The Great Indian Novel

Glossary

(All the words defined are from Sanskrit and/or Hindi, except where otherwise indicated) aarti — Hindu religious rite involving the ceremonial waving of lighted lamps before the object to be worshipped or honoured Angrez — Briton (colloquial) Arthashastra — classic political treatise ascribed to Chanakya (Kautilya), a Machiavellian statesman-philosopher of the fourth century B C ashram — the hermitage of a spiritual figure and a retreat for his disciples ayah — nanny babu — low-level functionary, clerk Bakr-Id — Muslim festival at which goats are sacrificed barfi — Indian sweet made of milk, often covered with edible silver foil (vark). bhai — brother chakra — wheel chakravarti — universal emperor chappals — slippers chaprassi — peon chela — pupil, acolyte dal bhaat — rice and lentils (i.e. the basic staple) darshan — inspiring vision or sight, used to refer to audience granted by king or holy man dharma — see note opposite dharna — act of political agitation or demonstration, usually involving the agitators sitting at the door of the authorities concerned until their demands are granted dharti — earth dhobi — washerman dhoti — ankle-length waistcloth, traditional male attire in most parts of India doodhwala — milkman durwan — guard, watchman gurudwara — Sikh temple Holi — Hindu spring festival marked by the splashing of coloured water janmabhoomi — motherland jawan — soldier — ji — suffix denoting respect karanavar — a Malayalam word meaning landlord, elder of a joint Kerala family karma — Hindu cycle of predestined birth and rebirth; destiny khadi — homespun Indian cotton kukri — Gurkha knife kundalini — vital force of cosmic energy embodied in everyone, and pictured as a coiled serpent at the base of the spine kurta — loose collarless shirt lathi — bamboo or wooden stave used by Indian policemen maidan — playing-field Mathrubhoomi Azhichapadippu — popular weekly journal in Kerala meghdoot — cloud messenger (from a classic poem by Kalidas in which a cloud is implored to convey tidings of a lost wife) MLA — Member of the Legislative Assembly (of a state, rather than the national Parliament in Delhi whose members are called MPs) mofussil — outlying, provincial, rural moksha — salvation mullah — Muslim priest mundu — South Indian dhoti (see above) namaskar, namaste — traditional Hindu greeting, usually with the palms joined Naxalites, Naxals — violent Maoist revolutionaries, particularly active in Bengal in 1967-71 neta — leader padayatra — long journey on foot, usually undertaken for social or political purposes through an area affected by calamity panchayat — village council pandal — temporary covered structure for outdoor receptions, ceremonies, etc. patideva — respectful term for husband patwari — village official puja — ritual players Puranas — ancient collections of popular Hindu myths and legends of religious and social significance razai — quilt rishi — holy man, sage sadhu — Hindu holy man sainik — soldier sannyasi — Hindu holy man, usually an ascetic satyagraha — literally ‘truth-force’, used by Mahatma Gandhi to define his non-violent agitation satyagrahi — one who undertakes satyagraha saunf — aniseed Shaitaan — Satan shama — songbird of the thrush family shamiana — large tent shastras — Hindu holy books, especially those laying down laws and precepts sherwani — traditional North Indian knee-length jacket Shri — Mr sloka — verse subedar — non-commissioned officer Sudra — member of the lowest Hindu caste swadeshi — indigenous, i.e. Indian swaraj — self-rule Swatantra Sena — (fictional) Independence Army swayamvara — ceremony in which a noblewoman chooses a husband from amongst assembled suitors tamasha — fun, spectacle twice-born — upper-caste Hindu, one who has undergone a ‘second birth’, i.e. a spiritual one; generally used to refer to Brahmins veda — one of four principal sacred texts of the Hindus — the Rig Veda, the Yajur Veda, the Sama Veda, and the Artharva Veda — composed circa 15001200 BC and consisting of sacred Sanskrit hymns yuddha — war zamindar — landlord zenana — women’s quarters zilla — sub-district zindabad — long live