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Animal’s People

Page 40

by Indra Sinha


  aghori—ascetic devotee of Siva, typically naked, whose meditation is death

  alaap—slow opening exploration of a raga’s scale

  Ambassador—Morris Oxford car, made in India under licence

  Amrika—America

  anaar—pomegranate

  arré—an exclamation, like “hey!”

  Ashara Mubarak—the eve of the 10th of Muharram

  asteen ka saamp—literally the snake up your sleeve, traitor

  baar sau chees—Animal’s nonsense inversion of chaar sau bees (q.v.)

  bada batola—a braggart, big mouth

  badmaash—rascal

  baingan—aubergine

  baingan bharta—aubergine baked on coals, peeled, mashed and spiced

  bakra banaana—to scapegoat

  bakwaas—nonsense

  barfi—milky sweets, of a fudge-like texture

  basti—literally village, but in Khaufpur means a poor community

  battameez kutté, main tumhe nasht kar doonga—Shameless dog, I’ll destroy you.

  beedi—leaf-rolled cigarette

  behanchod—sisterfucker

  bhai, bhaiya—brother, often used as a term of affection as in Zafar bhai

  bhang—intoxicating drink made from cannabis leaves

  bhatt-bhatt sooar—bhutt-bhutt-pig. A large three-wheel vehicle, it can carry thirty people and gets its name from the noise it makes and its ugly upturned snout above the front wheel.

  bhayaanak rasa—the emotion of dread, terror

  bhel-puri—a popular street snack

  Bhimpalashri—afternoon raga,

  bhonsdi-ka—fart-born

  Bilaval—raga whose scale is almost identical with western C major scale

  biryani—a dish of meat in rice

  Brahma—in Hinduism the Creator god

  burqa—the black head-to-toe robe with eyegrill of some Muslim women

  chaar sau bees—420, refers to section 420 of the Indian Penal Code which deals with cheating

  cha-hussain—a gullible fool, someone who’s taken for a ride

  chai—tea

  chai chappa chai—a song from the film HuTu Tu, 1998

  chakra—circle

  channa—chickpeas

  chapaat-zapaat—nonsense phrase made up by Animal to signify excitement

  chappati—flat bread, roti

  chataka—a kind of swallow, said to drink only raindrops

  chuna lagaana—to deceive someone, to make an idiot of them

  daal—lentils

  dada—godfather, criminal ganglord

  dadi—grandmother

  daru—crudely distilled liquor

  datura—Datura strammonium (Jimson weed), a highly poisonous plant

  Deshkar—raga of scale

  dhaap—as the sound suggests, a heavy slap

  dhaivat—sixth note of the Indian scale, equivalent of “la”

  dha pa ga—notes of the Indian system, sa re ga ma pa dha ni sa

  dholak—double-ended drum slung round the drummer’s neck

  dikhlot—good looking

  elaichi—betel nut, see supari

  enteena ko strain karo—strain your antenna, i.e., think harder

  fataak—bang! crack!

  fillum khatam—lit. film over; you’ve missed it

  frangipani—Plumeria rubra (indica), fragrant white or pink whorled flowers

  galla mandi—vegetable market

  gandhara—third note of the Indian scale, equivalent of “mi”

  garooli—Animal’s nonsense word for a cigarette

  gaya zamaana—past age

  ghurr-ghurr—to stare

  ghusspuss—usually whispering, but here means the beast with two backs

  goonda—thug, heavy, muscle

  government-waali—of the government

  guftagoo—conversation

  gulli—narrow alley

  gup, gupshup—shooting the breeze

  gutka—perfumed and sweetened chewing tobacco, a speciality of Khaufpur

  guttu ghumana—to charm, or cast a spell on someone

  guzz—one of Elli’s rare mistakes, she meant ghuss, or squeeze

  haathi—elephant

  hashish—cannabis resin

  hindi mein samjhaun?—Should I tell you in Hindi? i.e., Do I have to spell it out?

  holi—Spring festival of colours

  imli—tamarind

  Inglis—English

  Isa—Jesus

  Isayi—Christian

  ishtoo—stew

  itraana—to be a bit too clever, protest too much

  jaan—life

  jaanvar—animal

  jahã jaan hai, jahaan hai—While we have life, we have the world.

  jahaan—the world

  jarnail—corruption of English “general��

  jhadoo—household broom, made of a bundle of long grass stems

  jugaad—a great idea; a jugaadu, a genius of good ideas

  juloos—demonstration march

  jungli—wild

  kaané—cross-eyed

  kabbadi—a rough game, involving wrestling opponents to the ground

  kachambar—cucumber chunks with pepper and lime juice

  Kali—Hindu mother goddess, dark goddess of death and destruction

  kameez—long loose shirt, usually worn over

  shalwar (q.v.)

  kankana—ever youthful, full of energy

  karnail—corruption of English “colonel”

  khã—Khaufpuri term of familiarity like “mate.” See yaar.

  khaañsi—a cough

  kheer—a milky pudding

  khuda hafez—lit. God protect you, in Farsi. Used as a farewell.

  kismiss—what English sounds like to non-English speakers

  KLPD, khade lund pe dhoka—betrayal of the erect dick, used of disappointments

  kulcha—flat breads, thicker than a chappati, not as thick as a naan

  kurta—fine embroidered muslin shirt worn by men and women

  kushti—wrestling

  kutiya ki aulad—son of a bitch

  kya main Hindi mein samjhaun—See hindi mein samjhaun?

  kyõ khã?—So, friend?

  laal imli ka gatagat—tamarind pieces in salt and spices, sold as a chew

  laat sahib—a big shot, corruption of English “Lord sahib”

  langur—long-tailed monkey

  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, id
entical 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/.

  Table of Contents

  Cover

  Colophon

  Title Page

  Dedication

  Copyright

  EDITOR’S NOTE

  TAPE ONE

  TAPE TWO

  TAPE THREE

  TAPE FOUR

  TAPE FIVE

  TAPE SIX

  TAPE SEVEN

  TAPE EIGHT

  TAPE NINE

  TAPE TEN

  TAPE ELEVEN

  TAPE TWELVE

  TAPE THIRTEEN

  TAPE FOURTEEN

  TAPE FIFTEEN

  TAPE SIXTEEN

  TAPE SEVENTEEN

  TAPE EIGHTEEN

  TAPE NINETEEN

  TAPE TWENTY

  TAPE TWENTY-ONE

  TAPE TWENTY-TWO

  TAPE TWENTY-THREE

 

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