Holi is round the corner - and we are back with our customary Holi special crossword in Hindi. Kishore and I took upon ourselves a fun setting challenge for this puzzle: all clues as couplets. We had experimented with this format in puzzle 4 and enjoyed the exercise very much. This outing proved to be harder: a few recalcitrant grid fills would not lend themselves to couplet clueing. We realised as we neared the end that we had, quite literally, painted ourselves into a corner. Kishore, with his usual resourcefulness, reassembled portions of the grid and redid the clues. We honed the wordplay over several iterations and finally, here we are, ready with our latest offering.
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There is a notable departure from our usual mode of accepting submissions for prize puzzles. The general feedback has been that asking for annotations deters many solvers from sending in their entries. This time, we let annotations be optional. Send them in if you like - we love to hear how you arrived at the answer - but we won't insist upon annotations for considering your puzzle eligible for the draw. This also means that your grid fill must be precise - no misplaced dots and dashes!
Hope you enjoy solving this crossword. Wish you a very happy and colourful Holi!
[Previous Hindi puzzles here: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6]
| आर-पार 1 थोड़ी मुश्किल है, थोड़ा झेलिये, 2 आप और मैं अंग्रेज़ी भुगतते हैं, 5 देसी खाने को जब सीने से ना लगाया 7 गंभीर रॉय, शुरू से 8 ये हुआ तो शेष, 10 लड़की यूँ हिली 12 गाय के सर पर तिनके का टुकड़ा पड़ा है, 13 सूजी नहीं! ये होना, 15 करुणा के लिए हाथ, 17 आपने तकल्लुफ़ बिन, 20 बनके राजा इंदौर का, 22 मशहूर शायर अमरोही 23 नहीं नहीं, लगाना पड़ेगा मानद प्रत्यय 25 एक आँख वाली निगले थोड़ी मिश्री 27 बेवक़ूफ़ दफ्तरकर्मिंयों के मुखड़ों को आग लग जाएगी 28 सोने का पर्याय, 30 बहस में उलझे कुछ अक्षर 31 एक प्राणी का नाम तुम कहना 33 सीता शायद ऐसी थी, 35 मामी का एक हिस्सा और दादी का एक हिस्सा, 36 इसको पहनोगे आप यदि, 37 पहले-पहल मेजर हरिवंश राय बाहर निकलता, 38 कुछ मेघ नाकाम होते हैं, | नीचे की ओर 1 मुंशीजी कुछ लफ्ज़ पहले जोड़ के दिखाओ, 2 प्रत्येक सरहद-वासी ऐंठा हुआ है 3 संगीत के सुर सात ही, 4 अरबी की छाल फेंक दो, 6 ले कोठरी के भीतर रखना, 7 जो उसकी जान तक ले जाए वर, 9 समाचार में दिखे समान, 11 जिसको खाने से बात का वजन बढ़ जाता है, 14 बहुत अच्छे! जब मिली पहली कमाई 16 नसीरुद्दीन शाह की पत्नी को हाथ लगे 17 तुरंत लाओ नाश्ते के पहले वाले निवाले 18 "आज़ाद हिन्द फौज" के नायक 19 "चलते चलते" तुम याद रखना, 20 त्यौहार में होगा जिसका दहन, 21 गड़बड़ नीरज का किया, 24 "गणना न कर" मानो याचना है म्हारी 26 कुछ हद तक शामिल नहीं 27 एक-एक चुटकी बेसन, हल्दी, तिल और राई के डालो, 28 नैतिक वचनों में निमग्न हैं इस रक्षक के वर्ण 29 एक रस्सी के अंतिम हिस्से लो 31 11 जैसा ही एक और बार, 32 चना जोर की चाट जो ना खाए, 34 गधी! मेले में कुछ ढूंढ ले 35 नाम को कर डाला रद्दी, |
PDF format available here.
Notes On The Crossword
- Word lengths are in syllables e.g. each of the words पहला, प्रथम, प्रदान, प्रस्थान will be enumerated as (3).
- Complex consonants go into a single cell e.g. वर्ग will be split into two cells, the first with व, the second with र्ग. Similarly, प्रस्थान will be split into three cells, the first with प्र, the second with स्था, the third with न.
- In wordplay, the matras may be treated independently of the letters e.g. राम when anagrammed can give मार or मरा.
Solving and Submission Instructions
- Send in your completed entries to shuchi [at] crosswordunclued [dot] com, with the subject line "Hindi Cryptic Crossword 7 – Solution", latest by Sunday 8th March 2020.
- Entries should be legible and readable in a standard text or image reader (Word, Excel, PNG, etc. all fine). You can hand-write the answers and send a scan if that works for you. Or you could use this solution template.
- Solution words should be in Devanagari script. [Services like Google Input Tools or Quillpad can be used for typing in Hindi.]
- Spot a theme? Tell us about it in words and mark the themed clue numbers with an asterisk (*).
If you have questions related to solution submission, please post them in the comments section.
The Prize
The winner can choose gift vouchers on Amazon IN/US/UK, worth INR 1000 (or equivalent in USD/GBP).
The solver with the maximum correct answers will win. In case of ties, the winner will be picked by a lucky draw.
The solution to the crossword and the winner's name will be announced in a follow-up post after 9th March 2020.
Related Posts:
- Setting a Hindi Crossword: Lessons Learnt and Recommendations
- Why Hindi and cryptic crosswords do not mix
- Clue Challenge: Annotate these answers X1
- Kannada crosswords
