Laxshman (Laxsh/man) The first syllable is pronounced ‘Lucksh’ – i.e. ‘luck’ with an ‘sh’ added on; ‘man’ rhymes with ‘bun’. Laxshman was Ram’s younger half-brother, the son of King Dashrat and Queen Sumitra and the twin of Shatrughan.
Masoom Ali (Ma/soom A/li) ‘Ma’ rhymes with ‘pa’; ‘soom’ rhymes with ‘boom’; the ‘A’ is like the ‘A’ in America; ‘li’ rhymes with ‘bee’. He was one of my grandfather’s chauffeurs when I was little.
Mathura (Math/u/ra) The ‘a’ in ‘Math’ is like the ‘u’ in ‘but’ – the ‘th’ sound does not exist in English but is closest to the ‘th’ in ‘think’; The ‘u’ sounds like the ‘ou’ in ‘could’; ‘ra’ rhymes with ‘ma’. Mathura, a holy city of many temples, is on the bank of the Yamuna River in Uttar Pradesh. It is the birthplace of Krishna.
Mustik (Mus/tik) ‘Mus’ rhymes with ‘bus’; ‘tik’ rhymes with ‘lick’ – the ‘t’ is soft. Mustik was a wrestler employed by King Kans. He was killed by Krishna’s brother, Balram.
Nanda (Nan/da) ‘Nan’ rhymes with ‘bun’; ‘da’ rhymes with ‘ma’. Nanda was Krishna’s uncle and Yashoda’s husband. Since he raised Krishna from infancy, he is often referred to as Krishna’s father.
Neem (Neem) ‘Neem’ rhymes with ‘seem’. A neem tree is exceedingly shady. Its bitter, but medicinally potent, twigs are used as a combination of toothpaste and toothbrush. Its fruit, though inedible, is good for medicines.
Padmini (Pad/min/i) ‘Pad’ rhymes with ‘dud’ – only the ‘d’ is soft; ‘min’ rhymes with ‘tin’; the final ‘i’ is like the ‘ee’ in ‘bee’. A fictional character and the fifth wife of King Rudra.
Parvati (Par/vat/i) ‘Par’ rhymes with ‘bar’; the ‘a’ in ‘vat’ is like the ‘u’ in ‘but’ – the ‘t’ is soft; the final ‘i’ is like the ‘ee’ in ‘bee’. Parvati is the wife of Shiva and the daughter of the Himalaya Mountains. She is a goddess who can take many forms, from gentle to bloodthirsty. She can be called an Earth Mother (as she is in the story of Karvachauth) or Devi (as she is during the Nine Days’ Festival) or Gauri as she is at Gungaur.
Pootana (Poot/a/na) ‘Poot’ rhymes with ‘boot’ – only the ‘t’ is soft; the ‘a’ is like the ‘A’ in ‘America’; ‘na’ rhymes with ‘ma’. Pootana was a wicked demon. She tried to kill the infant Krishna by disguising herself as a wet-nurse and putting poison on her nipples.
Prahlad (Prah/lad) The ‘a’ in ‘Prah’ is like the ‘a’ in ‘bank’; the ‘a’ in ‘lad’ is like the ‘a’ in ‘calm’ – the ‘d’ is soft. Prahlad was the son of Hiranya Kashyap. Unlike his father, he was a devotee of God. His father tried, unsuccessfully, to have him killed for this very reason.
Rahu (Ra/hu) ‘Ra’ rhymes with ‘ma’; ‘hu’ is said just like the English word ‘who’. Sometimes called a planet and at others the King of Meteors, Rahu is known chiefly for causing the eclipse of the sun and moon.
Ram (Ram) ‘Ram’ rhymes with ‘calm’. Ram lived before Christ and is the hero of the ancient Hindu epic, the Ramayan. Born as a prince and an heir, he eventually inherited the kingdom of Kosala in Uttar Pradesh. His father was King Dashrat and his mother Queen Kaushalya. Sita was his wife. Ram was just, honest, honourable and a brave warrior. He is worshipped in India as he is thought to be an incarnation of the god Vishnu.
Ravan (Ra/van) ‘Ra’ rhymes with ‘ma’; ‘van’ rhymes with ‘bun’. Ravan was the wicked demon king of Lanka (now called Sri Lanka). He had ten heads and twenty arms and was eventually killed in battle by Ram.
Rohini (Ro/hin/i) ‘Ro’ rhymes with ‘bow’; ‘hin’ rhymes with ‘tin’; ‘i’ rhymes with ‘bee’. A fictional character and the fourth wife of King Rudra.
Rudra (Rud/ra) ‘Rud’ rhymes with ‘could’ only the ‘d’ is soft; ‘ra’ rhymes with ‘ma’. This is a fictional character. King Rudra had seven queens, all sisters.
Rukmani (Ruk/man/i) ‘Ruk’ rhymes with ‘book’; ‘man’ rhymes with ‘bun’; ‘i’ rhymes with ‘bee’. A fictional character in my story, the first wife of King Rudra.
Sa’ab (Sa’ab) The two ‘a’s together are pronounced like the ‘a’ in ‘calm’. Sa’ab is the short form of ‘sahib’ which is a term of respect, rather like ‘sir’.
Saryu (Sar/yu) The ‘a’ in ‘sar’ is like the ‘u’ in ‘but’; ‘yu’ is pronounced just like the English ‘you’. The River Saryu flowed beside the ancient town of Ayodhya in what is now the state of Uttar Pradesh.
Satyavan (Sat/ya/van) ‘Sat’ rhymes with ‘but’; the ‘a’ in ‘ya’ is like the ‘o’ in ‘come’; the ‘a’ in ‘van’ is like the ‘a’ in ‘calm’. Satyavan is a mythological figure – the good woodcutter who married the good princess, Savitri.
Savitri (Sa/vit/ri) ‘Sa’ rhymes with ‘ma’; ‘vit’ rhymes with ‘sit’; ‘ri’ rhymes with ‘bee’. Savitri is a mythological figure who symbolizes wifely devotion. She was the princess who married Satyavan, a poor woodcutter.
Shalini (Sha/lin/i) ‘Sha’ rhymes with ‘ma’; ‘lin’ rhymes with ‘tin’; ‘i’ rhymes with ‘bee’. A fictional character and the third wife of King Rudra.
Shatrughan (Shat/ru/ghan) ‘Shat’ is said very much like ‘shut’ only the ‘t’ is soft; ‘ru’ rhymes with ‘blue’; there is no ‘gh’ sound in English – try saying ‘big house’ and then you will get the ‘gh’ sound – ‘ghan’ rhymes with ‘bun’. Shatrughan was Ram’s younger half-brother, the son of King Dashrat and Queen Sumitra and the twin of Laxshman.
Shiva (Shiv/a) ‘Shiv’ rhymes with ‘give’; the final ‘a’ is like the ‘A’ in ‘America’. Shiva, also called Mahesh, is part of the Hindu trinity of gods, Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva. Shiva both destroys life and recreates it (Brahma creates it, Vishnu preserves it). Shiva has a blue throat, four arms and sometimes five faces. He does the dance of creation over the world to keep it spinning.
Shravan Kumar (Shrav/an Ku/mar) ‘Shrav’ rhymes with ‘dove’; ‘an’ rhymes with ‘bun’; the ‘u’ in ‘Ku’ is like the ‘ou’ in ‘could’; ‘mar’ rhymes with ‘bar’. Shravan Kumar was the good son of blind parents who was accidentally shot by King Dashrat. He often symbolizes a son’s devotion and sense of duty towards his parents.
Sita (Si/ta) ‘Si’ rhymes with ‘bee’; ‘ta’ rhymes with ‘ma’ – the ‘t’ is soft. Sita was Ram’s wife and King Janak’s daughter. She was good, kind, honourable and totally devoted to her husband.
Sugreev (Su/greev) The ‘u’ in ‘Su’ is like the ‘ou’ in ‘could’; ‘greev’ is pronounced exactly like ‘grieve’. Sugreev, a monkey, was the King of the Kingdom of Monkeys and Bears in what is now thought to be a region of Mysore. He was dethroned by his brother but later won his kingdom back with the help of Ram and his friend, the monkey chieftain, Hanuman.
Sumitra (Su/mit/ra) The ‘u’ in ‘Su’ is like the ‘u’ in ‘put’, ‘mit’ almost rhymes with ‘bit’, only the ‘t’ is soft; ‘ra’ rhymes with ‘ma’. Sumitra was King Dashrat’s second wife and the mother of the twin princes, Laxshman and Shatrughan. The twin boys were Ram’s half-brothers.
Vasudev (Va/su/dev) ‘Va’ rhymes with ‘ma’; ‘su’ rhymes with ‘do’; ‘dev’ rhymes with ‘save’. Vasudev was Krishna’s father and Devaki’s husband.
Vishnu (Vish/nu) ‘Vish’ rhymes with ‘dish’; ‘nu’ rhymes with ‘boo’. Vishnu is part of the trinity of Hindu gods, Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva. Vishnu preserves life (Brahma creates it, Shiva destroys it and can recreate it). Hindus believe that Vishnu reincarnated himself in both Ram and Krishna.
Yamraj (Yam/raj) ‘Yam’ rhymes with ‘hum’; the ‘a’ in ‘raj’ is like the ‘a’ in ‘calm’ – the ‘j’ is like the ‘j’ in ‘jam’. Yamraj is the King of the Underworld and the God of the Dead.
Yamuna (Yam/u/na) ‘Yam’ rhymes with ‘mum’; the ‘u’ is said like the ‘oo’ in ‘book’; ‘na’ rhymes with ‘ma’. The Yamuna River is a tributary of the Ganges River. It starts in the Himalaya Mountains and flows through the cities
of Delhi, Mathura and Agra to join the Ganges at Allahabad.
Yashoda (Yash/o/da) ‘Yash’ rhymes with ‘hush’; the ‘o’ rhymes with ‘no’; ‘da’ rhymes with ‘ma’ – the ‘d’ is soft. Yashoda was Krishna’s aunt, his father Vasudev’s sister and Nanda’s wife. Since she raised Krishna from infancy, she is often referred to as Krishna’s mother.
Acknowledgements
I wish to express my deep thanks to the many members of my very large family who have helped me. It was Prem Bhua who started me off, and Kiran Bhua and Shammo Bhua who kept supplying the missing pieces. I would like to thank my bhabi, Asha (who in turn consulted her father, Kash Bhua and her sister), for her methodical and invaluable research, Brijda for looking up Moon Days in the almanac, Inder Bhabi and Suneeta for providing strategic support, Kattojiji for putting up with my intrusive tape-recorder not once but twice and for feeding me karhi and rice into the bargain, Bina for directing me to Kattojiji, Asha (of Asha-Rama) for being generous with her memories and for taking a gerbil off my hands, and Zia for her painstaking assistance with the proofs.
I would also like to thank the Department of Tourism, Government of India, as well as the External Affairs Ministry Government of India for their invaluable help.
1933 Madhur Jaffrey is born in Delhi
She lives in her grandfather’s big house, with her five brothers and sisters. As well as Madhur’s family, there are several aunts, uncles and their families also living in the same house
1955 After school, she comes to Britain and trains as an actress at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London. She works in Britain and in America, and appears in more than twenty films, as well as on TV, radio and the stage
She is so horrified by British food – grey, watery and overcooked – that she asks her mother to send her Indian recipes. These come regularly, in airmail letters
1959 When they are living in New York, Madhur and her husband Saeed are able to introduce Ismail Merchant from Bombay to James Ivory, from California. Merchant and Ivory are both interested in making films, and the four become good friends as they meet to discuss different ideas. Madhur cooks large dinners for them all! She also has parts in Merchant Ivory films
1966 An article about Madhur and her cooking appears in the American newspaper The New York Times. As a result, she is asked to write a cookery book
1973 An Invitation to Indian Cooking is published, based on the recipes Madhur’s mother airmailed to her when she was a student. Afterwards, she teaches Indian cooking in New York, and makes a series on the subject for the BBC. Her recipes become very popular, and she writes many more cookery books
2006 Publishes her memoir of childhood, Climbing the Mango Trees
Madhur Jaffrey has three daughters
Interesting Fact
Madhur Jaffrey likes to plant trees – especially fruit trees in her orchard.
Where Did the Story Come From?
Part of this story comes from the author remembering her life as a small girl in Delhi, and the things she did with all her family in her grandfather’s big house.
Each year there were holidays and festivals, which had special stories attached to them, and another part of this book is made up of some of the tales as told by her mother – or an aunt or another relative – to the author and to the other children. Many of these are about the gods and heroes of India. They are old, old stories, told aloud to children and adults for many hundreds of years. They are taken from the great religious epics that make up part of India’s ancient literature.
As well as these, there are stories that weren’t especially associated with a particular day, but had been told by the author’s family for generations.
Every story had a moral. Whatever it was about – gods or kings, poor girls or animals – good behaviour is rewarded, and those who behave badly are punished.
Guess Who?
A ‘You are taking my husband’s soul away. Why don’t you take me as well? I cannot live without him.’
B ‘I will get the boy. You wait. He is not getting away from me.’
C ‘If you help us get back into our palace and throw our wicked king out, then we will get all our brilliant monkeys and bears together to help you find your Sita.’
D ‘If we just toss this child into the fire, he will squirm and run out. Since you have been granted the boon of never being burnt by fire, why don’t you take Prahlad in your arms, walk into the flames and sit down …’
E The same sun that will burn our skins will ripen our mangoes and fill them with the sweetest juice. We will throw these mangoes into tubs of ice and later feast on them …
ANSWERS:
A) Savitri
B) King Kans
C) Hanuman
D) Hiranya Kashyap
E) Madhur Jaffrey
Words Glorious Words!
Lots of words have several different meanings – here are a few you’ll find in this Puffin book. Use a dictionary or look them up online to find other definitions.
conch shell a large spiral shell which can be used as a musical instrument like a trumpet
crone an ugly old woman
flying discs flying discs – or chakrams – were Indian war weapons, used by throwing them at the enemy. The discs came in different sizes and had a sharpened edge
halva soft sweets made in Eastern and Southern Asia out of grains and nuts
hermit someone living alone, with little or no contact with other people. A hermit may choose to live like this for religious reasons
korma a mild curry, in which meat or fish is soaked in yoghurt
league a distance of about three miles
loincloth a piece of cloth worn round the hips. It is often the only thing worn by men in hot climates
longevity long life
mace a club with a spiky metal head, used as a weapon
monsoon a seasonal wind in South Asia. When it blows from the south-west, it brings rain, and this rainy time is also called ‘monsoon’
nectar a sweet liquid hidden in flowers, collected by bees to make honey
phaeton carriage a light carriage with four wheels, drawn by horses
pilaf a spiced rice dish, often containing meat or vegetables
potent having power or influence
Quink a brand of ink used for dip pens and fountain pens
sackcloth coarsely-woven cloth made from flax or hemp, often worn as a sign of sorrow or mourning
sacrifice giving up something valuable – maybe an animal or a possession – for the sake of something more important. Sacrifices are often made to gods
sage a wise man
slough cast off, like a snake’s skin
terracotta a reddish-brown clay often used to make ornaments and decorations on buildings. It is not glazed
Quiz
Thinking caps on – Let’s see how much you can remember! Answers are on the next page. (No peeking!)
1 Which god was born in a prison, and was taken to another country to save his life?
a) Vishnu
b) Shiva
c) Krishna
d) Indra
2 What did Ram give his brother as a sign he was king?
a) A scarf
b) His sandals
c) A sword
d) A crown
3 What was Hanuman?
a) A golden deer
b) A bear
c) An elephant
d) A monkey
4 Which household object was specially used for Divali?
a) A water pot
b) A cooking pot
c) A frying pan
d) An oil lamp
5 Who advised a loving sister to pretend to be mad at her brother’s wedding in order to save his life?
a) A cook
b) A potter
c) A stonecutter
d) A washerman
6 The goddess Parvati allowed an orphan girl, who had lived in a forest before marrying a king, and gaining a castle, parents, serv
ants … How long could they visit this wonderful place before the magic ended?
a) Three hours
b) Six hours
c) A day
d) A week
ANSWERS:
1) c
2) b
3) d
4) d
5) c
6) a
The weather forecaster on TV says there won’t be a hurricane – but on the night of 15–16 October Britain is hit by the worst storm in 300 years. Winds of up to 115 miles an hour cause about £2 billion worth of damage. Fifteen million trees are blown down, many homes are damaged and every road in Hampshire is closed. Electricity supplies are cut – some people don’t get their power back for weeks.
Other disasters include the sinking of the cross-channel ferry Herald of Free Enterprise as it leaves Zeebrugge harbour, and a bad fire at King’s Cross underground station.
Work begins on the Channel Tunnel, linking England and France.
In England, the first criminal is convicted using DNA evidence.
The year is shortened by one second to fit the Gregorian calendar exactly.
The Simpsons appear on TV for the first time.
Richard Branson and Per Lindstrand make the first transatlantic crossing in a hot-air balloon, 27,809 miles from Maine to Ireland.
The Walt Disney Company and France agree to construct an amusement park – now called Disneyland Paris – near Paris.
Make and Do
Concoct a perfume for Pootana!
Wicked King Kans wanted to kill baby Krishna, and sent the dreadful demon Pootana to be his nurse and get rid of him. Pootana was very smelly. What would she like as a perfume?
YOU WILL NEED:
❋ A pencil
❋ A piece of paper
❋ A clothes peg to put on your nose if this gets really smelly!
Seasons of Splendour Page 13
