3. Dakhni emerged in the Deccan Plateau during the 1300s. It is similar to Urdu and Khari Boli, a western Hindi dialect. It is the lingua franca for most Muslims of the Deccan and some non-Muslims of the region as well.
4. R. Nath, Private Lives of the Mughals in India (1526–1803 AD) (New Delhi: Rupa Publications, 2004).
5. Kayasth is a caste or community of Hindus. Kayasths are considered to be members of the literate scribe caste, and have historically acted as keepers of records and public accounts, writers and administrators of the state, serving as ministers and advisers in early medieval Indian kingdoms and the Mughal empire, and even held important administrative positions during the British Raj.
6. The Musi river, now a drying river, divides the city of Hyderabad in two halves—the old city and the new city.
7. Al Buraq is a mythical creature in the Koran, smaller than a mule and bigger than a donkey, described as a creature from the heavens which transported the prophets.
Chapter 10: The Bhisti Wallahs of Calcutta
1. ‘Badshahs’ here refer to Muhammad Shah and the kings ruling under him, according to the timeline and information provided by Nawazuddin. Muhammad Shah headed the fast-dilapidating Mughal dynasty in the early-seventeenth century. He was the grandson of the Mughal emperor Bahadur Shah I.
2. Samuel Murray, Seven Legs Across the Seas: A Printer’s Impressions of Many Lands (General Books, 2012).
3. John Forbes Watson and John William Kaye, People of India, vol. IV (London: W.H. Allen and Co, 1868–1875).
4. Animal skins, as those of cows and buffaloes were considered sacred and, hence, it was considered unholy for Hindus to use water stored in the same.
5. Drum beaters are another set of fading ancient professionals who serve as human alarms, waking people up during the months of Ramadan for their morning prayers.
6. Tangra or China Town, once humming with more than 350 tanneries, is in decline due to the dwindling number of Chinese residents who ran the tanneries. The residents are now about 1200-odd, from the estimated 23,000 in the early-Independence years.
7. Soumitra Das, ‘The Last Days of Gunga Din’, Telegraph, 3 January 2010; available online at http://www.telegraphindia.com/1100103/jsp/calcutta/story_11934114.jsp.
Chapter 11: The Letter Writers of Bombay
1. A clause in the Posts and Telegraphs Manual states: ‘In case of a large head office or its town sub-offices, the superintendent may, when he considers it advisable, lease out the right to use the post office premises for this purpose to a contractor . . . and is justifiable only when the interests of the public can be served, i.e., when it is possible thereby to secure trustworthy writers who will do the work at least as well and at as low rates as other professional writers.’ Under the scheme, hundreds of professional letter-writers sat outside post offices across India, within the premises, writing letters for the illiterate and ‘every post office will be supplied by the Superintendent with printed notices (MS-42) in English and the vernacular showing the fixed scale of fees.’
2. S.M. Street is Calicut was known to produce fountain pens and related paraphernalia. The production started in the early 1950s and still continues till today in a few shops.
3. Historian Najaf Haider says the katibs, or scribes, of the Mughal era were the predecessors of today’s letter writers who wrote letters for kings and commoners. See ‘Training of a Clerical Elite in Peninsular India, c. 1300–1800’, Indian Economic and Social History Review 47, no. 4, Sage Publications, 2010; and D.N. Jha, ed., The Development of a Nation: Essays in Memory of R.S. Sharma (New Delhi: Manohar Publications, 2014).
Glossary
adda The fusion of cups of tea and the endless exchange of words that provides intellectual stimulus, or just a spontaneous gathering that occurs recurrently with a similar set of people; the topic of interests may range from politics to movies to science.
Aghoris Post-mortem ritual performers.
Allah pak ki azmat se ‘It is the greatness of Allah’.
alta Red pigment used to paint the hands and feet.
atta Flour used for making rotis and breads.
azan The Muslim call for prayer.
babus They were the neo-urban rich Bengali men during the late- eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, fostered mostly by the zamindari system in the colonial Calcutta. In the modern world, the term refers to government officials.
badam Almond.
bajra Pearl millet.
baksa Suitcases.
batasha Semi-spherical white-coloured sugar-cakes.
bhai Brother.
bhajan A Hindu devotional song.
Bhangi A lower caste according to the Hindu caste system; even Dalit castes classed as backward such as the dhobi (washermen) are socially higher than the Bhangis, who are described as ‘outcasts even amongst outcasts’.
bhisti wallah Water carrier.
bichhoo A scorpion.
burka A long piece of clothing that covers the face and body worn Muslim women.
chakkar Dizziness.
chakki A stone mill used for grinding.
chameli ke phool Jasmine flowers.
charpoy A light bedstead comprising a web of rope or tape netting.
chela A favoured servant.
chillum A hookah, or a small pipe used for smoking cannabis.
chira Bengali flattened rice.
choli A blouse.
coolie An unskilled labourer employed cheaply to lift heavy luggage.
Dugar A clan lineage.
dumkuria A shed with a hay roof and mud walls.
elaichi Cardamom.
fakir A Muslim religious ascetic who lives solely on alms.
Ganga Maiyya Goddess Ganga. Maiyya means ‘mother’.
ghats A broad flight of steps leading down to the bank of a river in India, used especially by bathers.
ghee Clarified butter.
ghungroo Small metallic bells strung together to form a tinkling, musical anklet.
gobar Cow dung.
gulab Rose.
hafta Illegal use of one’s official position or powers, mostly by goons and syndicates, to extort money.
haleem A Muslim delicacy, popular in Hyderabad, made of wheat, barley, meat (usually beef or mutton, but sometimes chicken or minced meat), lentils and spices, and slow-cooked for seven to eight hours.
haveli Mansions in the Indian subcontinent belonging originally to royalty, often with historical and architectural significance.
huzoor Respected sir.
jajman Customers.
jihad An Islamic term referring to the religious duty of Muslims to maintain the religion; in Arabic, the word jihād is a noun meaning ‘to strive, to apply oneself, to struggle, to persevere’.
jharokha A type of overhanging enclosed balcony often seen in Rajasthani architecture.
jubba A long robe.
Jum’ah A congregational prayer that Muslims hold every Friday, just after noon in the place of dhuhr.
kabootar Pigeon.
kabootarbaaz Pigeon fliers.
kabootarkhana A house for pigeons, complete with dovecote.
kaju Cashewnut.
khala Father’s sister.
khandaani Running in the family for generations.
Khat Script.
khus-khus Poppy seeds.
khus Vetiver.
khushkhati Calligraphy in Urdu.
khushnavisi Calligraphy as it is referred to in Persian.
Kufic The earliest extant Islamic style of the handwritten alphabet that was used by early Muslims to record the Koran.
kul purohit The title ‘tirth purohit’ or ‘kul purohit’ simply means ‘priest of the pilgrimage centre’.
kumkum During the marriage ceremony, the groom applies a coloured powder, kumkum to the parting of the bride’s hair as a part of the Hindu marriage ceremony, signifying their marriage. Once widowed, a woman is not supposed to wear kumkum.
kurta Long sleeved hip-length upper garment worn
in the Indian subcontinent.
kushti Wrestling.
kutiya A small hut.
laddus Balls of sweets made from various ingredients—the base being a mixture of sugar and shortening and then shaped into a ball.
lajja Modesty.
lassi A sweet or savoury yoghurt milk made with thick yogurt and water.
lathi A heavy pole or stick.
Mahapatras Funeral ritual performers.
mandir Temple.
mashq A traditional water-carrying bag, usually made of waterproofed goatskin, from North India.
masjid Mosque.
mithai Indian sweets.
moksha The emancipation or freedom from the cycle of death and rebirth (in terms of Hindu philosophy).
Muharram A month of mourning in remembrance of the martyrdom of Imam Hussein, the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad. Shiite Muslims flagellate themselves during a Muharram procession, often drawing blood from their bodies.
mustahab The duties recommended, but not essential, the fulfilment of which is rewarded, though they may be neglected without punishment.
nana Maternal grandfather.
nasal Breed.
oath commissioner A formal appointment or commission that governments give to individuals empowering them to certify the oath of another person upon documents such as affidavits.
odhni A dupatta or light stole.
paan A preparation of betel leaf together with betel nuts and lime. Upon being chewed, the combination produces red-coloured juices, staining one’s mouth.
paap ‘Sin’ in Hinduism.
pak saaf(i) To be clean (in terms of Islam).
pandit A Hindu scholar learned in Sanskrit and Hindu philosophy and religion; typically also a practising priest.
panji Extensive genealogical records maintained among the Maithil Brahmins, except that they were also expected to rote-learn the records.
para A Bengali term which means ‘a neighbourhood’, usually characterized by a strong sense of community.
pie One-sixth of a cent back when Samuel Murray first wrote the book in 1918.
pitaji Father.
qalam A type of thin, long pen made from a dried reed; used for Islamic calligraphy.
qalamtrash Scissors for the reed pen.
qiblah The direction of the Kaaba (the sacred building at Mecca), to which Muslims turn to during prayers.
randi A prostitute.
rangoli A folk art in which patterns are created on the floor in living rooms or courtyards using materials such as coloured rice, dry flour, coloured sand or flower petals.
registan Desert.
roti Flat bread.
salan A popular Hyderabadi dish, also known as mirchi ka salan, it has long deep-fried chillies in a gravy with a predominant flavour of peanuts, sesame and cumin.
sangri Khejri (Prosopis cineraria) fruits or pods are locally called sangar or sangri. Dried green sangri is used as a delicious dried vegetable, and the unripe sangri is used in the preparation of curries and pickles.
sardar A title used before the names of Sikh men.
sarpanch The village headman and the focal point of contact between government officers and the local community.
shaukeen Zealous fanciers of objects or things.
shayari Poetry.
shubhraj A poem or a speech delivered by the Manganiyars in praise of a jajman and his family to ensure their well-being and also, in a way, to remember their family lineage.
Sundar hai na? ‘Isnt it beautiful?’
suniye Listen.
sura A chapter of the Koran. There are 114 chapters in all, each divided into verses.
tasbeeh A set or string of prayer beads used by Muslims as a counting aid in reciting the titles of Allah and during meditation.
tashreef laiye ‘Please come in’.
telivaina ‘Brilliant’ in Telugu.
thakur A feudal title that literally means ‘lord’ in Hindi. The word thakurani means the wife of a thakur. The big zamindars of yore often used thakur as their title or surname, and was also employed as the feudal title by rulers of the former princely states of India.
tilak A mark worn by a Hindu on the forehead to indicate caste, status, sect, or as an ornament.
toddy The naturally alcoholic sap of some kinds of palm, used as a beverage in tropical countries.
tukda A set of pigeons usually trained together.
tummeda The large black carpenter bee (in Telugu).
ustad An expert or a highly skilled person.
zaikedar Delicious.
zarda Milk with rice noodles and nuts.
Bibliography
Chapter 1: The Godna Artists of Jharkhand
1. Anderson, Clare. ‘Godna: Inscribing Indian Convicts in the Nineteenth Century’. In Written on the Body: The Tattoo in European and American History, edited by Jane Caplan. London: Reaktion Books, 2000.
2. Chima, Jugdep S. Ethnic Subnationalist Insurgencies in South Asia: Identities, Interests and Challenges to State Authority. New York: Routledge, 2015.
3. Dr Saroj Rai and Rajendra Rai, the latter known as the Laal Sahib of the royal family of Ranchi, in discussion with the author, March, 2015.
4. Gupte, S. Gajrani. ‘Notes on Female Tattoo Designs in India’. In History, Religion and Culture of India, Volume 4. 1902.
5. Patnaik, Nityananda. Folklore of Tribal Communities: Oral Literature of the Santals, Kharias and Oraons. New Delhi: Gyan Publishing House, 2002.
6. Peterson, John (Universität Leipzig). ‘A Kharia–English Lexicon’. Himalayan Linguistics (0)1 (2009): https://escholarship.org/uc/item/4566c4bw.
7. Rao, C.H., ‘Note on Tattooing in India and Burma’, Anthropos 37 (1946): 175–79.
8. Roy, S.C. ‘Birth and Childhood Ceremonies among the Oraons’. Journal of the Bihar and Orissa Research Society (1915).
9. Website: India: Land of Eternal Ink, Lars Krutak: http://www.vanishingtattoo.com/india_tattoo_history.htm.
Chapter 2: The Rudaalis of Rajasthan
1. Gahlot, Jagdish Singh Gahlot. Rajasthan: A Socio-Economic Study. Jodhpur: Rajasthan Sahitya Mandir, 1981.
2. Gupta, R.K. and Bakshi, S.R. Studies in Indian History: Rajasthan through the Ages. New Delhi: Sarup and Sons, 2008.
3. Indian Journal of Social Development 3.
4. Jamanadas, K. ‘The Rajput Period Was Dark Age of India’. http://www.ambedkar.org/research/Rajput_Period_Was_Dark_Age_Of_India.htm.
5. Kapoor, Priya. ‘Rudali (The Lamenter): Mourning as Cultural Practice’. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the International Communication Association. New Orleans, 27 May 2004.
6. Lutz, Tom. Crying: The Natural and Cultural History of Tears. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 1994.
7. Sekher, Ajay. ‘Gender, Caste and Fiction: A Bahujan Reading of Mahasweta Devi’s Rudali’. Economic and Political Weekly 41, 42 (21–27 October 2006).
8. Singh, K.S. and Lavani, B.K., eds., People of India: Rajasthan, Volume 1, Anthropological Survey of India. New Delhi: Popular Prakashan, 1998.
Chapter 3: The Genealogists of Haridwar
1. Basu, Soma. Salvation for Seers, Curse for Farmers. Down to Earth (February 2013).
2. Genealogical Journal 1–5. Utah Genealogical Association, 1972.
3. Lochtefeld, James. God’s Gateway: Identity and Meaning in a Hindu Pilgrimage Place. New York: Oxford University Press, 2010.
4. McKean, Lise. Divine Enterprise: Gurus and the Hindu Nationalist Movement. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1996.
5. Menon, Dilip M. Cultural History of Modern India. New Delhi: Social Science Press, 2006.
6. Shoumatoff, Alex. The Mountain of Names, Reporter at Large. New Yorker Magazine (May 1985).
Chapter 4: The Kabootarbaaz of Old Delhi
1. ‘Allāmī, Abū’l-Fażl. The Ain i Akbari. Translated by H. Blochmann and H.S. Jarrett. Calcutta: Asiatic Society of Bengal, 1873.
2. Dalrymple, William. City of Djinns: A Year in Delhi. New Delhi: P
enguin Books India, 2003.
3. Dayal, Maheshwar. Rediscovering Delhi: The Story of Shahjahanabad. New Delhi: S. Chand Publishing, 1975.
4. Eraly, Abraham. Emperors of the Peacock Throne: The Saga of the Great Mughals. New Delhi: Penguin Books India, 2007.
5. Greenberg, Joel. A Feathered River Across the Sky: The Passenger Pigeon’s Flight to Extinction. New York: Bloomsbury USA, 2014.
6. Marathon in the Sky: The Story of Pigeon Racing. Directed by Jim Jenner. Paccom Films, 1990.
7. Monserrate, S.J. The Commentary of Father Monserrate on His Journey to the Court of Akbar. Translated by J.S. Hoyland. London: Humphrey Milford, Oxford University Press, 1922.
8. Mustard, Amanda. ‘Finding Respite among Cairo’s Pigeon Fanciers’. Interview by Janna Dotschkal. National Geographic (20 January 2015).
9. PETA. ‘Investigation Exposes Pigeon-Racing Cruelty’. http://www.peta.org/features/pigeon-racing-investigation/
10. Rapson, Edward James, Haig, Wolseley and Bur, Richard. The Cambridge History of India 4. New Delhi: S. Chand Publishing, 1963.
Chapter 5: The Storytellers of Andhra
1. Brandon, James R., ed. The Cambridge Guide to Asian Theatre. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1993.
2. Dhanaraju, Vulli. ‘The Telangana Movement (1946–1951): Folklore Perspective’. International Journal of Social Science Tomorrow 1, no. 8 (2012).
3. Kaushal, Molly. Chanted Narratives: The Living ‘Katha-Vachana’ Tradition. New Delhi: Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts, 2001.
4. Varadpand, Manohar Laxman. History of Indian Theatre 2. New Delhi: Abhinav Publications, 1992.
Chapter 6: The Street Dentists of Baroda
1. Constable, Nicole, ed. Guest People: Hakka Identity in China and Abroad. Seattle: University of Washington Press, 1996.
The Lost Generation Page 17