Glossary

Abba: father (Urdu, Arabic)

Agiary: house of worship for Zoroastrians only; also can be referred to as a fire temple

Ahriman: the devil in Zoroastrianism

Ahura Mazda: the creator and sole God of Zoroastrianism

Almirah: cabinet often used for clothes (Urdu, Hindi, and other languages)

Anna: unit of money equal to four paise or one-sixteenth of one rupee (Hindi and other languages)

Arre marere: oh my! (Parsi Gujarati)

Bapawa: grandfather in Parsi Gujarati

Bhabhi: son’s wife (Gujarati, Hindi and Urdu)

Badmash: bad guy (Urdu)

Bhaiya: friendly term of address for a man you don’t know well who is not your social superior (Hindi/Marathi and other languages)

Bibi: respectful honorific for an unmarried woman (Urdu)

Binamazi: Zoroastrian/Parsi term for menstrual period

Chalo: let’s go! (Hindi and other languages)

Chukoo: silly show-off (Parsi Gujarati)

Dagli: white suit worn by Zoroastrian men to the fire temple and for ceremonial occasions

Dal: lentil dish (Hindi and many languages)

Dhabba: roadside café (Hindi and many languages)

Dhansak: stew made with dal, many spices, and meat (Parsi Gujarati)

Dhoti: long, full loincloth (Hindi, Bengali, and other languages)

Durga: Hindu goddess believed to be mother of the universe; a divine representation of female power (Sanskrit, Hindi, and other languages)

Falooda: sweet milk shake often flavored with rose syrup and basil seeds (Urdu)

Fetah: traditional hat worn by Zoroastrian men

Ghelsappa: crazy moron (Parsi Gujarati)

Insha’Allah: if God wills (Urdu)

Jaan: dear (Urdu and Parsi Gujarati)

Khala: aunt (Hindi, Gujarati, Urdu)

Khastegari: in Zoroastrian tradition, a formal meeting between a man and the parents of a woman he’d like to marry

Kid ghosht: lamb-and-rice dish

Kumkum: red cosmetic paste used to adorn the forehead (Hindi and other languages)

Kem cho: hello (Gujarati)

Kurta pajama: male costume of tunic and trousers (Urdu)

Kusti: woven cord of wool worn around the waist as a sign of religious devotion and used in prayer by Parsis who’ve completed their navjote

Lathi: stick used for fighting (Hindi and other languages)

Lungi: short loincloth (Hindi and other languages)

Madrassa: school teaching Islamic education (Urdu)

Masala: mixture of spices (Hindi and other languages)

Meethi papdi: semisweet fried chickpea wafer (Gujarati and other languages)

Mohammedan: English term for a Muslim

Mihrab: special ornamental niche used for worship in a Muslim home or mosque

Mutawalli: the administrator in charge of a wakf or Muslim charitable foundation

Navjote: coming-of-age ceremony for Parsi boys and girls

Nowruz: Celebration of the Spring Equinox in Iran; the Zoroastrian new year

Pandal: an artistic temporary structure set up to honor a Hindu god or goddess

Pagri: a tall, lacquered hat with a tapered top worn by Parsi men for special occasions

Paisa: small coin equal to one sixty-fourth of a rupee (Hindi and other languages)

Parsi: Indian-born Zoroastrian; “a person of Persia”

Rotli: round bread (Parsi Gujarati)

Sali boti: slow-cooked lamb curry topped with crisp strands of potato (Parsi Gujarati)

Salwar kameez: woman’s tunic and trousers traditionally worn by Muslims (Urdu)

Solar topi: pith helmet often worn by light-skinned people to guard against the sun (Hindi and other languages)

Sudreh: thin linen undershirt worn by Parsi men and women after their navjote ceremony

Taro: white bull urine used as an antiseptic in some Zoroastrian rites

Vakil: authorized public pleader to the Indian court (Hindi and other languages)

Vande Mataram: hail to Mother India; freedom cry in India; also the name of a famous poem (Hindi and other languages)

Velgard: vagabond or bum (Persian)

Yazata: angel in Zoroastrianism

Zoroastrian: member of the monotheistic faith Zoroastrianism, which predates Islam and Christianity; Zarathustra, also called Zoroaster, is the religion’s prophet