GLOSSARY

 

Aam junta: the general public / the ordinary masses

Abbu: Islamic term for Father

Astrakhan hat: hat with dark curly fleece of young karakul lambs from central Asia

Bajra: black millet

Beedi: thin Indian rolled cigarette

Betel nut: areca nut

Bhel puri: Mumbai’s signature street food dish of puffed rice, onions, tomatoes, spices, and hot chutney and served with a tiny deep fried bread called ‘puri’

Boondi raita: savoury dip of yogurt, spices and tiny gramflour pearls

Brinjal: aubergine

Carrom: ‘strike and pocket’ table game akin to table shuffleboard

Dahl: lentil dish

glossary

Dhaba: a motorway curry house diner

Dhoti: traditional men’s garment wrapped around legs and knotted at the waist

Diwali: Hindu festival of lights

Diya: cup-shaped terracotta oil lamp traditionally lit on Diwali

Duffer: an incompetent or stupid person

Eidi: gift for festival of Eid e.g. money, presents or flowers

Ghazal: poetic form consisting of rhyming couplets and a refrain

Goonda: thug or bully

Hajji: Muslim person who has successfully completed the Hajj to Mecca

Hapoos: Alphonso mango, considered ‘king of mangoes’

Hawala: illegal method of transferring money outside of traditional banking systems

Jagirdar: feudal landowner or landlord

Jowar: sorghum flour

Kabuli Biryani: traditional chickpea biryani dish from Hyderabad

Kameez: long tunic worn by many people from South Asia, typically with a salwar

Khansama: male cook, who often also assumes the role of house steward

Kurta: loose collarless shirt worn usually with a salwar or pyjama

Lakh: One hundred thousand

Lathi: a stick / baton

Makhani: a Hindi word meaning ‘with butter’ or butter sauce

Masala movie: a movie embodying a blend of genres

Masala sambar: spicy lentil-based vegetable stew

Maya: ‘that which is not’ (i.e. illusion)

Mawali: Mumbai slang for lowest class of male street ruffians

Morcha: organized march or rally

Neem: Indian tree used for its antiseptic properties

Nukkud natak: Indian street Play

Pajama: a pair of loose trousers tied by a drawstring around the waist

Panchayat: a village council in rural India

Pomfret: popular fish found in Indian restaurants

Ram ram: a common Hindi greeting meaning hello

Salwar: a pair of light, loose, pleated trousers, usually tapering to a tight fit around the ankles, worn by women with a kameez (the two together being a Sadhu – a religious ascetic or holy person)

Sarpanch: elected head of the village council (the panchayat) in India

Shatranj: old form of chess from which modern chess developed

Shree: polite form of address equivalent to the English ‘Mr’

Swami: holy ascetic initiated into a specific religious order

Thaali: Indian steel platter with individual sections to serve a variety of dishes

Vasta waza: Kashmiri term for a head chef

Vedji: traditional Indian Ayurvedic medical practitioner

Yaar: informal address, akin to addressing someone as ‘mate’