Vikram Chandra - Sacred Games

Gujju behnLiterally, 'Gujarati sister'. Gujaratis often use 'behn'—sister—as a respectful form of address, so 'Gujju behn' has become a slightly mocking way to refer to someone who is typically Gujarati.

gullelA small hand-held catapult, of the sort used by young boys.

gurJaggery—an unrefined brown sugar made from palm sap.

Guru Gobind SinghThe last of the Sikh gurus.

hamara pata'Our address'. The use of the plural here is formal, not literal.

haraamkhorSomebody who lives on illicit earnings; a thief; an embezzler.

Harmandir SahibThe Golden Temple in Amritsar, the holiest of holies for the Sikh people. Sikh pilgrims from all over the world travel to the Golden Temple to bathe in the lake that surrounds the temple and to listen to readings from the scriptures. The dip in the waters is known as 'dukh bhanjan', and is believed to banish illness and sorrow.

hathiyarweapon

He, chand taaron ne suna …These lines are from the Hindi film Tere Ghar ke Saamne ('In Front of your House', 1963): 'Oh, the moon and stars heard it, these beautiful landscapes heard it, even passersby heard the song of my pain'. See also Tu kahan yeh bataa.

hera-pheriTrickery, crafty deception.

hijraEunuch.

hum'We'.

IBIntelligence Bureau—the domestic intelligence agency of the Indian government. It is said to be the world's oldest intelligence agency.

IftekarA well-known character actor who often played a police officer in Hindi films.

interShort for 'intermediate'. Refers to the intermediate examination, which was taken after secondary and higher secondary education (eleven or twelve years).

jab tak hai jaan jaan-e jahaan Part of a line from a song from the famous film Sholay ('Embers', 1975). 'Until I have life, O life of the world…' The rest of the line is, '…I will dance'.

Jai'Victory to…'

janampatriBirthchart, usually drawn up by an astrologer. The more traditional ones are long scrolls of paper covered with charts and symbols, and can be quite beautiful. Nowadays they are often produced on a computer.

jhadooBroom.

jhadoo-katkaSweeping and mopping.

jhalli'Crazy girl'—can be used affectionately.

jhanjhatBother, nuisance.

jhatak-matakFireworks and movement, flash and slinkiness. Often used to refer to a woman who is flashy and sexy.

jhavFuck.

jhopadpattiA settlement of huts, a slum.

jiA suffix denoting respect for the person being addressed.

jite raho'Live long'.

Kahin beetein na ye raatein… These lines are from a song from the Hindi film Guide (1965): 'May these nights never end, may these days never end…'

KaliasBlack people in general, either African or African American. 'Kala' is Hindi for 'black', so 'kalia' (singular) is a derivation. This is slang, and it is quite derogatory.

kanche, kanchasA kancha is a marble.

kanjoosMiser.

karamchariThis is a general term for clerk or office worker. It's often used as a designation for workers in government offices—which means that the general public dreads dealing with karamcharis.

karhaiA cast-iron pan that is often used for frying. Looks something like a Chinese wok.

karoA verb—to do something.

kartiyaAn affectionate Marathi term for 'crazy guy'. You'd use it with a friend or a relative.

kasht karein'Please take the trouble to…' A very formal way of asking someone to do something.

Kaun Banega Crorepati? Literally, 'Who Will Become a Multimillionaire?' This is the hugely successful quiz show that millions watch all over India.

Ke kitni muhabbat hai tumse, to paas aake to dekho A line from a song from the Hindi film Kasoor ('Crime', 2001): 'To know how much I love you, come close and look'.

keedaLiterally, 'worm'. Used colloquially to mean an inexplicable stubbornness about something, a deeply-held quirk tending toward obsession.

kelvanThis is one of the wedding rituals in Maharashtra: the bride's last meal as a maiden in her parents' house.

khabariInformer. 'Khabar' is 'news'.

khaddaLiterally, 'hole' or 'pit'. Used sometimes as vulgar slang for the vagina.

khata-khatFast, efficient. This is perhaps an onomatopoeia for the sound a machine makes.

khataraA decrepit wreck.

khattiaA 'khattia' or 'khat' is a simple bed.

khichdiA simple rice dish into which you can toss whatever is available. So the word is used for anything that's mixed up, has disparate ingredients.

khilte hain gul yahaan, khilake bikharane ko, milte hain dil yahaan, milke bichhadne ko A line from a song from the Hindi film Sharmilee ('The Shy One', 1971): 'Flowers bloom here, only to fall. Hearts meet here, only to be sundered'.

khimaGround meat dish, usually prepared with mutton. Can be quite spicy.

khiskelaCrazy, off. Literally, 'moved' or 'shifted'. So someone whose brain has shifted, is not in its right place, is 'khiskela'.

kholiA room. So someone who lives in a kholi probably lives in a one-room house.

khwaab ho tum ya koi haqiiqat, kaun ho tum batalaao A line from a song from the Hindi film Teen Deviyaan ('Three Ladies', 1965): 'Are you a dream or reality? Tell me who you are'.

kshatriyaOne of the four varnas of the Hindu caste system. The kshatriyas were warriors, and regarded as one of the higher castes.

KumbhkaranOne of the brothers of Ravana, the antagonist in the Ramayana . Kumbhkaran—through a boon granted by Brahma—slept for six months at a time, waking only to eat vast quantities of food.

Kya se kya ho gaya… The lyrics of a song from a fictional Hindi film: 'Look what has happened as we watch. My heart has fallen in love with you as we watch'.

LaddooA sweet dish; laddoos can be made from various substances, but they are always round.

LadhiThis refers to firecrackers—a 'ladhi' is a string of crackers, and can be very long.

lakhA unit in the traditional Indian numbering system, equivalent to a hundred thousand.

LalluWeakling, a soft or ineffective person.

LaltenLantern.

Lambi'Lambi' is literally 'long'. But in jail, a 'lambi' is a knife or dagger, which is long in comparison to razor blades, the other weapon of choice. A lambi can be engineered from a door hinge or other such piece of metal. The word is also used to refer to a sword.

Langda-lullaCrippled.

LassiA refreshing drink made from blended yogurt, water and spices. Lassis can be either sweet or salty.

Lat pat lat pat tujha chalana mothia nakhriyacha This is a line from an old Marath Laavani or folk song, which has also been sung in a film. The sense is a bit hard to translate; it probably loses something in the change to English. The line is addressed to a woman. 'Lat pat lat pat' is an onomatopoeia referring to how she walks, the swing of her hips. So the line is something like, 'You walk with such airs, such style'. The last word in the fragment, 'nakhriyacha', is a form of 'nakhra', usually translated as 'feminine airs or blandishments; affectation; coquetry; flirting'.