Khadi Boli examples (Khadi Boli ke Shabd).
Ready?
Here we go:
- We use “ण” and not न in most of the words. For instance, while referring to water, I’ll say “पाणी” and not पानी.
- Let’s suppose I need to ask who’s there in a room. In that case, I’ll say, “अरै, कौण है इस कमरे मैं?” or “अरै, कूण है इस कमरे मैं?”, and not “अरे, कौन है इस कमरे में?”
- We address uncles as “चाच्चा,” and not चाचा as we do in standard Hindi.
And now, an interesting thing about Khadi Boli (खड़ी बोली,खड़ी बोल्ली): The word Khadi means standing.
Therefore, Khadi Boli or Khadi Bhasha means a Standing Dialect or a Standing Language because one needs to put in extra effort to utter the words, which produces rustic, harsher sounds.
Khadi Boli aka Khāri Boli or Khāri Boli Dialect (खड़ी बोली/खारी बोली/खरी बोल्ली)
Khadi Boli is also known as Khāri Boli. Khāri has its roots in the word Khār which means salt, and so you can say that Khāri Boli makes one’s mouth taste salty (which is a unique characteristic of this language).
Now, this saltiness makes it stand out from other dialects such as Brij Bhasha and Awadhi—the languages of the holy cities of Mathura and Ayodhya (also known as “पड़ी बोली,” Lying Dialects or Lying Languages). These dialects sound “sweeter” compared to Khāri Boli.
Also, another term खरी बोल्ली (pure dialect) is used because Khadi Boli is the purest, unadulterated form of Hindi, which gave birth to standard Hindi and Urdu. You can get an idea about how Khadi Boli sounds with this video clip.
Kauravi (कौरवी)
Kauravas, the sons of King Dhritarashtra and Queen Gandhari, spoke this language in Mahabharata times, hence the name Kauravi (also known as Kauravi Dialect or Kauravi Boli).
Most of the places related to Mahabharata—Hastinapur, ParikshitGarh, ShukraTal, Barnava, and Indraprastha (Delhi)—are situated in or close to Western Uttar Pradesh.
(By the way, did you know there was a native Khadi Boli speaker in B.R. Chopra’s epic, Mahabharata?—Gajendra Chauhan—the actor who played Yudhishthir.)
The Kauravas conspired to burn Pandavas alive in a structure made of Lākh (while they were in exile) known as Lākshagrih (the locals address it as Lākhagraha). This structure still stands tall in Barnava in Baraut, Baghpat. (Baghpat happens to be my Nanihal).
Lakshagrih now houses a Sanskrit Vidyapeeth/Mahavidyalaya.
Link〉 खड़ी बोली शब्दकोश
Are Khadi Boli and Haryanvi the Same Languages?
Many people assume that Khadi Boli and Haryanvi are two different names for the one and same language. And nothing can be farther from the truth.
Yes, people in some parts of Haryana also speak Khadi Boli, but that’s because those regions overlap or are just a stone’s throw away from Western Uttar Pradesh. Let me give you an example:
Bahalgarh, a locality in Sonipat, Haryana, shares its border with the Baghpat (Vyaghraprastha: व्याघ्रप्रस्थ) district of Western Uttar Pradesh. Here, you’ll find people speaking a “fusion” of both languages. Interestingly enough, certain words are common in Khadi Boli and Haryanvi, but they are two different languages.
In other words, Khadi Boli is not Haryanvi.
Khadi Boli is Spoken Across These Areas
In Western Uttar Pradesh or Western UP or West UP—as we lovingly address our region—Khadi Boli is spoken in many areas. Some of them are:
- Lakshminagar/Saraswatinagar (some people refer to it as Muzaffarnagar)
- Bijnore
- Shamli
- Saharanpur
- Baghpat
- Meerut
- Ghaziabad
- Gautam Buddh Nagar (Noida)
- Hapur
- Some parts of Bulandshahar and surrounding areas.
And now, here’s a fact every Hindi-speaking person (and Urdu speakers) must know.
Khadi Boli is the mother of standard Hindi, and Urdu.
Today’s modern or standard Hindi and Urdu are the offspring of Khadi Boli.
Why I Started This Online Khadi Boli Shabdkosh?
In 2010, I conducted personality development classes at Subharti University, Meerut. And I noticed many students were uncomfortable, almost ashamed, with their own language—Khadi Boli.
Reason?
Some so-called high-society folks consider Khadi Boli uncivilized, rude, and arrogant. And to avoid being labelled as rude or uncivilized those students chose to hide their identity. (Can you imagine?)
Now, if you are also conditioned to be ashamed of your mother tongue, then here’s a little advice for you:
How you see and value yourself determines how well you progress in your personal and professional lives. And your self-image cannot be positive unless you are accepting of your mother tongue.
I mean, what does it matter if you sound arrogant to some over-sensitive ears? Why should you insult your own language to please others? What’s the use of learning English or any other language for that matter if you reject your mother tongue to get others’ approval?
Let me remind you how Shri Bhartendu Harishchandra stated this universal truth.
“निज भाषा उन्नति अहै, सब भाषा को मूल ।
बिन निज भाषा ज्ञान के मिटे न हिय को शूल ।।”
(The progress of one’s language is the key to all development. Without the proper knowledge of one’s mother tongue, one cannot feel expressed.)
Respect Your Language
If you can’t respect your own language—which you’ve inherited from your forefathers, what’s the point of your existence?
You see, it’s not about appearing civilized and Padha-Likha (educated). It is a question of honoring the very blood running through your veins. And, if you have not been able to learn Khadi Boli, don’t lose heart. You can learn it with consistent practice.
But let me warn you.
Don’t even think of learning Khadi Boli by watching Bollywood movies, especially Omkara—the film by Vishal Bhardwaj—unless you want to end up learning some idiotic, imaginary, and fake dialect.
I have watched Omkara, and boy oh boy! That movie is a fucking insult to the people and culture of Western Uttar Pradesh.
“But it’s just a movie; what harm could it possibly bring upon the language?” You say.
A lot.
Because mass media shape narratives. When people watch such movies, they believe that the language used in the film is authentic.
And that stupid movie is not just a one-off incident. There’s so much misinformation regarding Khadi Boli that it’s heartwrenching. Like many others, I also tried really hard to search for Khadi Boli online but there was nothing. No authentic Khadi Boli documentation. No article. Not even a blog post. Absofuckinglutely nothing!
Now, tell me.
When nobody dares write a story you want to read, you write it yourself, right?
That’s exactly what I did.
Khadi Boli Shabdkosh (खड़ी बोली शब्दकोश): The First-Ever Online Khadi Boli Resource
On 15th September 2011, I started an article on Khadi Boli on my personal development blog—AvdheshTondak.com. That article was a collection of day-to-day Khadi Boli words. Here’s how it looked:
Years went by, and I kept on adding more and more words to that article. And what started as a collection of a few words grew so large it needed its own separate space. And so…
On 5th November 2019, I founded “KhadiBoliShabdkosh.com.”
Khadi Boli Shabdkosh is the first and only collection of original Khadi Boli words online. And I’ve kept this reference source free of charge and in the public domain to benefit the masses.
Want to know something sweet?
All the hard work I put into this website has started bearing fruits.
Khadi Boli Shabdkosh Is Making An Impact
Just the other day, a user posted a comment:
“Thank you so much. Aap bhot accha kaam kar rahe ho hamari sanskriti ko badhane k liye. Though I belong to Hapur. But I was raised in different parts of mp and chattisgarh because of my father’s job and my parents did not teach me khadi boli because they thought it’s uncivilised (I am very proud of my culture and mother tongue and would like to teach my kids). And I did not speak my mother tongue (and it hurt me alot that I don’t speak my mother tongue) until I start to learn online. Your blog and channel helped me a lot. Thanks alot please upload some other videos too, and keep the good work on.”
Well, thank you for your kind words, dear.
How to Use this Shabdkosh
Click on the links to go directly to the corresponding pages. I’ve included the meaning of Khadi Boli words in Hindi and English wherever possible.
I’ve also uploaded some audio examples to help you understand what Khadi Boli sounds like.
Khadi Boli is a fun language. So enjoy the journey, and whenever you need a reference, come back.
You’re always welcome here. 🙂
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