ठेका (thekaa)
noun
Has two main everyday senses: a business/legal 'contract' (for work, supply, or a lease), and, very commonly in Delhi-NCR speech, a government-licensed 'liquor shop.' Also has a niche musical sense (the rhythmic cycle in tabla accompaniment).
Sense
1
:
a contract (for work, supply, or lease)
noun, masculine
Synonyms: अनुबंध (anubandh, formal), करार (karaar)
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: You'll hear this constantly around Indian construction sites and municipal work: 'sadak ka theka' (road contract), 'safai ka theka' (cleaning contract). The person who holds it is a ठेकेदार (thekedaar, contractor), a very visible figure in local infrastructure and small-business life across North India.
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners often use करार (karaar) and ठेका (thekaa) as if fully interchangeable -- ठेका (thekaa) leans toward a contract for a job or supply of goods/services (e.g. construction, cleaning, catering), while करार (karaar) is used for broader agreements, including political or diplomatic ones. 2) The common verb pairing is ठेका लेना (thekaa lenaa, to take on a contract) or ठेका देना (thekaa denaa, to award a contract) -- not 'karnaa' as a beginner might guess.
Sample Sentences:
सड़क बनाने का ठेका किसे मिला?
Who got the contract for building the road?
(sadak banaane kaa thekaa kise milaa?)
नगरपालिका ने सफ़ाई का ठेका एक नई कंपनी को दे दिया है।
The municipality has given the cleaning contract to a new company.
(nagarpaalikaa ne safaaii kaa thekaa ek naii kampnii ko de diyaa hai।)
इस साल पुल के ठेके में बहुत गड़बड़ी हुई थी।
There was a lot of corruption in the bridge contract this year.
(is saal pul ke theke men bahut gadabdii huii thii।)
हर बार बड़े ठेके छोटे ठेकेदारों तक नहीं पहुँच पाते।
Big contracts don't always reach the small contractors.
(har baar bade theke chhote thekedaaron tak nahiin pahunch paate।)
अगर टेंडर सही से भरा होता, तो ठेका हमारी कंपनी को मिलता।
If the tender had been filled correctly, the contract would have gone to our company.
(agar tendar sahii se bharaa hotaa, to thekaa hamaarii kampnii ko miltaa।)
कृपया ठेके की सारी शर्तें ध्यान से पढ़ें।
Please read all the terms of the contract carefully.
(kripyaa theke kii saarii sharten dhyaan se padhen।)
यह ठेका इस साल के अंत तक पूरा हो जाना चाहिए।
This contract should be completed by the end of this year.
(yah thekaa is saal ke ant tak pooraa ho jaanaa chaahie।)
अगली बार का ठेका किसे मिलेगा, यह अभी तय नहीं है।
It's not decided yet who will get the next contract.
(aglii baar kaa thekaa kise milegaa, yah abhii tay nahiin hai।)
सुनने में आया है कि यह ठेका बिना टेंडर के ही बाँट दिया गया।
I've heard that this contract was awarded without even a tender.
(sunne men aayaa hai ki yah thekaa binaa tendar ke hii baant diyaa gayaa।)
ठेकेदार ने अपना ठेका बीच में ही छोड़ दिया।
The contractor abandoned his contract right in the middle.
(thekedaar ne apnaa thekaa biich men hii chhod diyaa।)
क्या तुम भी अगले प्रोजेक्ट के ठेके के लिए बोली लगाओगे?
Will you also bid for the contract on the next project?
(kyaa tum bhii agle projekt ke theke ke lie bolii lagaaoge?)
Sense
2
:
government-licensed liquor shop
noun, masculine
Synonyms: शराब की दुकान (sharaab kii dukaan, descriptive phrase), वाइन शॉप (vaain shop, colloquial, English loan)
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: This sense comes from the fact that liquor sale in India runs on government-issued contracts/licenses, so the shop itself came to be called by the name of the license, 'theka.' It's an extremely common everyday term -- you'll hear 'theke se le aa' (theke se le aa) shouted between friends heading out for the evening.
Common Mistakes: 1) This sense is purely colloquial and specific to North Indian speech -- do not expect it in formal writing or news reports, where शराब की दुकान (sharaab kii dukaan) or मद्य की दुकान (mady kii dukaan) would be used instead. 2) Context (a shop vs. a business deal) is the only way to distinguish this from the 'contract' sense, since the word itself is identical.
Sample Sentences:
यार, ठेके से दो बोतल बियर ले आ।
Dude, go bring two bottles of beer from the liquor shop.
(yaar, theke se do botal biyar le aa।)
मोहल्ले के नुक्कड़ पर ही एक ठेका है।
There is a liquor shop right at the corner of the neighborhood.
(mohalle ke nukkad par hii ek thekaa hai।)
रात दस बजे के बाद ठेका बंद हो जाता है।
The liquor shop closes after ten at night.
(raat das baje ke baad thekaa band ho jaataa hai।)
वो हर शुक्रवार ठेके पर जाता था।
He used to go to the liquor shop every Friday.
(vo har shukrvaar theke par jaataa thaa।)
मैं ठेके के बाहर तुम्हारा इंतज़ार कर रहा हूँ।
I'm waiting for you outside the liquor shop.
(main theke ke baahar tumhaaraa intzaar kar rahaa hoon।)
अगर ठेका पास होता तो हम पैदल ही चले जाते।
If the liquor shop were nearby, we would just walk there.
(agar thekaa paas hotaa to ham paidal hii chale jaate।)
सरकार ने इस इलाके में नया ठेका खोलने की इजाज़त दे दी है।
The government has given permission to open a new liquor shop in this area.
(sarkaar ne is ilaake men nayaa thekaa kholne kii ijaazat de dii hai।)
शायद उस गली में भी कोई ठेका खुल जाए।
Maybe a liquor shop will open in that lane too.
(shaayad us galii men bhii koii thekaa khul jaae।)
स्कूल के पास ठेका खोलने का विरोध किया गया।
There was opposition to opening a liquor shop near the school.
(skool ke paas thekaa kholne kaa virodh kiyaa gayaa।)
इतवार को ठेके पर लाइन लग जाती है।
A line forms at the liquor shop on Sundays.
(itvaar ko theke par laain lag jaatii hai।)
क्या तुम्हें पता है ठेका कब खुलेगा?
Do you know when the liquor shop will open?
(kyaa tumhen pataa hai thekaa kab khulegaa?)
Sense
3
:
fixed rhythmic cycle in tabla/percussion accompaniment
noun, masculine
Frequency: low
Cultural Note: This is a specialist term from Hindustani classical music: the ठेका (thekaa) is the basic, named rhythmic pattern a tabla player uses to mark a given ताल (taal, rhythmic cycle), such as तीनताल (tiintaal). Most conversational learners will not need this sense, but it's worth knowing if you ever discuss Indian classical music.
Sample Sentences:
तबले पर तीनताल का ठेका बजाओ।
Play the theka of teentaal on the tabla.
(table par tiintaal kaa thekaa bajaao।)
गुरुजी ने पहले तीनताल का ठेका समझाया, फिर बजाकर दिखाया।
Guruji first explained the theka of teentaal, then played it to show.
(gurujii ne pahle tiintaal kaa thekaa samjhaayaa, phir bajaakar dikhaayaa।)
तबला वादक हर ताल के लिए अलग ठेका बजाता है।
The tabla player plays a different theka for each taal.
(tablaa vaadak har taal ke lie alag thekaa bajaataa hai।)
वह अभी झपताल का ठेका बजा रहा है।
He is playing the theka of jhaptaal right now.
(vah abhii jhaptaal kaa thekaa bajaa rahaa hai।)
अगर तुम ठेका सही से पकड़ पाते, तो गाना खुद-ब-खुद ठीक हो जाता।
If you had grasped the theka properly, the song would have fallen into place on its own.
(agar tum thekaa sahii se pakad paate, to gaanaa khud-b-khud thiik ho jaataa।)
इस समारोह में तीनताल के ठेके को बहुत ही सधे हुए ढंग से प्रस्तुत किया गया।
In this concert, the theka of teentaal was presented in a very disciplined manner.
(is samaaroh men tiintaal ke theke ko bahut hii sadhe hue dhang se prastut kiyaa gayaa।)
शायद वह आज कहरवा का ठेका बजाए, गुरुजी ने अभी तय नहीं किया।
Perhaps he will play the theka of kaharwa today; Guruji hasn't decided yet.
(shaayad vah aaj kaharvaa kaa thekaa bajaae, gurujii ne abhii tay nahiin kiyaa।)
क्या आप मुझे दादरा का ठेका सिखा सकते हैं?
Could you teach me the theka of dadra?
(kyaa aap mujhe daadraa kaa thekaa sikhaa sakte hain?)
Morphology
Noun
(sg.m.direct):
ठेका
(thekaa)
(sg.m.oblique):
ठेके
(theke)
(pl.m.direct):
ठेके
(theke)
(pl.m.oblique):
ठेकों
(thekon)