Vikram Chandra - Sacred Games

LathiWooden baton carried and used by policemen, especially for crowd control.

LaudaPenis, cock.

LeelaPlay, the universe as the divine play of the Lord.

LoduA prick.

Loksatta A Marathi newspaper.

London mein fielding lagao. Do team bhedzjo, Sachin aur Saurav dono. Ready rehna, instructions baad meinGaitonde is speaking in code here: 'Set up fielding in London. Send two teams, Sachin and Saurav both. Stay ready, instructions will be sent later'. So he wants his subordinates to get ready for action in London; fielding—as in cricket—refers to getting people in place. 'Sachin' and 'Saurav' are code names for two of his own men; he's using the names of two very famous cricketers, Sachin Tendulkar and Saurav Ganguly.

lurkaoLiterally, 'to tumble', or to 'throw over'. Therefore, to kill.

maderchodMotherfucker, motherfucking.

maghaiA variety of leaf used in the making of sweet paan.

Mai reAn exclamation, 'O mother!'

maidanAn open field, park, or square.

Main zindagi ka saath nibhaata chala gaya This is a line from a song from the Hindi film Hum Dono ('The Two of Us', 1961): 'I went along, keeping my faith with life…'

MajnooThis is a reference to an old folktale that is popular all over South Asia and the Mideast, the story of Laila and Majnoo. 'Majnoo' means 'mad' in Arabic. This is the name given to a well-born young man named Qais, who is separated from his beloved Laila by her father, who wants to marry her to someone else. Qais, in despair, leaves home and wanders in the desert, hungry and ragged, and for his frenzy and ecstatic love is called 'Majnoo' by the people. He eventually dies of starvation, still bereft. Laila kills herself on the day of her wedding.

makhmali andhera Part of a line from a song from the Hindi film Sharmilee ('The Shy One', 1971): 'The darkness is velvet…'

malaiCream.

MamtaLiterally, 'mother's love'. Often used as a proper name.

MamuAn affectionate way of saying 'Mama', uncle—mother's brother.

Man ja ay khuda, itni si hai dua These are lines from a song from the Hindi film Yes, Boss (1997): 'Listen to me, God, grant me only this little wish…'

mandvaliA negotiation, settlement or compromise.

mangalsutraA necklace of black beads, worn by married women.

MantralayaThe state administrative headquarters or state ministry in Bombay ('mantri' is 'minister').

manuvadiManu was the author of the text Manusmriti , from which orthodox Hinduism draws many of its laws and practises, including the persecution and exploitation of the lower castes. A 'manuvadi' is follower of Manu, which is to say someone from the upper castes.

marad sala aisaich hota hai She's saying, in typical Bombay Hindi, 'Bastard men are like this'.

MarathaA group of Marathi-speaking castes from Maharashtra. They have traditionally been warriors and cultivators.

MarwariSomeone from Marwar, a region in Rajasthan. Marwaris—stereotypically—are known as sharp traders.

mathadi workersLoaders, as in dockyards.

matkaThe illegal numbers game in Bombay, which is very big business.

mausambiSweet lime.

mausiAunt—mother's sister.

MEAMinistry of External Affairs (at the national level).

mehbooba mehbooba Part of a song from the famous Hindi film Sholay ('Embers', 1975). 'Beloved, o my beloved…'

mehndiHenna.

mere desh ki dharti sona ugle, ugle heere moti A line from a song from the Hindi film Upkar ('Good Works', 1967): 'The earth of my country gives forth gold, it gives pearls and jewels'. The song is sung in the film by a farmer, so he's talking about the richness of his land.

Mere sahiba, kaun jaane gun tere?This is from a 'shabad'. The literal meaning of 'shabad'—in Punjabi—is 'word'. Here, in this context, 'shabad' is the revealed word of Vaheguru, God; this is a line from a hymn or verse from the Guru Granth Sahib, the holy book of the Sikhs. It translates, roughly, into something like, 'O Lord, who can know your qualities?'

Mere sapnon ki rani kab aaye gi tu, aayi rut mastaani kab aaye gi tu… This is a line from a song from the Hindi film Aradhana ('Worship', 1969). 'Oh queen of my dreams, when will you come? The intoxicating season has come, when will you come?'

monaiA low stool.

muchchad'Much' or 'mooch' is a moustache. A 'muchchad' is someone with an especially impressive moustache.

musstFine, flashy.

nadaDrawstring.

nakhrasThis is Urdu for 'coquetry, blandishments, charm, delicacy'. There's not a word or concept in English that's exactly appropriate for this very South Asian behaviour. The nearest one can come to it is to say that it consists of very delicate, very feminine flirtation that is understood by all sides to be partly artifice.

NamaskarSynonymous with 'namaste'—a respectful greeting; the palms are folded in front of the chest as the person says this.

narangiLiterally, the orange fruit. Here, it is used as the name of a flavoured liquor.

natevaikRelatives, the community that one is a part of.

nau-numberLiterally, 'Number 9'. Bombay slang term for policemen.

neemA native Indian tree ( Azadirachta indica ). The leaves and branches have numerous medicinal properties. Twigs from the neem are used as toothbrushes.

NikkiLiterally, 'small'. In this book, used as a term to address Prabhjot Kaur.

NirodhA brand name for a condom introduced by the Government of India a few decades ago. These condoms are distributed free, and the advertisements for them were once ubiquitous.

nullahA small open waterway. Often, sewers empty into nullahs.

OBCAn abbreviation for 'Other Backward Caste', which is one of the classifications listed in the Indian constitution.

Om evam saraswatye namahAn invocation from a classical Sanskrit text: 'Om! I honour the goddess Saraswati…'

One, two, chal shuru hoja This is a line from a song from the Hindi film Humjoli ('Friend', 1970): 'One, two, let's start…'

paanA sweet or savoury palate-cleanser made from various fillings folded within betel leaves.

paesA rice dish (sometimes transliterated as 'pej').

pag ghungru baandh Mira naachi thi A line from a song from the Hindi film Namak Halal ('Faithful', 1982): 'With anklets on, Mira danced…'

paisa phek, tamasha dekh'Throw money, watch the spectacle'.

palluThe loose end of a woman's sari, usually worn over the shoulder.

paltuTame.

PAN Card'PAN' stands for 'Permanent Account Number', which all taxpayers are required to have by the Income Tax department.

panchnamaA first listing of the evidence and findings that a police officer makes at the scene of a crime. The document has to be signed by the investigating officer and two supposedly impartial witnesses.