Shantaram Study Guide

Glossary of Terms

ambit

circuit; compass

ampoule

a small vial containing an injectable drug

anonyme

anonymous (French)

architraves

top section of a classical column

automatism

the quality or state of being automatic

baksheesh

bribes paid to government officials

beedie

small cigarette

Borsalino

rabbit fur hat beloved by Didier

canorous

melodious

chaikhanna

tea shop

chandu

opium

charras

hashish

chemurgic

industrial product developed from organic raw materials

chillum

hashish pipe; also, the amount of hashish smoked in said pipe

chrismal

holy oil used in anointing church garments

claustral

a cloistered area surrounded by arcades

concatenate

linked together

condign

deserved

D'Artagnan

character in The Three Musketeers known for his long thin mustache

dacoits

bandits

dhoti

loincloth

feculence

rottenness

garad

brown sugar heroin

gazal

a poetic song form

gibbous moon

A waning moon that was recently full.

gora

white person

Haji Ali Mosque

A major mosque in Bombay.

hysterectomy

operation involving the removal of the uterus

idyllise

portmanteau coinage combining idyll (short pastoral poem) and idolize

infrangible

not to be violated

jezail rifle

long musket-like rifle

Jonesville

Location of a famous mass-suicide by Kool-Aid.

kaftan

a full-length silk cloak

kurtah

shirt

lapin

rabbit (French)

Lord Byron

A famous Romantic poet.

Maharashtra

The Indian state of which Bombay (Mumbai) is the capital.

mandarin

pedantic official

Mandelbrot

Mathematician who first analyzed complex fractal patterns known as Mandelbrot sets.

Mandrax

A kind of Quaalude or depressant pill.

Marathi

The official, native language of Maharashtra.

martinet

a rigid disciplinarian

muezzin

singer who calls Muslims to prayer

Ned Kelly

legendary Australian criminal

paan

a kind of chewing tobacco

paanwalla

seller of paan

Perseus

A Greek mythological hero.

pillion

motorcycle saddle for a passenger

recidivist

a recurring criminal

rictal

in a gaping, grimacing manner

Sadiq Khan

A Sufi poet.

salwar

blouse

salwar kameez

a traditional, airy shirt-and-pants outfit.

Sergio Leone

acclaimed director of Italian westerns

Standing Babas

monks who've vowed never to sit or lie down

supernatant

clear layer of liquid that rests atop a thicker substance

susurrus

whisper or rustling sound

sybaritic

luxurious

syzygy

the configuration of three celestial bodies in a straight line

tatami

straw mat

tiffin

lunch

tor

a high craggy hill

vicinal

local

yaar

'friend' in Hindi - used colloquially as a term of casual familiarity

Zapata

a bushy mustache named for the Mexican revolutionary

zhopadpatti

slum

zikkir

Muslim song