# Urdu, Hindi: survivor



## marrish

Hello,

The question is how to say "a survivor" in Urdu and in Hindi as in "rape survivor", "earthquake survivor" etc.

Somehow my mind is not working well enought to think of anything suitable.


Thanks in advance for the contributions.


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## Englishmypassion

My mind can't come up with any exact Hindi word either.
In tragic incidents like rape, earthquake, etc, often the term "peedit" is used in Hindi, though that means victim(s), who are both survivors and sufferers.

"Zinda bache (huwe) log" is used to mean survivors exactly.

The rescue operation is on to search for  flood survivors.
Baadh me zinda bache logo ko dhoodhne k liye bachaaw kaarya jaari hai.

Sorry, that's the best I can think of at the moment.


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## Sheikh_14

baqaa means survival, how about baa-baqaa? Otherwise zalzale ke Bache Hue and bachaa huaa/huwe/huii would suffice. Jins Ul jabr/bil jabr kii baa baqaa/bachii huii bachchii.


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## littlepond

"survivor" is a euphemistic term in modern, politically correct English: I don't think any other languages need to coin this word.


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## mundiya

There is "uttarjiivii" in Hindi, but it's not used much.


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## mundiya

littlepond said:


> "survivor" is a euphemistic term in modern, politically correct English: I don't think any other languages need to coin this distasteful word.



Why is it distasteful?


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## littlepond

^ I have amended my reply so as not to be drawn in an off-topic discussion, mundiya jii, but we can always discuss this privately.


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## Alfaaz

marrish said:
			
		

> Somehow my mind is not working well enought to think of anything suitable.


Urdu: 

Would باق be considered suitable?

Of course, وَرَثَہ، لواحق، پس ماندگان، وغیرہ are used in another sense of the word _survivors_.


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## Sheikh_14

Doesn't lawaaHiq/lawaaHiqeen rather mean those who are connected by affinity to you I.e. Those who care deeply for you? "ShaaheedoN ke lawaaHiqeen" and so on and so forth.


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## marrish

Englishmypassion said:


> In tragic incidents like rape, earthquake, etc, often the term "peedit" is used in Hindi, though that means victim(s), who are both survivors and sufferers.
> "Zinda bache (huwe) log" is used to mean survivors exactly.
> The rescue operation is on to search for  flood survivors.
> Baadh me zinda bache logo ko dhoodhne k liye bachaaw kaarya jaari hai.
> Sorry, that's the best I can think of at the moment.


Thank you very much for kicking this thread off! पीड़ित piiRit must be a good option in some situations (survivor>victim).


Sheikh_14 said:


> baqaa means survival, how about baa-baqaa? Otherwise zalzale ke Bache Hue and bachaa huaa/huwe/huii would suffice. Jins Ul jabr/bil jabr kii baa baqaa/bachii huii bachchii.


Thank you too. baa-baqaa means "imperishable; eternal etc". Not quite on the track. bache hu'e is the main meaning, I agree, as Emp SaaHib said, too, even better "zindah bachaa hu'aa".


littlepond said:


> "survivor" is a euphemistic term in modern, politically correct English: I don't think any other languages need to coin this word.


It's contemporary English, though, and if we don't need coining this word we should at least be able to translate it nicely.


mundiya said:


> There is "uttarjiivii" in Hindi, but it's not used much.


Great, looks like uttar=sub, sur and jiivii=vivor.


Alfaaz said:


> Urdu:
> Would باق be considered suitable?
> 
> Of course, وَرَثَہ، لواحق، پس ماندگان، وغیرہ are used in another sense of the word _survivors_.


Survival in Urdu is _baqaa (as one of the meanings)_. From this, who survives would be "baaqii" (NOT **baaq*. The word in Arabic grammar is actually _baaq-in_ but in speech it has become _baaqii_. However, _baaqii_ has other meanings, so, this is no good on its own.


Sheikh_14 said:


> Doesn't lawaaHiq/lawaaHiqeen rather mean those who are connected by affinity to you I.e. Those who care deeply for you? "ShaaheedoN ke lawaaHiqeen" and so on and so forth.


lawaaHiqiin are victims'/survivors' relatives. Alfaaz SaaHib has done a nice job to present other meanings. Coming from pas (piichhe) maandagaan (rahe/bache hu'e log), what about _zindah maandagaan_?


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## Alfaaz

marrish said:
			
		

> Survival in Urdu is _baqaa (as one of the meanings)_. From this, who survives would be "baaqii" (NOT **baaq*. The word in Arabic grammar is actually _baaq-in_ but in speech it has become _baaqii_. However, _baaqii_ has other meanings, so, this is no good on its own.


 Thanks for commenting. I agree with the etymological explanations, but باق is listed here in Urdu Lughat! Would you classify this as a _mistake _(which have previously been noted in the forum for other UL entries) or _an_ _addition to the expanded Urdu vocabulary_ by the _modern dictionary_...?


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## marrish

^ The dictionary itself explains

عربی زبان میں ثلاثی مجرد سے مشتق اسم فاعل باقی کی *تخفیف* ہے۔ اردو میں بطور اسم صفت مستعمل ہے۔ عام طور پر
مرکبات
میں بطور لاحقہ استعمال کیا جاتا ہے جیسے : بے باق، 1891ء میں "کنزالآخرۃ" میں مستعمل ملتا ہے۔

baaqii kii taxfiif hae. urduu meN ba-taur-e-ism-e-sifat musta3mal hae. 3aam taur par murakkabaat meN ba-taur-e-laaHiqah isti3maal kiyaa jaataa hae, jaise be-baaq.....


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## Alfaaz

Does that mean it cannot be used alone as the following section seems to suggest...only as a member of compounds...?


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## marrish

What is written is that it is usually part of a compound like be-baaq which implies that it is rarely found outside of such words.

One example they found (seems to be good, although my search for the poet's name was good for nothing) in classical literature means it's perhaps chosen for the sake of rhyme, otherwise remains unused as such. Anyway, be-baaq karnaa is to repay one's debts, so I think these connotations are bound to be a stumbling block in the way of understanding "baaq" on its own to mean "remained, preserved; durable". 

Even Farhang-e-Asafiyya didn't care to include it as a separate word. be-baaq, to the contrary is listed and used many times.


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## littlepond

marrish said:


> It's contemporary English, though, and if we don't need coining this word we should at least be able to translate it nicely.



I would say, let's continue translating it as people were doing in the pre-survivor days. A language does not need to copy fads of another language, unless they indicate a certain style of the writer, in my opinion, and especially when a language's hold, power, is rendered weak just for insipid political correctness, which is what modern English is suffering a lot from.


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## Alfaaz

Thanks for the detailed replies marrish SaaHib.


			
				marrish said:
			
		

> ... Coming from pas (piichhe) maandagaan (rahe/bache hu'e log), what about _zindah maandagaan_?


 _Kitabistan's 21st Century Practical Dictionary_ by Bashir A. Qureshi interestingly lists the following:


> *survivor* n.
> 1) person who has safely come out (_of a calamity_, etc.) باقیماندہ، پسماندہ
> 2) (pl.) relatives of the deceased پسماندگان


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