The Gurkha's Daughter
Page 20
khasi: goat meat
kuiree: white woman
Maaiju: Aunt
maiyya: sister-in-law
pagli: mad
potey: necklace worn by married women
saasu-buhaari: mother-in-law/daughter-in-law
shlokas: hymns
sindoor: vermilion powder worn on a married woman’s hair parting
sishnu: nettle leaves
Teez: festival observed by Hindu women for the wellness of their husbands
Tihaar: festival of lights; also known as Diwali
tole: neighborhood
tutey-futey: broken
Yeshu: Jesus
LET SLEEPING DOGS LIE
baandar: monkey
Bahini: sister
beedi: cigarette
Chui-Mui: tiny teddy bear that became popular after being featured in an Indian song called Chui-Mui
Dashain: Hindu festival celebrating the victory of good over evil
Eid: Muslim festival
haathi: elephant
kukkur: dog
lakhs: a lakh is a hundred thousand (rupees in this case)
meetha paan: betel leaf not coated with tobacco
Memsaab: Ma’am
Musalmaan: Muslim person
naani: child
Namaaz: prayer
Namaste: greeting by bringing the hands together
oooof: expression of dismissal
paan: betel leaf
paanwalla: shopkeeper
tamasha: spectacle
zardaa paan: betel leaf coated with tobacco
A FATHER’S JOURNEY
abbui: an expresskurtion of fear
arabpatis: billionaires
Baahun: Brahmin
Battis Mile: 32nd mile, a town near Gangtok
chulhai nimto: invitation for the entire family
chyaa: expression of disgust
crorepatis: millionaires
Femina: a women’s magazine
gundagiri: hooliganism
hajaarpattis: people worth thousands of rupees
Jaisi: Brahmin sub-caste
janaai: sacred thread
jwaai saab: son-in-law
Kaiyas: Kaiya (singular) is a derogatory, if widely used, term for a businessman of Indian origin
kundalis: horoscopes
kurta: loose-fitting shirt
Laal Bazaar: the farmers’ market in Gangtok
laddoos: ball-shaped sweets made of flour and sugar
lakhapatis: people worth lakhs (a lakh is a hundred thousand) of rupees
lobhi: miserly
Matwalis: castes that incorporate drinking in their rituals
Rakhi: sacred thread sisters tie around their brothers’ wrists. Sometimes, the Rakhi is used to establish fictive kinship (i.e. Rakhi brothers and sisters)
MISSED BLESSING
adda: place of assembly
bekaamey: useless
burfee: Indian sweetmeat
chema: aunt; mother’s younger sister
Dashain: Hindu festival that celebrates the victory of good over evil
khadas: silk scarves
kinema: fermented soya
mama: uncle; mother’s brother
naati: grandson
nana: sister
paneer: cottage cheese
parshad: offering to god
tika: blend of uncooked rice, yogurt, and vermilion smeared on one’s forehead by elders on the day of the Tika
Tika: the most important day of the Dashain festival, during which elders offer “tika” to youngsters
NO LAND IS HER LAND
aaimaai: woman
ban-baas: exile
bajiyaa: rascal
chamchagiri: sycophancy
chutiya: bastard
condo: butt
daura suruwal: traditional Nepali outfit worn by men
Dzongkha: the official language of Bhutan
gho: Bhutanese national costume for men
Haasnu rey: asking you to smile
khaini: tobacco
khukuri: curved Nepali knife
kira: Bhutanese national costume for women
kukkur: dog
loo hera: look at that
lyaa: Oh!
Marwari: from the Indian business community
Ram’s ban-baas: the fourteen-year exile of Rama, the Hindu god
randi: whore
singara: fried or baked triangular pastry with savory filling
thet: alas
wah: wow
THE GURKHA’S DAUGHTER
Aayo big Gorkhali: a popular song meaning “Here come the brave Gurkhas”
alooko achaar: potato salad
Appa: father
Bada: uncle
Badi: aunt
bhara-kuti: toy kitchen set
Budi: wife
cheena: astrological chart
dhog: gesture of joining the palms in front of one’s forehead
didi: an older sister or cousin
dosha: unfavorable alignment of stars
gauri bet: cane
gheeu: clarified butter
guniu-cholo: the traditional Nepalese outfit worn by women; a type of sari-blouse
havan: sacred fireplace
jaabo: useless
jardiyaa: alcoholic
kala sharpa dosha: the unfavorable alignment of stars
laurey: Gurkha soldier
Magar: a caste
Manglik: person born with the mangal dosha, usually considered unlucky
mit: name by which one summons one’s fictive brother, established by the miteri ceremony
miteri: fictive kinship
mitini: name by which one summons one’s fictive sister, established by the miteri ceremony
Numberee: term used by soldiers in the Gurkha regiment to summon others of the same year
pittu: team game played by toppling a slab of stones with a ball
puja: offering/prayer
Punditjee/pundit: priest
Ra-ra: a brand of noodles
safa tempo: a three-wheeled public transport vehicle
Sahib: officer
sel-roti: Nepali doughnut made of rice powder
tongba: alcohol
PASSING FANCY
Gayatri Mantra: a Vedic chant recited to remove obstacles
salaami: bonus win
THE IMMIGRANTS
Ammamama: oh my god
Baba: father
chee: expression to convey disgust
chee hou: expression to convey disdain
chutney: sauce
hapshis: blacks
kaam garne: servant
kurti: a loose shirt, shorter than the kurta