“Tharabethi vahana”

by September 30, 2010 Commute

I was glad to see a training bus, with many drivers sitting in it, going past with one learner driver at the wheel:

l bus 270910

However, I was not sure if this was a training vehicle, and having seen the words "Tharabethi Vahana" on the bus, tried to google for the meaning of the word "tharabethi"…but could not find any free Kannada-translation website.

Google does not translate from Kannada to English or vice-versa…but I am still amazed that in the home of the software industry, no one has yet designed a good Kannada-to-English translation site. ⊕

Sections:

About Deepa Mohan

Deepa Mohan is a freelance writer and avid naturalist.
Read more by Deepa Mohan

Comments:

  1. Deepa Mohan says:
    October 1, 2010 at 7:03 am

    If anyone could either correctly translate “tharabethi” for me, or point me to a good Kannada translation site…I’d be grateful!

    Reply
  2. Siddharth S says:
    October 1, 2010 at 10:50 am

    If you see the front of the vehicle you can find the red letters saying “Chalakaru Tarabethiyallidhare) and L sign down- so it would very well mean a training vehicle!

    Reply
  3. Deepa Mohan says:
    October 1, 2010 at 12:43 pm

    Ah, I didn’t get to see the front of the vehicle…I just snapped it as it passed me! Thank you.

    Reply
  4. Arun Bhat says:
    October 4, 2010 at 1:41 pm

    Tharabethi is training.

    There is no translation tool, but there is a dictionary at kannadakasturi.com, which might serve some purpose. I just checked and the site wasn’t functional. I am not sure if it is temporary or gone for good. You could look back again.

    Reply
  5. Sreedhar Govindarao says:
    October 18, 2010 at 3:59 pm

    Hi interesting to see interest in Kannada.. I was born and brought up in Tamil Nadu but mother tongue was kannada..but our kannada was interspersed with Tamil vocabulary

    Moved to Bangalore in 2002 and from then on it has been a learning experience.. but I am amazed to see simple kannada words like Vechcha (expense)or not being used… instead the hindi version of karch is used…some of the words in day to day use are also not the pure kannada ones,,,eg Saaru is always Rasam in Bangalore,,I really do not understand why? In the kannada that we spoke at home Kampu meant odour but I understand its real meaning is Fragrance…I am interested in learing kannada..I can read and write now in Kannada (the othaksharas are a real cahallenge)..can some one guide me to easy ways of learning Kannanda

    Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Similar Story

,

High transport costs, low support: The daily toll on commuters with disabilities

by and February 23, 2026 Commute
Disabled persons spend thousands monthly on commuting in Chennai and Bengaluru, as inaccessible transport and meagre pensions increase their woes.

TMN Deepak, a professor of social work who has a physical disability, commutes from Velachery to Loyola College in Chennai for work every day. He owns a wheelchair cum scooter that allows him to cover short distances comfortably, but he avoids public transport. “Instead, I have had to go for an automatic car, which has increased my overall spend, and I had to shell out an additional ₹2.5 lakh for modifications,” he says. Deepak's monthly petrol costs exceed ₹6,000. “I prefer not to use the bus because of inaccessibility,” he explains, highlighting how the lack of accessible public transport forces…

Continue reading

Similar Story

How OMR residents strive for better last-mile connectivity and improved public transport

by , and February 13, 2026 Commute
Residents of Chennai’s OMR push for bus and metro links; FOMRRA’s survey highlights poor last-mile connectivity and urges MTC to expand services.

As commercial development along Old Mahabalipuram Road (OMR) has surged, reliable public transport has become essential. Yet, daily commuters, labourers, office workers, college and school students, and Resident Welfare Association (RWA) staff continue to grapple with limited access to Metropolitan Transport Corporation (MTC) buses. For many, reaching bus stops on the main road is a daunting task, especially since interior localities remain underserved and private operators like share autos rarely venture into these areas. The absence of adequate bus stops and the restricted MTC service forces residents into long, difficult journeys. The worst-affected by this lack of last-mile connectivity are…

Continue reading