dhakba

English translation: ধাকবা / ধাবকা

16:14 Dec 8, 2007

Bengali to English translations [PRO]
Art/Literary - Poetry & Literature / Monica Ali’s “Brick Lane”

Bengali term or phrase: dhakba

Hi,

It’s from Monica Ali’s “Brick Lane” so I assume it’s Bengali. The subject is a design for a kind of costume for women:

The trousers sat low on the hips, without a waistband, and the bodice cut away above the belly button. The detail indicated gold and diamanté dhakba work and the ends of the dupatta were beaded in a cobweb design.

Please write the word in the Bengali alphabet and also in an English transliteration and if possible in Hindi-type Devanagari too, which I can read much more easily than Bengali.

All the best,

Simon

SeiTT KudoZ activity Questions: 3738 (none open) (1 without valid answers) (9 closed without grading) Answers: 1 United Kingdom
Local time: 18:42

English translation:ধাকবা / ধাবকা

Explanation:
A kind of embroidery work is done by a special type of string - this string is called Dhakba (ধাকবা) or Dhabka (ধাবকা). The string has spring like characteristics and it could be of different colors.

If you want I can take a digital picture of this string from my collection and send it to you.

Selected response from:

Rabeya Akhter
Singapore
Local time: 01:42

Grading comment

many thanks excellent
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer

Summary of answers provided

5 +1

ধাকবা/ धाकबा

keshab

4 +1

ধাকবা / ধাবকা

Rabeya Akhter

Steeple design

majums2003

Answers

17 mins confidence:

peer agreement (net): +1

ধাকবা / ধাবকা

Rabeya Akhter
Singapore
Local time: 01:42
Works in field
Native speaker of:

Bengali
PRO pts in category: 4

Grading comment

many thanks excellent

47 mins confidence:

peer agreement (net): +1

ধাকবা/ धाकबा

Explanation:
This is one type of embroidery which stays at the side of cloth ("Dhoti" for gents and "Shari" for ladies).
On pronunciation, sometimes it is called "Dhakka"(ধাক্কা/धाक्का) colloquially.
example:
ধাক্কা পাড়ের শাড়ী/ धाक्का पाड़ेर शाड़ी

Once this type of Shari/Dhoti was the symbol of aristocracy.

keshab
Local time: 23:12
Works in field
Native speaker of:

Hindi,

Bengali
PRO pts in category: 8

102 days confidence:

Steeple design

Explanation:
Mr. Keshab is right. It is a design adopted in the borders of saris and dhotis and is marked by an unbroken chain of steeples or two-dimensional pyrmids along the entire border.

Example sentence(s):

Dhakkpar looks good on saris for day-to-day wear as well as for special occasions.

majums2003
Local time: 23:12
Native speaker of:

Bengali

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English translation: ধাকবা / ধাবকা

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English translation: ধাকবা / ধাবকা

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