My father, Dr. Ramesh Chandra Joshi, whose encyclopedic knowledge of India (and almost everything else!) comes in handy when I’m writing about India and her people, contributed to the engineering details of the Royal Jewel Cinema. Any misrepresentations thereof are down to me.
Ever supportive and encouraging, my brothers Madhup and Piyush Joshi read drafts of this story and provided helpful comments, as did friends Gratia Plante Trout, Lanny Udell, Christopher Ridenour, Ritika Kumar and David Armagnac.
For this book, I researched India’s gold industry and the myriad ways the metal is smuggled into the country. For Nimmi’s character, I read about various nomadic tribes of the Himalayas, some of whom herd buffaloes, others who shepherd goats and sheep—all of whom live hard lives. Their knowledge of herbal cures and remedies is essential to their survival in the mountains. A nomadic lifestyle makes it difficult for their children to get a formal education unless they move to town, which many have been forced to do because local laws make it difficult for them to get grazing permits.
I always save the best for last. Years ago, my husband, Bradley Jay Owens, saw something in me that led him to believe I could be a writer. And here I am. With both my profession and my partner in life, how did I get so lucky?
GLOSSARY OF TERMS
accha: okay, all right
ake, dho, theen: one, two, three
akelee: alone
aloo gobi subji: potato-cauliflower curried vegetable
aloo parantha: potato-filled flatbread
aloo tikki: fried potato patty
Amreeka: America, pronounced in Indian-English
angrezi: English
anna: small coin, like a penny
ara-garra-nathu-kara: a nobody
arré: Hey! Come on!
ayah: nanny
baat suno: Listen!
bahut accha: Very good!
baingan bharta: eggplant and onion vegetable
baksheesh: bribe
basmati: a type of rice
beedis: cheap Indian cigarettes
behenji: sister, respectful address for older female
besan laddus: chickpea-flour sweets
bevakoopf: fool, idiot
Bhagwan: God
bhai: brother, friendly term for a male friend
bheta/bheti: son/daughter
bibi: wife
bonjour: hello in French
brahmi: plant used in Ayurvedic medicine
building-walla: person who builds
bukwas: nonsense
burfi: cooked sweet made from milk
bush-shirt: T-shirt
chaat: general term for fried snack food
chai: Indian tea
chai-walla: person who sells chai
champaca: sweet-smelling flower
chapatti: whole wheat flatbread
chappals: sandals
chemali: tropical flower
chillum: a hookah, for smoking tobacco
chinta mat karo: don’t worry
chole subji: garbanzo curried vegetable
chowkidar: gateman
chunni: woman’s fabric head covering
cousin-sister or cousin-brother: someone not related by blood but close to you
dal: spicy lentil dish
dhobi: man who washes clothes for a living
dhoti: 4 to 7 yards of white cotton wrapped into a loose pant for men
dibba: box
doctrini: female doctor
ghee: clarified butter
goondas: bad men, gangsters
gore: white people
gulab jamun: dessert made with deep-fried paneer in a sugar syrup
gupshup: gossip
hahn-nah: Right? Isn’t that so?
Hai Ram: My God!
jharus: long-whiskered broom
jhumka: bell-like earrings
Ji: respectful address for women and men
joie de vivre: zest for life
kachori: deep-fried bread
kajal: black eyeliner
kheer: rice cooked in milk/cream dessert
khus-khus: handheld fan made of vetiver grass
koi baat nahee: It’s no big deal
kundan: type of jewelry with uncut gems
kurta: long-sleeved loose cotton top
lakin: but, except
lassi: cool buttermilk drink, sometimes sweetened with mango
lauki: type of squash
Maa: mother
maaf kar dijiye: please forgive me
mahoot: elephant trainer
mandala: circular design created for ceremonies
masala lauki: spicy zucchini squash curry
meena: type of jewelry with enameling
meenakaris: artisans who create enameled jewelry
MemSahib: madam
moong dal: type of lentil
Mummi: mother (anglicized version)
nag kesar: a type of tree in the Himalayas
nahee-nahee: no
namaste: hello and goodbye
nazar: evil eye, jinx
nimbu pani: sweet lemon-lime water
om: the universal vibration, a symbol of peace and harmony
paan: snack for adults with sweet masala and tobacco
padha-likha: educated (literally “read-write”)
pagal: crazy
paise: coins
pakoras: vegetables dipped in chickpea batter and fried
palak paneer: spinach and cheese vegetable
pallu: decorated end of a sari usually draped over the shoulder
pandit: priest
panipuri: a savory snack
parantha: stuffed whole wheat flatbread
patal: sharp knife used by shepherds
peepal: type of tree with large, flat leaves
pritam, priya: lover (male), lover (female)
puri: fried whole wheat flatbread
pyjama: the bottom half of a traditional man’s kurta-pyjama outfit
Pukkah Sahib: gentleman
rajai: quilt
rasmalai: a sweet milky dessert
rath ki rani: queen-of-the-night flower, gives off scent only at night
rickshaw-walla: one who pedals a rickshaw
rogan josh: a lamb curry