Animal's People: A Novel

by Indra Sinha

  lassi—a yoghurt drink

  latkan—a helpmeet, a benefactor, a close mate

  look london talk tokyo—a case of a bad squint

  Lukhnawi—from Lucknow, a city renowned for its courteous speech

  lund—schlong, dick, penis

  lund latkayé—with dick dangling

  lund pasanda—the dick’s favourite

  madhyam—fourth note of the Indian scale, equivalent of “fa”

  Mala Sinha—film actress

  Malkauns—serious raga of the night

  marsiya—a Muharram song about the martyrdom of Imam Hussein

  masjid—mosque

  maut pade—lit. may you die; means To hell with you; can be a greeting

  mazaaq—fun, a fun jape

  mehboobi—beloved

  mela—fair

  miyañ—polite word meaning gentleman, a cultured person

  Muharram—Shi’a festival of mourning for the death of Imam Hussein

  munsipal—municipal

  murgi-ka-panja—Chicken Claw

  musaafir—traveller

  naala—an open drainage canal

  naan—flat unleavened loaf

  namaaz—a Muslim’s five-times-daily prayers

  naqsheen katora—one whose face is scarred by smallpox

  nasha—intoxication

  Naya Adalat—the new courthouse, which is two hundred years old

  neem—Azadirachta indica tree, bitter and astringent, used in herbal remedies

  nishada—seventh note of the Indian scale, equivalent of “ti”

  õ—nasal o, identical to the last syllable of French Proudhon

  oot pataang—nonsense

  ous raat—that night

  pancham—fifth note of the Indian scale, equivalent to “sol”

  pandu—contemptuous name for a policeman

  qasam Khuda ki—by god

  raakhee—a token tied by a girl on the wrist of a boy she regards as a brother

  raal tapkana—to drool, but in Khaufpur to stare, casting the evil eye

  raat-ki-rani—lit. Queen of the Night, night jasmine, cestrum nocturnum

  Rajshree—film actress

  Rampuri knife—switchblade with serrated edge, synonymous with gangsters

  Reshma—film actress

  risabha—second note of the Indian scale, equivalent of “re”

  romanchik—literally hair-raising, causing tiny hairs to stand on end

  roti—flat bread, chappati

  sa re ga—equivalent of do re mi in the Indian scale

  saala, saalé—used like English “bloody” (literally brother in law)

  sadak chhaap—street-stamped, used of street kids, hardened by that life

  Sadda Miyã ki tond—the belly of Sadda Miyã, a self-important person

  sadhu—a Hindu ascetic, one who has renounced the world

  sahib—title of respect, signifying a chief or boss

  santoor—large zither

  Saraswati—Hindu goddess of music and literature

  sarauta—nutcracker

  sardarji—a Sikh man

  sargam—the Indian solfège, sa re ga ma pa dha ni sa

  shabaash—well done

  shadja—first note of the Indian scale, equivalent of “do”

  shalwar—a pair of light loose trousers fitting closely round the ankles

  shalwar kameez—long loose shirt worn over a pyjama, with a scarf

  shamiana—a marquee tent, usually bright and heavily decorated

  Shammi Kapoor—film actor

  Shatrugan—Shatrugan Sinha, well known film villain

  shayiri—poetry, typically in a recital or contest

  sherwani—a fancy embroidered tunic

  Siva—Hindu god of dance, music, etc.; he is also the great destroyer

  supari—small pieces of betel nut, sweetened, used to freshen the breath

  taal—lake

  talaiyya—pond

  tamaasha—hoohah, spectacle

  tapori—a loafer, a spiv

  tauba tauba tauba—prayer to Allah meaning “forgive”

  thook—a spit

  topi pehnana—to make a dickhead of someone

  utar dena—to make someone else pay

  Vilayat—Europe

  vintage car—an older person who likes hanging around with the young

  wah wah—wow, bravo, bravissimo

  wali saheb—used of one who is simple-minded

  Waqar and Wasim—Waqar Younis & Wasim Akram, Pakistani swing bowlers

  X-ray—skeletal, how Zafar and Farouq looked during the hunger strike

  yaar—friend, chum, used like the English “mate”

  Yavanapuri—morning raga

  yoga sutras—classical treatises on yoga, the most famous is Patanjali’s

  zabri—prick, Lebanese slang Animal picked up who knows where

  zapaat—long and thin, like Zafar’s nose, a kingsize conk

  zari-work—intricate embroidery with gold and silver thread

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  INDRA SINHA was born in Bombay in 1950, the son of an Indian naval officer and an English writer. After attending schools in India and England, and reading English Literature at Cambridge, Sinha worked as an advertising copywriter in London before eventually leaving to write full time. His work of nonfiction, The Cybergypsies, and his first novel, The Death of Mr. Love, met with widespread critical acclaim. Sinha has for fifteen years raised funds for the medical relief of victims of the 1984 Union Carbide gas disaster in Bhopal, the events of which inspired Animal’s People. To learn more about Indra Sinha visit his Web site at http://www.indrasinha.com/.