Reading "A Suitable Boy"

"... and back-to-back with them sat Lata and Malati--both dressed in salwaar-kameez..." (p. 25) Salwaar-kameez is traditional clot...

"... 'You have a nice voice. Like a bulbul.' ..." (p. 25) The word “bulbul” may come from Persian or Turkish word for ...

The tonga clip-clopped along the road, and the tonga -wallah sang... (p. 25) Tonga, or tanga , is a horse-drawn carriage commonly used for ...

"Presumably [the nuptial room] would be fragrant with tuberoses;..." (p. 24) Tuberose is a perennial plant native to Central Ameri...

... the guests, some chewing paan, were departing at the gate; ... (p. 23) Paan refers to Betel leaves usually filled with areca nuts. Other...

Some of the early editions of Ghalib can't be traced now; ... (p. 22) Ghalib was a classical poet of India, who lived in the 19th centur...

Maan quoted a couplet from an Urdu ghazal to the effect that the hunter could turn into the hunted, ... (p. 21) A ghazal is a form of poe...