DACOIT a member of an Indian or Burmese armed robber band.
DALITS untouchables, low caste; means 'suppressed' or 'crushed.'
DANDASANA POSITION in yoga the simplest form of the sitting position.
DHABA roadside eatery, popular with truck drivers in northern India, which serves spicy Punjabi food.
DHARMA a Sanskrit term that refers to a person's righteous duty or any virtuous path.
DHOBI person who washes clothes.
DISHDASHA an ankle-length garment similar to a robe worn in the Arab world, most commonly in the Gulf states.
DIYAS a lamp usually made of clay with a cotton wick dipped in vegetable oil.
DOSA a South Indian crepe made from rice and lentils.
DOUBLE-ROLE one actor often playing two opposing roles (good brother/bad brother) in Indian films.
DOUBLE ROTI sliced white bread.
DUPATTA in women's dress, a scarf usually worn over the head and shoulders, made of cotton, georgette, silk, chiffon, etc.
GHEE clarified butter.
GOBI cauliflower.
GOONDAS thugs or miscreants.
GORA/GORI a light-skinned person; the term is often used in reference to Westerners.
'HAAN-JI' Hindi for 'yes, sir/madam.'
'HAI!' an exclamation indicating surprise or shock.
HAKIM a Muslim physician.
HALDI turmeric, deep orange-yellow spice made from the rhizomes of the turmeric plant.
HALVA a dessert made from wheat flour, semolina, lentils or grated carrots mixed with sugar and ghee and topped with almonds. Often served in Hindu and Sikh temples as blessed food for worshippers to eat following prayers.
HIJRA a member of 'the third sex,' neither man nor woman. Most are physically male or intersex (formerly known as hermaphrodites). Some are female. Hijras usually refer to themselves as female and dress as women. Although they are usually referred to in English as 'eunuchs,' relatively few have any genital modifications. A third gender has existed in the subcontinent from the earliest records, and was clearly acknow ledged in Vedic culture, throughout the history of Hinduism, as well as in the royal courts of Islamic rulers.
HINDUSTAN AMBASSADOR until recently India's national car. The design, which has changed little since production started in 1957, is similar to the British Morris Oxford.
INCHARGE noun meaning 'boss.'
JAINS a small but influential and generally wealthy religious minority with at least 10 million followers.
'JALDI KARO' Hindi for 'hurry up.'
JALEBI pretzel-shaped, bright orange sweet made of fried batter soaked in sugar syrup.
JAO! 'Go!'
JEERA cumin seeds.
-JI honorific attached to the end of nouns.
'JI' 'yes.'
KACHORIS a snack eaten in north India and Pakistan. The Rajasthani variety is a round flattened ball made of fine flour filled with a baked stuffing of yellow daal, beans, gram flour, red chili powder and other spices.
KADI CHAWAL Kadi is made from gram flour fried in butter and mixed with buttermilk or yogurt to produce a spicy, sour curry. Served with chawal, rice.
KATHI ROLL a type of street food similar to a sand-wichlike wrap, usually stuffed with chicken tikka or lamb, onion and green chutney.
KHANA Hindi for food.
KHICHRI a cupful of rice cooked with yellow lentils and spiced with cumin, salt and coriander. Generally eaten when one is sick or in need of comfort food.
KHUKURI a carved Nepalese knife used as a tool and weapon.
KIRPAN a ceremonial sword or dagger that all baptized Sikhs are supposed to wear.
KITTY PARTY women in India organize kitty parties to socialize, but also as an interest- free way of loaning one another money. The kitty is a collective fund. The carefully chosen guests bring their next installment of cash to each party. One name is drawn from a hat, with that woman receiving twelve installments all at once to use as she pleases.
KOH-I-NOOR the 'Mountain of Light,' a 105-karat (21.6 g) diamond that belonged to various Mughal and Persian rulers and is now part of the British crown jewels.
KOHL a mixture of soot and other ingredients used predominantly by Middle Eastern, north African, sub-Saharan African and South Asian women (and to a lesser extent men) to darken the eyelids and as mascara for the eyelashes.
KOORAY WALLAH one who collects the rubbish. See car-saaf-wallah.
KUNDAN a style of jewelry dating back to Mughal times in which precious and semi- precious stones are set in pure gold, often with colored enamel at the back, so that each piece of jewelry has two equally beautiful surfaces.
KURTA PAJAMA long shirt and drawstring trousers.
KSHATRIYA the military and ruling order of the traditional Vedic-Hindu social system as outlined by the Vedas; the warrior caste.
LADOOS a sweet that is often prepared to celebrate festivals or household events such as weddings. Essentially, ladoos are flour balls cooked in sugar syrup.
LAKH a unit in the Indian numbering system equal to 100,000.
LAL MIRCH ground red cayenne pepper.
'LAO' Hindi for 'bring.'
LASSI drink made from buttermilk; can be plain, sweet or salty, or made with fruit such as banana or mango.
LATHI length of bamboo or cane carried by police or schoolmasters.
LOAD SHEDDING a phrase referring to the period when Indian power companies cut off the electricity to different neighborhoods when they cannot meet demand.
LUNGI a garment that covers the lower half of the body and is tied around the waist.
'MAADERCHOD' literally 'motherfucker' in Punjabi.
MAALISH oil massage.
MALI gardener.
MANDE THUNIS a turban worn by the Coorg men of southern Karnataka.
MANGAL SUTRA a symbol of Hindu marriage, consisting of a gold ornament strung from a yellow thread, a string of black beads or a gold chain. It is comparable to a Western wedding ring and is worn by a married woman until her husband's death.
MANGLIK astrological term referring to a person born under the negative influence of Mars. It is believed that a non-Manglik marrying a Manglik will die. Two Mangliks marrying each other cancel out the negative effects. Mangliks can also perform a ceremony in which they 'marry' a tree or a golden idol to transfer their bad luck.
