The Delhi Detective's Handbook
Page 11
H
HALF-PANTS
shorts.
HAVELI
private mansion, sometimes with architectural or historical significance.
HIJRA
eunuch.
I
INCHARGE
the person in charge, the boss.
J
JALEBI
a sweet made from batter fried in swirls and then soaked in sugar syrup.
JASOOS
spy or private detective.
JAWAN
a male constable or soldier.
“JI”
honorific suffix, meaning sir.
JUGAAD
an improvised arrangement or workaround that has to be used because of a lack of resources.
K
KABARI WALLAH
an individual who collects recyclable refuse from households; most are Dalits.
KARA
a steel or iron bracelet worn by Sikhs.
KHANA
Hindi for food.
KIRPAN
a short sword or knife with a curved blade.
KITTY PARTY
a social event usually held by women. A kitty is a collective fund.
KSHATRIYA
the military and ruling order of the traditional Vedic-Hindu social system as outlined by the Vedas; the warrior caste.
KUMBH MELA
a mass Hindu pilgrimage of faith during which pilgrims bathe in a holy river.
KURTA PYJAMA
long shirt with fitted pyjamas.
L
LAKH
a unit in the Indian numbering system, equal to a hundred thousand.
LIZER
derived from liaise, a fixer and go-between.
LOAD SHEDDING
electrical power cut.
M
MALAS
prayer beads.
MANDIR
a place of worship for followers of Hinduism.
MASALA
a mixture of spices.
METRO
a city or big town.
MOTU
slang for fatty.
N
NAMASTE
traditional Hindu greeting said with hands pressed together.
NANGOO
naked.
NATIVE PLACE
home, generally means the village.
NAWAB
an honorific title ratified and bestowed by the reigning Mughal emperor to semi-autonomous Muslim of princely state.
NETA
a politician.
P
PAAN
betel leaf, stuffed with betel nut, lime and other condiments and used as a stimulant.
PAGAL
literally crazy, but generally understood as “idiot”.
PAKORA
fried snack.
PASS-OUT
high school or university graduate.
PATIALA PEG
this is about 50 percent larger than a shot glass. Originated in the Punjabi city of Patiala.
PEG
a unit of measurement for alcoholic spirits. Peg measures can hold anywhere from 1 to 2 fluid ounces (30-60ml).
PORTABLE
a mobile or cell phone.
PRASAD
offerings of fruit or sweetmeats sanctified in front of deities during prayer and then passed to devotees to consume as blessings.
PUJA
The act of showing reverence to a god, spirit or aspect of divine through invocations, prayers etc.
PUKKA
Hindi word meaning solid, well made. Also means definitely.
PUNDIT or PANDIT
a scholar or a teacher.
PURANAS
Sanskrit sacred writings containing Hindu legends and folklore.
PURSE
handbag.
R
RUDRAKSHA BEADS
prayer beads or seeds from an evergreen tree.
S
SADHU or SANYASI
a Hindu who has renounced all his material possessions and adopted the life of begging for survival.
SAFARI SUIT
a square-cut short-sleeved jacket with a broad collar unbuttoned at the top, epaulettes and four pockets, worn with long pants; usually khaki or sky blue and popular in India until the late 1990s.
SAHIB
an Urdu honorific now used across South Asia as a term of respect, equivalent to the English “sir”.
SALWAR KAMEEZ
baggy cotton trousers and long shirt.
SATTRIS
spies in ancient India.
SCOOTIE
a scooter or motorbike.
SHAADI
wedding.
SHEHNAI
a musical instrument similar to the oboe.
SHIVA
a Hindu god.
SONF
fennel seeds.
SUBZI
vegetables.
T
TAMASHA
a form of theatre in western India, but in colloquial Hindi it means a public spectacle.
TIFFIN
a lunch box, invariably made of stainless steel and consisting of a number of round containers that stack on top of one another.
TIMEPASS
Indian English for lazing about, doing something trivial to pass the time of day.
TOLLY
drunk.
TRIBALS
term used to describe indigenous tribal people of India.
TULLI
Punjabi slang for drunk.
U
UTTAR PRADESH
the most populous state in India, with a population of more than 200 million people.
W
WALLAH
generic term in Hindi meaning “the one”. Hence “auto wallah”, “phool (flower) wallah”, “chai wallah”, etc.
Y
“YAAR”
equivalent to “pal,” “mate” or “dude”.
PHOTO CREDITS:
Page 23, Sadhus by Jorge Royan
Page 27, Patthargarh fort outside Najibabad, Uttar Pradesh, India by the British Library
Page 30, Aconite at Wikimedia Commons
Page 31, 221b Baker St. by gailf548 from New York State, USA
Page 33, Camel by Tarquin Hall
Page 39, The Susruta-Samhita or Sahottara-Tantra at Wikimedia Commons
Page 41, The handprint from http://forensicpsych.umwblogs.org
Page 42, Azizul Haq from http://mahfuzurrahman.com
Page 43, From a book, Ancient Indian Literature: An Anthology by Sahitya Akademi (New Delhi).
Page 44, Aryabhatta by Cpjha13
Page 48, Krishna at Wikimedia Commons (left), Water pollution by Mila Adam (right).
Page 49, traffic jam in Delhi by http://www.flickr.com/photos/lingara
Page 50-51, Gurgaon by Dinesh Pratap Singh
Page 52-53, Delhi map by Delhi Tourism
Page 62, Chopper at wikipedia.org (top), Coal mine Dhanbad at Wikimedia Commons (bottom).
Page 63, Local Train in Agarpara Station by Tanmoy Bhaduri (top), phone at wikimedia.org (middle), India vs Malaysia Hockey Match CWG 2010 by Rohit Markande (bottom)
Page 71, Miniature Pinscher by Sebastian Wallin
Page 74, Hindu marriage ceremony by Jaisingh Rathore
Page 77, Kumbh Mela by Tarquin Hall
Page 86, Delhi cityscape by Tarquin Hall
Page 90, Delhi street by Tarquin Hall
Page 102, Mangalsutra by Parekh Cards
Page 103, Labourer by pixabay
Page 112, Paan making by Pamri
Page 113, Frogman suit by United States Navy
Page 118, Vegetable vendor by Biswarup Ganguly (top), Preswallah by Wybe at nl.wikipedia (bottom)
Page 119, Knife sharpening wallah by Tarquin Hall
Page 120, Auto courtesy Bajaj Auto Ltd (top), Autorickshaw by Tarquin Hall (bottom)
Page 123, Turbaned Indian by pixabay
Page 124, Dhaba Menu at flickr
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br /> Page 125, Bioscope by Biswarup Ganguly
Page 137, Sonf by Howcheng
Page 140, Samosa by pixabay
Page 141, Pakoras by Ekabhishek (top), Chole Chature by Satyajit Dhawale (bottom)
Page 142, Golgappa by Kumaar75 (top), Franky by Deepak mwsd (bottom)
Page 143, Kachori by SomGod9 (top), Kakoro Kabab by Shashwat Nagpal
Page 144, Connaught Place by ShashankSharma2511 (top), Butter Chicken by Michael Hays (bottom)
Page 145, Jalebi by Jain.saiyam
Page 149, Bates courtesy Bates
Page 151, Wax by http://menmustachestyles.com
Page 153, Car Driver by McKay Savage
Page 154, Facade courtesy Gymkhana
Page 157, Handshake by U.S. Department of State (top), Tea and water by pexels (bottom)
Page 159, photo by Tarquin Hall
Page 162, Shukracharya and Kacha Ramnadayandatta by Shastri Pandey
Page 163, Mahavira by Jules Jain
Page 164, Lajpat Nagar Market by Ville Miettinen
Page 165, Old Delhi Railway Station by Johannes Bader
Page 166, Jat Sikh Lahore from The People of India: A Series of Photographic Illustrations
Page 168, Jugaad by Etan Doronne www.myindiaexperience.com
Page 172, Rigveda at Wikimedia Commons
Page 174, Indian Family by Pixabay
Page 175, photo by Tarquin Hall
Page 176, photo by Mellisa Anthony Jones
Page 177, Photographer by Pixabay
Page 178, Supreme Court by Legaleagle86 at en.wikipedia
Page 180, photo by Shah Nikhil Kanekal
Page 182, photo by B-noa
Page 187, photos by Tarquin Hall
Read all four of Tarquin Hall’s celebrated novels, chronicling Vish Puri’s most challenging cases til date.
The Case of the Missing Servant, The Case of the Man Who Died Laughing, The Case of the Deadly Butter Chicken and The Case of the Love Commandos are available worldwide in all formats.
The case of the missing servant
When a public litigator is accused of murdering his maidservant, it takes all of Puri’s considerable resources to investigate. With his team of undercover operatives, Puri combines modern techniques with principles of detection established in India more than two thousand years ago, and reveals modern India in all its seething complexity.
“These books are little gems. They are beautifully written, amusing, and intensely readable.”
Alexander McCall Smith
“Hall writes amusing mysteries… [his] affectionate humour is embedded with barbs.”
New York Times
“A seething slice of the sub-continent.” The Times
The case of the man who died laughing
On the lawn of a grand boulevard in Delhi, the goddess Kali appears and plunges a sword into a prominent Indian scientist, who dies in a fit of giggles. Vish Puri doesn’t believe the murder is a supernatural occurrence. To get at the truth, he travels from the slum where India’s hereditary magicians must be persuaded to reveal their secrets, to the holy city of Haridwar on the Ganges.
The case of the deadly butter chicken
When the elderly father of a Pakistani cricketer playing in the multi-million-dollar Indian Premier League dies during a post-match dinner, it’s not a simple case of Delhi Belly. His butter chicken has been poisoned. The clues lead Puri into hostile Pakistan. But to crack the case he must work with the one person with whom he has sworn never to collaborate: his Mummy-ji.
“In addition to having created a marvellous literary personage in Puri… Hall has a fine grasp of the nuances of north Indian life and lingo.”
India Today
“India captured in all its pungent, vivid glory, fascinates almost as much as the crime itself.”
Entertainment Weekly
The case of the love commandos
India’s Love Commandos rescue a young woman from a high caste family bent on marrying an untouchable student called Ram. But the young man is a no-show at the wedding. To find him, Vish Puri must travel deep into the badlands of rural India where the local politics is shaped by millennia-old caste prejudices. His arch-rival, the unethical yet capable Hari Kumar, is also after Ram, and won’t hesitate to use every trick in the book to capture his man.
Find more information at www.tarquinhall.com.
You can also visit the interactive Vish Puri website at www.vishpuri.com and follow him on Facebook.
1. #1 Case of the Missing Servant #2 Case of the Man Who Died Laughing #3 Case of the Deadly Butter Chicken #4 Case of the Love Commandos.
2. To name a few: Simon & Schuster (USA), Random House (UK & India), McClelland & Stewart (Canada). In so many of territories, Mr. Tarkin’s accounts have been recorded as audio books also.
3. For example, in Case of the Man Who Died Laughing, he put 1847 as the date for the War of Independence (by God!). But at later date he assured me it was corrected in further editions.
4 At this juncture I should like to thank my executive secretary Madam Rani who was good enough to type up my dictation. Mr. Tarquin also contributed on the editing side.
5 322 to 185 before the Christ.
6 Case of the Love Commandos.
7 Should our politicians take example of Arthashastra, India would surely be a better place all round. They should heed Chanakya’s words: “A king who observes his duty of protecting his people justly, according to law, goes to heaven, unlike one who does not protect his people, or inflicts unjust punishment.”
8. According to an English dictionary this word has the following meaning: “the theory of knowledge, especially with regard to its methods, validity, and scope, and the distinction between justified belief and opinion”.
9. Her book is Print and Pleasure: Popular Literature and Entertaining Fictions in Colonian North India and it is published by Permanent Black, Ranikhet, 2009.
10 Meaning to form judgments by a process of logic and reason.
11 A French man and pioneer of detective fiction.
12 Source: Wikipedia.
13 Source: Wikipedia.
14 Evolution of Forensic Medicine in India.
15 A traditional preparation originating from India used for cosmetic purposes.
16 Source: Evolution of Forensic Medicine in India.
17 “The Forgotten Indian Pioneers of Fingerprint Science”, Current Science, Vol.88, No.1 10 January 2005.
18 Wikipedia
19 Contrary to popular belief, the original version did not have illustrations. But nowadays illustrated editions are readily available in good bookshops. There is even a pop-up version, in fact.
20 Fourth Estate, London, 1999.
21 Macmillan, New York, 1967.
22 An instrument with a graduated arc of 60 degrees and a sighting mechanism, used for measuring the angular distances between objects and especially for taking altitudes in navigation and surveying.
23 Nowadays prices are through the roof thanks to speculators and brokers and corrupt local officials working hand-in-glove with developers. It is like Wild West we can say.
24 See “Delhi in 2014”, report in Daily Express, January 3, 2015.
25 Often it is referred to nowadays as “National Crime Region”.
26 According to National Human Rights Commission.
27 Even fire exits were blocked.
28 This is surely a misspelling by the newspaper, should read “thigh”. Standards these days are sloppy to say the least.
29 I have noticed so many of people doing the same. Why is beyond me. They would not hand over their wallet to the waiter after all and ask him to take out the cash for the bill!
30 In actual fact Koli was convicted of 5 murders with 11 remaining “unsolved”. Koli was awarded death sentence and would have been hanged, but Ghaziabad jail lacked hanging facilities. In time Koli’s death sentence was commuted to life sentence.
31 Professor Kumar is known to me and is
a thoroughly decent fellow it should be noted.
32 Times of India, July 6, 2014, “Swiss Accounts are a Diversion. Bulk of Black Money is Right Here in India.”
33 Appropriately entitled Black Economy in India.
34 Stands for chartered accountant.
35 To find out who killed Faheem Khan exactly I took it upon myself to travel to the one place where I swore I would never once set foot: that is Pakistan. Really my life was in grave danger what with so many Taliban types around wanting my head on a platter. Yet I prevailed and returned safe and sound, going on to clear up the mystery once and for all, while bringing down India’s largest betting racket.
36 Thus I directed one of my undercover operatives to infiltrate a certain village in the heart of the UP badlands where Yadavs ruled by force and heroin was getting processed illegally. Through exposing the wrongdoing of certain senior politicians and bringing the evidence to the public’s attention, a number of powerful heads rolled, although I am pleased to report one of them was not mine.
37 Being individuals from Nagaland, in north-east India.
38 Dowry was made illegal in 1961 under the Dowry Prevention Act and Most Private Investigators Ltd. in no way approves the custom. My personal view is that it is out dated and when my eldest daughter tied the knot I refused to give even one kidney bean to her future in-laws, despite their insistence that I provide one Maruti Suzuki.