Bangle Ceremony

Mrs Rupa Mehra's brother, whom the family very rarely met, had earlier in the day taken charge of the bangle ceremony. (p. 14)

The bangle ceremony is one of Indian wedding rituals that often takes place the day before the wedding. During the ceremony, the bride's maternal uncle puts red and white bangles, the churha (also spelled "choora" or "chura"), on the bride's wrists. Then the bride's female friends and relatives tie ornaments of beaten gold and silver, the kalira, to the bangles.

References:

• Hindu Weddings on The Wedding Travelers
• Punjabi Wedding on MapsOfIndia.com
• Sikh Wedding on ILoveIndia.com
• Choora on Wikipedia.com

Ayah

'...Precious, you have smut on your nose,' she [Meenakshi] added to Aparna, half looking around to tell an imaginary ayah to wipe it off with a handkerchief. (p.12)

Ayah is a female domestic servant in India, usually a maid and a nanny.

References:

• Ayah on thefreedictionary.com
• Ayah on Wikipedia

Bhai

And what would you know about bounding, Arun Bhai? thought Lata to herself. (p. 11)

Bhai means "brother" in Hindi.

References:

• Discussion about "Bhai" on forum.wordreference.com

Choli

She [Meenakshi] herself was wearing a green-and-gold sari of Banaras silk, with a green choli that exposed more of her midriff than Brahmpur society was normally privileged or prepared to see. (p. 10)

A choli is short-sleeve, midriff-baring blouse usually worn with a sari.

References:

• Choli on Wikipedia

Banaras Silk Sari

She [Meenakshi] herself was wearing a green-and-gold sari of Banaras silk... (p. 10)

Banaras, also known as Benares and Varanasi, is an ancient city situated on the River Ganges in the Northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. The city is considered holy in Hinduism. It is also the home of the Banaras Hindu University. Banaras is sometimes referred to as the "culture capital of India".

The city is also famous for its saris and silk. Banarasi saris maybe the finest saris in India.

References:

• Sari on Wikipedia
• Banarasi on Wikipedia
• Banaras on Wikipedia
• The state of Uttar Pradesh on Wikipedia

Daadi

'I went to find Daadi,' began Aparna. (p. 10)

Daadi means "grandmother" in Urdu.

References:

• Daadi in Urdu Dictionary
• Daadi in UrduWord.com

The above references differentiate between Urdu and Roman Urdu. I was curious what the difference was. A quick web search revealed that Roman Urdu is the name by which people refer to the Urdu language written in the Roman alphabet. Roman Urdu is commonly used on the internet due to limitations in the technology for using the Urdu script.

Achkan

'Well,' said Maan, flicking a rose-petal off his beautiful tight white achkan, 'you're not laughing at me, are you?' (p. 8)

Achkan is a long jacket, that originated in India and is now commonly worn in South Asia. This long-sleeved knee length jacket represents a westernized form of traditional clothing.

References:

• Achkan on Wikipedia

The Congress Party

'And he [Mahesh Kapoor] greeted, before he had walked ten steps a professor of literature...; two influential members of the state legislature from the Congress Party...' (p. 7)

The Congress Party, better known as the Indian National Congress (INC), is the major political party of India. Founded in 1885, it led Indian Independence Movement against the British rule.

At this time in the novel, Jawaharlal Nehru is at the head of the Congress Party.

References:

• Indian National Congress on Wikipedia

Baoji

'Yes, Baoji,' said Maan... (p. 6)

Maan repeatedly addresses his father "Baoji". Later in the book, Mrs Rupa Mehra starts a letter to her father with "Dearest Baoji" (p. 44).

I was unable to find anything about the word "Baoji," but a friend of mine from Mumbai assures me that "Baoji" is the word for "father" in Punjabi.