Today, that same fabric, that same structure, the very foundation of our society, stands threatened, as India rapidly alters itself to compete in a world driven by materialism, consumerism and God knows which other sort of ‘isms’ that will inevitably get thrown up in the race to the top. The one ‘ism’ that has been India's staple—spiritualism— remains virtually intact, thank the Lord, even if its present definition has undergone a dramatic change. The challenge, then, remains India's indomitable ability to succeed spectacularly despite the odds. Divisiveness, religious bigotry, terrorist threats, disintegration of family and galloping economic ambitions—those are all there, but we deal with each, in turn, with endurance.
And as long as Indians keep their karmic faith and irrepressible ability to hope, dream and achieve, chances are the next century will indisputably belong to India. And the old-fashioned, irrational traditionalist that I am, doesn't mind confessing I'm touching wood and praying to Ganesha to make that a reality—preferably during my lifetime! From this point on, every Diwali is going to be a great Diwali… Let there be light… lots and lots of light. And unlimited shanti. Rejoice!
Glossary
Aam janata: the common man
Aarti: Worship with fire
Aapam: Jaggery and wheatflour sweet
Aapro: Our own
‘Aapun idharrich rahega’: We'll stay right here’
‘Aaj ki Raat’: Tonight
Ab Mumbai door nahi: Now Mumbai is not far
Achchi: Good
Agarbatti: Joss-stick
Ajeeb: Weird
Aloo sabzi: Potato curry
Ameerlog: The rich
Anarsey: Traditional sweet
Angrezi: English
Apsara: Celestial women of great beauty often sent by the gods to distract meditating sages, lest they demand too great a boon at the end of their trance
Asana: Posture in yoga
Ashram: Place of religious retreat
Babalog: Children
Babudom: From ‘babu’ (clerk); a clerical culture; red-tapism
‘Badnam ho jaati hai’: ‘It gives us a bad reputation’
Bahu: Daughter-in-law
Bandobast: Security arrangements by the police
Bandh: Strike, literally ‘closed’
Bandgala: High-necked men's tunic
Baat: Word
Beedi: Tobacco leaf rolled into a cheap cigarette
Begum: Urdu for ‘wife’ or high-born lady
Beta: Son
Beti: Daughter
Bhaanda: Ploy
Bhagwan: God
Bhang: Cannabis
Bharat: India
Bhaashan: Lecture
Bhasha: Language
Bhel puri: Roadside snack of mixed ingredients
Bhelwallah: Streetside seller of savouries
Bhog: Food blessed by the deities
Bindaas: Straightforward, in-your-face
Bindi: Dot worn on the forehead by Indian women
Biryani: Pilau with meat and saffron
Bisi bele: Spicy rice dish from Karnataka
Boori: Bad
Boori nazar: Evil eye
Bustee: Slum
Chaat: Highly-spiced, piquant street food preparations
Chacha: Father's brother
Chachee: Father's brother's wife
‘Chak de, India! Aaj jeet hamari: Up, up, India! Victory is ours today’
Chakmak: Glitz, shine
Chakkar: Route, literally ‘circle’
Chakli: Savoury snack
Chamcha: Sycophant, literally ‘spoon’
Chamchagiri: Sycophancy
Chai-paani paisa: Small bribe, literally ‘money for a little tea and water’
Chaiwallah: Tea-vendor
Chalta hai: Anything goes
Chapatti: Round unleavened bread
Chaprasi: Lower office help
Chappal: Slipper
Charpoy: String-cot, literally ‘four-legged’
Ccha: Dismissive sound
Chhota: Small
Chhutti: Leave, holiday
Chillar: Small change
Chiroti: Puff pastry; Maharashtrian Diwali specialty
Chivda: Spiced rice flakes
Chorchori: Mixed vegetables cooked Bengali-style
Choli: Abbreviated blouse
Churidar: Tight trousers falling in creases
Chowki: Square, police station
Crorepati: Zillionaire, literally ‘owner of a crore rupees’
Daal: Lentil soup
Dadagiri: Rule by hoodlums
Dal-chawal: Lentil soup and rice; a fuss-free meal
Dalal: Broker, tout
Darshan: A granted seeing
Dehati: Yokel, oik
Desi: Native
Devi: Goddess
Dhaba: Roadside eatery
Dhabeli: Pune snack, like vada pav
Dhadkan: Rhythm
Dhak: Large drum played by experts during Durga Puja
Dhakka-bukki: Push-and-shove
Dhoop: Incense
Dhobi-ka-kutta: One who doesn't belong; literally ‘the washerman's dog’
Dikhaawa: Just for show
Dil: Heart
Dil Chahta Hai: The Heart Desires (film title)
Diya: Oil-lit flame bowls
‘Dulhe ka sehra suhana lagta hai’: (Broadly) ‘The bridegroom looks wonderful’
Duniya: World
Eve-teaser: An English term of Indian coinage to describe a streetside Romeo who harasses women
Faltu: Useless
Gaali: Abuse
Gajar halwa: Dessert made of carrots and milk
Gajras: Fragrant flowers worn in the hair
Galli: Alleyway
Gaon: Village
Gandi: Dirty
‘Ganpatibappa, Morya’: ‘Hail to the Lord’
‘Garam garam kachori khaogi? Chutney chat patti ke saath?’): (Suggestive of) ‘Want something hot to eat? With some relish?’
Gareeb: Poor
Gareebi hatao: Banish poverty
Gayab: Lost
Ghagra: Long, flowing skirt
Ghasa-peeta: Rubbed and beaten
Ghee: Clarified butter
Ghoda-gaadi: Horse-carriage
Ghungat: Veil
Gandhigiri: The adoption of the Mahatma's principles
Gola: Ice lolly
Goonda: Thug
Goondagiri: Rule of thugs
Gora: Fair-skinned
Gori: Fair-skinned woman
Gotra: Clan
Gulab jamun: Sweetmeat in syrup
Gutka: Chewing tobacco
Haalat: Condition
‘Hari Om’: ‘Hail to God'
Hat ke se: A little offbeat
Hisaab-kitaab: Accounts book
‘Holi hai’: ‘It's Holi’
‘Ho gaya hai’: ‘It's happened’
‘Hum log bahut pyaare hai’: We are a caring, loveable lot
Idli-dosas: Rice-flour patties and crepes
IIT: Indian Institute of Technology (government centre of training admitting only the choicest students)
IIM: Indian Institute of Management (ditto)
Inshallah: Urdu for ‘God willing’
Izzat: Honour
‘Jaane do’: ‘Let it go’
Jeera tadke: Tempered cumin seeds
Jhola: Cloth slingbag
Jholawallah: Someone who habitually carries a jhola, in an affectation of intellectualism
Jhopdi: Shanty
Jo jeeta woh Sikander: Literally, ‘He who wins is Alexander); a close approximation to ‘To the victor go the spoils’
Josh: Energy, resolve
Jyotish: Astrologer
‘Kaaye? Hatt!’: ‘What? Go on!’
Karwa Chauth: Fast observed to prolong the life of one's husband
Kadhai: Wok
Kaajal: Antimony; kohl
Kakdi-tamater-pyaaz raita: S
lender cucumber-tomato-onion in yogurt
Kali nazar: Evil eye
Karanji: Maharshtrian Diwali sweetmeat
Kashta: The drape of a nine-yard sari, which is worn like a dhoti, with the pleats going between the legs
Katori: Small bowl
Khadi: Handspun
Khakra: Gujarati snack, like dried chappati
Khatiya: Cot
Khuda hafiz: Urdu for ‘God go with you’
Khilao paisa: Feed them money
‘Ki pharak penda, madamji’: ‘What difference does it make, madam?
Kirana: Corner store selling basic groceries
‘Kiss-viss kiya ki nahin, yaar?’: ‘Did you do things like kiss?
‘Kitne khansame the?’: ‘How many cooks had they employed?’
‘Krazy Kiya Re’: ‘You made me crazy’ (film song)
Kuch bhi: Anything
Kuddi: Ornaments
Kulfi: A sort of ice cream
Kumkum: Red dye for anointing the forehead
Kursi: Chair, position
Kutta: Dog
‘Kya ho gaya?’: ‘What's up?’
‘Kya samajhta hai?’: ‘What does he take me for?
Lachcha paratha: Flaky fried bread
Lagao maska: Lay on the flattery
Laddoo: Sweets usually distributed in celebration
Lalloo: Fool
Lassi: A drink of whipped curd
Lehenga: Voluminous bifurcated skirt
Limbu pani: Lemonade
Limbu-mirch: Lime and green chillies strung up to ward off ill luck
Lota: Metal jug for toilet ablutions
Love-shove: Love and all that (phonetic repetition to generalize or trivialize something)
Lungi: Men's lower garment falling to the ankles
Manoos: Man
Mahaan: Great
Maidan: Field
Malai-kulfi: Rich ice cream
Mandi: Market
Mangta hai kya? Paisa ya pyaar?: Which do you desire? Money or love?
‘Mard toh mard hai’: ‘Men will be men’
Mashallah: As God has willed (usually uttered in praise or thanksgiving for a blessing)
Masti: Fun and abandonment
Matka: Clay pitcher
Matrubhasha: Mother tongue
MC-BC: Mother-fucker, sister-fucker
Maya: Ilusion
Mehendi: Henna dye considered auspicious when applied to the palms of new brides
Meher: Bride price
Mehman: Guest
Mera: Mine
Mera Bharat Jawan: My India is young
‘Mera joota hai Japani… yeh patloon Englishtani… sar pe lal topi Russi, phir bhi dil hai Hindustani’: A popular film song celebrating the belief that an Indian will remain at heart an Indian, no matter what influences he may absorb from other cultures
‘Mera number kab aayega?’: ‘When will my number (“turn”) come?’
‘Mere paas Ma hai’: A melodramatic piece of dialogue that has become iconized in the Hindi film history, indicating that a mother is an individual's greatest strength
Misthi doi: Yogurt sweetened with jaggery
Mithai: Sweetmeat
Mochi: Cobbler (by implication, of ‘low caste’)
Mulgi: Girl
‘Munne ki Ma’ or ‘Bittu ki Ammi’: In conservative India, women were often identified by the names of the sons they'd mothered.
Naan: Bread made of fermented dough
Naadaan: Helpless
Naara: Slogan
‘Na ghar ka, na ghat ka’: Belonging neither at home nor abroad
Namaste: Greeting
Nana: Mother's father
Nanee: Mother's mother
Nasha: Addiction, a state of intoxication
Nazar na lag jaye: May you never be given the evil eye
Neem: Tree with medicinal bark and leaves
Neta: Political leader
Netagiri: Politics
Nikaah: Wedding in the Islamic tradition
Paan: Betel leaf
Paisa vasool: Worth the expense
Paisewalle log: People with money
Pakwan: Flaky pastry
Palak-paneer: Spinach and cottage cheese
Panda: Temple priest
Pandal: Marqee in which an idol is temporarily housed
Paratha: Fried bread
Papad: Poppadum
Paratha: Fried bread
Parivaar: Family
Patshala: School
Phoren: Foreign
Phirang/Phirangi: Foreign, foreigner
Pichkari: Long water-pistols used for squirting coloured liquids among Holi revellers
Pohey: Savoury
Pujari: Priest
Purana: Old
Puran poli: Maharashtrian-style dal-paratha sweetened with molasses
Pushpanjali: Worship with flowers
Pyaar: Love
Pyaar-vyaar: Love and stuff
Qawwali: Style of Muslim devotional music associated with Sufis
Raat gayee, baat gayee: Once the night passes, the matter is over
Rabdi: Creamy dessert
Raga: Improvised pattern of notes in classical music
Rajma: Kidney bean
Raita: Savoury curd
Rangoli: Decorations drawn at entrances to homes on festive occasions
Rishi: Sage
Rivaaz: Custom
Roti, kapda aur makaan: Bread, clothes and a house; basic essentials
Saab: Sahib
‘Sab chalega’: ‘Everything will do’
‘Sab cheez badal gayi hai’: ‘Everything's changed’
Sabjantawallah: Know-all
‘Sab kuch chalta hai—dacaiti, atyachaar, ghoos, katal, brasthachar’: ‘Everything goes on—dacoity, assault, bribery, murder, rape’
Sambar: Lentil soup
Samskara: Custom, tradition
Sangam: Confluence, meeting
Sangeet: Pre-wedding ceremony in which the bride's friends sing in chorus
Sarkari: Governmental
Sat Sri Akal: Sikh greeting
Satta: Gambling
Sauchalaya: Lavatory
SC/ST: Scheduled castes and tribes
Seth log: The rich
Setting kar do: Set it up
Sev: Sweet vermicelli
Shaadi: Wedding
Shatoosh: Shawls made of the fine down of the chiru, or Tibetan antelope, now banned in commercial trade because of indiscriminate hunting down of this now endangered animal; literally ‘pleasure of kings’
Shanti: Peace
Sherwani: Long, formal men's jacket
Shorshe-Maach: A typically Bengali preparation of fish in mustard sauce
Show-sha: Showy; ostentatious display
Shravan: The most auspicious month in the Hindu calendar during which fats are kept
Shukriya ji: Thank you, respected one
‘Simbly’: A pronunciation of ‘simply’ commonly attributed to Indians from the south who use it to mean ‘Just like that’
Sthaan: Place, region
Supari: Contract killer/killing
Takkar: Collision, hit
Talaq: Divorce among Muslims
Tamasha: Spectacle, to-do
Teekhaapan: Spice
Thaalipeeth: Savoury made of gramflour
Thali: Metal plate
Thandai: Sherbet, often laced with bhang
Thadaak: Onomatopoeic word to suggest something being struck forcefully
Tharra: Country liquor
‘Theek hai’: ‘That's fine’
Tika: Caste mark/cosmetic mark on forehead
Vada pau: Vegetable patty with chilly powder
Wah: Bravo
‘Woh hota rehta hai’: That happens
Yaar: Buddy
Yatra: Journey
‘Ye dosti… kabhi nahi bhulenge’: A sentimental line from a song in the box-office wonder Sholay, attesting to the unbreakable ties in a friendship
‘Yeh mera p
rem patra padkar, ki tum naraaz na hona…’: ‘Do not be angered by my love letter to you’ (film ditty)
Zamindari: Landed gentry
Zari: Gold or silver embroidery
Zindabad: Long live