aam aadmi: n.

[Hindi] comman man

ABCD: abbrv. American-Born Confused Desi

adalat: n. [Hindi] justice

agarbatti: n. [Hindi] incense sticks

Agmark: n. 1. A standards certification for food products. 2. Its symbol.

ahimsa: n. [Sanskrit] non-violence.

air-dash: v. rush travel by air.

Akbar Road: Address of the Indian National Congress party.

almirah: n. cupboard; closet; bureau

alright: [misspelling] all right

Ambassador: n. Car made by Hindustan Motors based on a Morris Oxford license.

Suggested by: Adam Stanhope.

amma: n. [Orig. Dravidan languages] mother. Amma may also be used to address a female
(of any age) in a respectful or kind or friendly way. The first letter is capitalised, as Amma
when referring a female deity, political leader (AIADMK leader J. Jayalalitha in Tamil Nadu),
or a godwoman (Mata Amritananda Mayi in Kerala).

Angrezi: n./adj. [Hindi] English; British

anicut: n. [Tamil] dam; reservoir

anna: n. [Tamil] older brother

Synonym: annan

The younger brother is known as thambi. South Indians are referred as Annalog in North
India.

arranged marriage: n. [South Indian] marriage arranged by parents/relatives

Sometimes, a marriage broker who keeps a database of eligible men and women can help
find a suitable match.

ashirvad: n. [Orig. Hindi] blessing; go-ahead; sanction. The PM met Ms. Sonia Gandhi to seek
her aashirvad.

ashram:

1. residence of a sage/godman and/or his followers

 2. organisation run by a godman

An ashramite is an inmate of an ashram.

auto: n. auto-rickshaw

Aya Ram: [Hindi] Coming Ram

Refers to a legislator who joins a new party after leaving his old one when the former is poised
to form the government. Usually found as Aya Ram, Gaya Ram.

Also, see this Times Of India article.

ayah:

1. n. grandmother

2. n. lady housekeeper or caretaker

Baapu: n. [Hindi] Mahatma Gandhi

Baapu literally means father.

Baba: Shirdi Sai Baba; title for a holy man, babu: n. [Hindi] government official; civil servant,
babudom: n. bureaucracy or babucracy, backbencher: n. a student who sits in the back of the
classroom, background: degree

Example: I have an MBA background.

backside: adj. behind

Example: Are you living backside of that building?, badla: n./adj. [Hindi] (getting) something
in return; revenge

In the stockmarkets, the badla system involves buying shares using borrowed money., bahu:
n. [Orig. Hindi] daughter-in-law. Also, seesaas., bandh: v. [Hindi] public strike as a protest

Rough translation: v. [Hindi] stop,

bandobust: n. [Hindi] protection arranged and provided by police or other security

personnel

Synonym: security cover

banian: n. [Hindi] vest

bank holiday: government or public holiday

Under the Negiotable Instruments Act, financial instruments remain valid for the next working
day if the last date falls on a designated bank holiday.

Basmati: n. [Hindi] aromatic long rice grown in India and Pakistan

The colour of Basmati rice is a translucent, creamy white. Upon cooking, the rice grows twice
as long but does not fatten much. The texture is firm and tender without splitting. It is also
non-sticky. The aroma in Basmati arises from a cocktail of 100 compounds — hydrocarbons,
alcohols, aldehydes and esters.

bata: n. (sometimes nominal) allowance(usually for manual/casual labour)

batchmate: n. [Hindi] one who graduated with the same batch but not from the same class

behen: sister

Suffix: -ji

benami: n. [Hindi] illegal property or transactionin the name of another person, who acts a
proxy for the real beneficiary

defined by The Benami Transaction (Prohibition) Act

berth:

1. n. a seat in a sleeper compartment on a train where one can stretch completely flat to
sleep. Only a confirmed reservation ticket is provided with a berth.

2. a cabinet post in the government.

3. beta: n. (Hindi) son

4. A beti would be a daughter. A bacha is a child.

bhadralok: n. educated or high-class person

bhagwan: n. [Hindi] god

Many fraudulent godmen append Bhagwan to their names.

bhai: n. brother

Synonym: bhaiyya

In Bombay, Bhai is a member of an underworld gang. Bhailog are gangsters. The term Bhai
was brought to popular parlance via gangster films financed by underworld dons.
Apparently, they did not like to be called criminals.
bhajan: devotional song

bhaji: n. [Hindi] fried vegetables

bhakti: n. worship; devotion

bidi: n. tobacco rolled in tendu leaf

Does not have a filter nor can be used with a cigerette filter

Used as a poor man’s cigarette

bike: n. a two-wheeler that has a kick starter. Syn. motorbike. A motorcycle is a different sort
of two-wheeler, which has a pedal that is used as a starter.

bits:

1. n. pieces of paper on which answer material is written and used to cheat exams.

2. short sequences from films.

blade: n. safety razor

th th
board exams: n. [schools] finals examinationsfor 10 or 12 standards conducted by State
or Central government school education boards (administration)

bold: adj. In Bollywood, a bold actress is one who pretends to make her private assets public.
She "pretends to" because nudity is not allowed by the censors.

Bollywood: n. The Bombay film industry, which produces mainly Hindi movies. Also see
Kollywood and Tollywood.

Bombaiyya: n. Bombay-speak

bonnet: n. [British] hood of car

borewell: a deep bore dug into the ground for drawing water

Synonym: tubewell

brinjal: n. Not the strange aubergine (British) or the weird eggplant (American). Solanum
melongena is Brinjal. Sounds like a real vegetable. No self-respecting vegetable would want
to be known as eggplant.

British Raj: British Indian Empire

broadminded:

1. broadminded woman: a woman interested in a sex outside her marriage

2. broadminded couple: a married couple willing to take or swap sexual partners with
 other couples or individuals; swingers

3. brokers excuse: a warning or a request to brokers (middlemen or intermediaries) not

interfere in or solicit for business.

4. Often found in classified advertisements, asking brokers not to come up with offers as
the advertiser would prefer to deal directly with the original parties.

Bullet: Royal Enfield Bullet motorbike; the greatest bike on the planet

bund: Bank built around anicut to prevent water run-off or breach.

bungalow: n. any big house

bunk:

 v. [South Indian slang] avoid classes (in schools and colleges). Syn. cut.

 n. a petrol bunk is a petrol station.

 bureau: n. steel cabinet used as a secure storage space.

 In houses, it is used to store clothes and valuables. On business premises, it is usually

used to store documents folders. Bureax from Godrej are very popular.

 Also, see almirah.

bypoll: mid-term elections

capitation fees: fees charged by an educational institution over the approved fee structure in
the guise of donation or any other form of profiteering

capsicum: n. bell pepper - the big fleshy variety

All other varieties of chilli peppers are known as chilli in India.

car park: parking space for cars

carrying: v. [slang] being pregnant

Example: My daughter-in-law is now carrying.

casteism: n. practice of caste system; caste politics

casual leave: leave not covered under designated leaves such as medical leave

cent percent: 100 percent

Central government: Government of India(GOI)

Synonyms: Centre; GOI; Union Cabinet

chaddar: cloth worn over the head and/or shoulders

chai: n. [Hindi] tea

chaiwallah: n. Tea shop owner or a person who prepares and sells tea drinks.

chakra: n. [Hindi] wheel

challan: n. [Banking] pay-in (or remittance) slip

chalo: n. [Hindi] go; start; come

Ja means go.

chalta hai: [Hindi] it goes

used to mean it will do

also means anything will do; the typical Indian

chamcha: n. [Hindi] sycophant

Chanakya:

1. a politician known for his deviousness or cunningness.

chappals: n. slippers (footwear). Unlike in the West, chappals are used outdoors in India
because nobody wears footwear inside the house.

chaprasi: n. [Urdu] messenger

chargesheet:

n. formal charges filed in a court

v. to file charges against someone in court

Examples:

1. As a noun: Police file chargesheet against six.

2. As a verb: Two former ministers werechargesheeted today.

Also, see history-sheeter and rowdy-sheeter.

charpoy: a cot

Has interwoven ropes to support the occupants

chats: Indian snacks

checkpost: n. [Hindi] a compulsory stop on a road where goods, passengers, and documents
are checked and recorded

manned by tax, police, or military officials

Chennai: The new name for the City of Madras. The name Chennai was previously used only
in Tamil.

cheri: n. [Tamil] slum

Chief Secretary: the top bureaucrat in a state government

Chiranjeevi: In marriage invitations, Chiranjeevimay be used as a title next to the groom's

name. It may also be shortened as Chi.
*
The title Sowbhagyavati is used for the bride. Inevitably, this title is often shortened as Sow.

* - a female pig

chit: n. a financial scheme in which a group of people put in a fixed amount every
day/week/month and one of them gets to collect the entire amount by lucky draw each time.

chor: n. [Hindi] theif

A chor bazaar is a market that sells stolen goods.

chota: adj. [Hindi] small

Antonym: bada

chowk: n. [Hindi] market

chowkidar: caretaker; watchman; sweeper; cleaner

chuddies: n. [Hindi] underpants

chulha: n. [Hindi] a stove that uses wood or charcoal as fuel

churidar: In North India, certain kind of garments worn by men and woman. In South India,
where the female variety has become widely popular, only women are known to wear
churidars. If a gent comes to the South and expresses a desire to wear a churidar, he laughed
at. A churidar in the South is a combination of salwar, khameez and duppatta. Check the
Google Image search for churidar.

cinema: n. feature film

A cinema is a film. A theatre is a cinema.

City of Joy: n. Wrongly attributed to Calcutta(or Kolkotta) after Dominique Lapierre wrote a
book with the same name. The story is set in a Kolkatta slum called Anand Nagar, whose
literal translation is City of Joy.
clean chit: n. exoneration; a not-guilty verdict

Examples:

 US job loss: IMF gives clean chit to BPO biz

 Poll panel’s clean chit to Congress

co-brother: n. wife's sister's husband

coir: coconut husk fibre

Used to make ropes, doormats, wall hangings, dolls, animal figurines, etc.

Collector: the top bureaucrat in a district

colony: apartment complex

coming station: n. next (bus/railway) station or stop on the journey

Example: If you want to go to T. Nagar, get down at the coming station.

commercial sex workers: prostitutes

communal party: n. a political party that does not have a secular outlook on religious issues.

convent English: n. supposedly a highly quality of English; or the speaking ability, thanks to
being educated in an English convent (run by Western missionaries.)

convent-educated: adj. [educated in anenglish-medium school

Before Independence, convents run by Christian missionaries were usually the only ones that
had English-medium schools.

cool bar: [South Indian] a stall or shop selling soft drinks or fruit juices

corporator: elected member of a municipal corporation

correct English: a nonexistent language

But, many snobs claim authority on it.

country fellow: n. villager; a person not used to the ways of the city

A country brute is an bad-mannered or ouncouth person.

countrymade: n. made without licence or official sanction

Example: A loaded .12-bore countrymade pistol was recovered from the suspect.

cousin-brother: n. cousin
as opposed to a sibling

creche: nursery or daycare center

crore: n. [Hindi] 100 lakhs; 10 million; 1,00,00,000

A crore pati is a person who is worth several crores of money.

culturals: a variety entertainment programme at a school or college executed by students

themselves

cum: prep. also functioning as

Examples: Seminar cum workshop; Journey-cum-reservation ticket

curd rice: n. [Tamil Nadu] rice mixed with curd

Related: lemon rice; tamarind rice

custodial deaths: suicides; murders in police

cutting chai: [Bombay] half a cup of tea

dabba:

1. n. Punjabi restaurant Synonym: dhaba

2. n. box

Punjabi dhabas are open-air restaurants, usually found alongside national highways. They
are mainly patronised by truck drivers. The patrons are usually seated on charpoys.

Dabbawallahs are lunchbox couriers in Bombay who deliver home-made meals to

workplaces shortly before lunchtime.

dacoit: highway robber

Dacoits also burgle houses. Gangs of dacoits have been known to raid and pillage small
villages.

dahi: n. [Hindi] yoghurt

dakshin: n. [Hindi]

 Uttar - North

 Dakshin - South

 Purab - East

 Paschim - West
dal: assembly; party; gram; lentils

 channa dal - Bengal gram

 moong dal - green gram

 urad dal - black gram

 dandia: n. [Gujrati] a Gujrati group dance form where men and women participate in
pairs

 The dancers hold decorated bamboo sticks called dandias in their hands. At the end of
these "dandias", tiny bells or ghungroos are tied, which create a jingling sound when
the sticks are struck with each other.

 Dandiyas, along with garbhas, are very popular during the Navratri season in October.

dar: n. [Hindi] door

dargah: n. Muslim shrine; tomb of a Muslim saint

darshan: n. [Hindi] view

Usually of a deity in a temple

dasi: female servant; temple courtesan; prostitute

deadly: adj. very good

Dearness Allowance: cash payment made to employees by the employer to offset the effect
of inflation

Abbreviation: DA

deewana: adj. [Hindi] obsessed with desire; mad with love

Delhi Belly: n. stomach upset

popular with foreign tourists after they arrive in India

departmental store: self-service shop

Not necessarily a big one

deposes: v. [legal] appears

Example: Murder witness deposes before judge.

desi:

1. adj. [Hindi] local; Indian-made product.

 2. n. citizen; Indian national.

A videsi would be a foreigner or a foreign-made product.

devdas: n. grief-stricken lover

Origin: Sarat Chandra Chattopadhye's celebrated 1917 novel of the same name.

devi: n. [Hindi] goddess

dhan: n. [Hindi] wealth; money.

Synonym: daulat

dhania: n. [Hindi] coriander seeds

dharma: n. [Hindi] religion; righteousness; philanthropy

A dharamshala is a charitable resthouse for pilgrim or travellers.

dharna: picketing

Related: gherao

dhikkar: [Hindi] n. condemnation

Example: Advani is participating in the dhikkarrally.

dhobiwallah: n. Washerman or laundryman (washes by hand rather than with a machine)

dhoti: n. [Hindi] noun strip of cloth to cover the lower part of the body ie., from the hip to the
ankles.

Related: mundu, veshti and lungi

dias: n. dais

dickey: n. [British] boot of a car

dil: life; heart

disproportionate assets: assets disproportionate to known sources of income; undeclared

wealth

dissidents: n. [Hindi] sulking party leaders

divas: [Hindi] n. day; date

Diwali: festival of lights

domesticated person: home-bound

Happy to be at home and perform home-bound activities. Not much into outdoor activities.

A caption in The Times of India once said, "I am a very domesticated person," quoting
Bollywood actress Manisha Koirala.

doodhwallah: n. [Hindi] Someone who sells or supplies milk to households; milkman

doosra: disguised leg spin

In the game of cricket

dost: n. [Hindi] friend.

Dosti [adj.] is friendship. Dushman is enemy anddushmani [adj.] is enmity.

doubt: n. question.
Example: I have some doubts in mathematics. Can you help me?
Suggested by: Linda J Michaelsen

dowry death: suicide by a married woman

As a result of harrasment by husband and/or in-laws for the sake of more or adequate
dowry

drumstick: n. [Hindi] Mooringa olifera, a long narrow vegetable that grows from a tree.

dry grapes: raisins

dupatta: n. [Hindi] scarf

Also, see:

 DIE entry for salwar kameez

 Google Image search for salwar kameez

 How To Wear A Dupatta

durbar: n. [Hindi] king's court

elaichi: n. [Hindi] cardamom

electric trains: (suburban) public transport trains pulled by an electric locomotive

Also called: EMUs or Electric Motor Units

Emergency: n. [Hindi] In 1975, Indira Gandhi suspended the constitution and imposed an
internal emergency when the opposition parties made undemocratic attempts topple her
democtratically elected government

encounter: n. circumstance of alleged extra-judicial killings by police or paramilitary forces

The security officials usually claim they shot in self defence.

English-medium: A school where medium of instruction is English.

enjoy: v. [euphemism] having sex with someone

A ridiculous euphemism, no doubt, similar to the making love nonsense used by native
English speakers.

enthu: n. enthusiasm
Example: My teacher is full of enthu when he is speaking with a girl.

evacuation: n. translocation or transmission

Example: Electricity from the power station will be evacuated through underground lines.
Suggested by: Masayuki Shiraishi, Japan Water Agency, Tokyo, Japan

Eve: n. woman/women

Examples:

1. Eve who dons villain’s garb

2. What tickles Eve’s rib?

3. Odds On Eve - Wear Now, Pay Later

Also, see eve-teasing.

eveninger: n. a newspaper that is released in the evening unlike a morning newspaper

eversilver: n. stainless steel

eve-teasing: n. teasing or sexual harrassment of females, usually by Roadside Romeos

Many tactics such as whistling, innuendoes, catcalls, singing, dancing, sign-making and
sometimes even sexual assault, are employed.

Also, see ragging.

extern: n. apply a court order banning a person from showing up in a given area

Example: The police inspector told me to either pay him protection money of Rs 20,000 or he
will involve me in some case and have me externed.
eyewash: n. masquerade; coverup; pretense.
Example: The BJP says that the Sonia Gandhi’s "supreme sacrifice drama" is just an eyewash.

fair: adj. light-skinned

family-planning operation: a tubectomy orvasectomy

fancy store: n. [Tamil Nadu] a store selling stationary and other items which help students
perform their homework, assignments, and projects

feminists: Unlike their Western counterparts, Indian feminists are overwhelmingly

hetrosexual and involved more in real issues. Most of them may think that lesbians are
nationals of a former Soviet republic called Lesbia.

feni: n. a liquor drink popular in Goa. Caju is feni brewed from cashew. Toddy is a liquor drink
brewed from coconut shoots. Unlike caju, toddy is not a Goan speciality and is brewed in
other states.

fidayeen: n. Muslim terrorist attempting or planning to attempt a suicide attack

film: n./v. [Tamil Nadu Slang] showing off

Example: Hey, that guy is showing film with his new bike.

filter coffee: brewed coffee

firang: adj. [Hindi] foreign

A firangi is a foreigner.

firing: n. angry reprimand

Example: His manager gave him a nice firing when he showed up late.

fishcart: n. a tricycle that has an attached cart for carrying goods

fisherfolk: fishermen and their families

Example: The fisherfolk near Cuddalore were ravaged by the tsunami.

foot overbridge: bridge meant for pedestrians

foreign hand: n. involvement of a foreign government, usually its spy agency in a local
incident

foreign-returned: adj. having recently returned from abroad

forex reserves: foreign exchange reserve

French beard: n. a small beard that is restricted to the chin area

Usually contigous with the moustache

functionalities: n. capabilities

Plural of functionality

Most English dictionaries do not considerfunctionalities to be a word.

fundas: n. fundamentals; essentials

gaddar: n. [Hindi] traitors

gaddi: n. throne; cushion

a euphemism for political office or seat of power

Gandhian:

1. adj. related to Mahatma Gandhi

2. n. a follower of Mahatma Gandhi

gangman: n. a railway worker whose job is to maintain and check the safety of railway tracks

ganja: dried hemp leaves or the resinous form of marijuana prepared from flowering tops of
the hemp plant.

garam: v. [Hindi] hot

Gaya Ram: n. [Hindi] Going Ram

Refers to a legislator who leaves his own party to join another when the latter is poised to form
the government. Usually found as Aya Ram, Gaya Ram.

Also, see this Times Of India article.

gharwali: n. [Hindi] (house)wife

ghat:
 1. river bank

2. steps alongside a river (meant for bathing rituals)

3. cremation grounds

4. mountain ranges along the east and west coasts of India i.e., Eastern Ghats and
Western Ghats

ghee: n. [Hindi] clarified butter

gherao: n. [Hindi] surrounding the offending party

what striking workers do to the management

Related: dharna

gives the slip to: escapes from the custody or attention of

Example: The undertrial gives the slip to police escort.

glass bangles: transparent plastic bracelets

gobar gas: n. [Hindi] cooking gas produced from a percolation tank for animal dung

God’s own country: Kerala

godman: n. a man pretending to be a god or prophet of god on earth

Plural: godmen
Feminine: godwoman

godown: n. warehouse

good name: literal translation of [Hindi] shub naam.

Example: What is your good name?

goonda: n. [Hindi] member of a crime gang; hired muscle; thug; troublemaker

Gangsters are called dadas. The singular formdada (father) usually denotes the gang leader.
gora: white-skinned person

Government of India Undertaking: a company owned by the GOI

grease: lubricating grease

Not cooking oil or [American] fat

Great Indian Comedy: Indian politics

Synonyms: Great Indian Tamasha; Comedy of the Absurd

green signal: n. sanction; okay

Example: My daughter has given the green signal for getting married.

greens: spinach

Gujju: adj./n. Gujarati

gumastha: n. clerk

gumboots: n. knee-high, water-proof, rubber boots

gunny bags: bags made from jute or hemp

Packing material for grains, cement, etc.

gur: n. [Hindi] jiggery

gurka: v. [Hindi] watchman; security guard

not necessarily Nepali Ghurkhas

guru: n. [Hindi] teacher; mentor; guiding philosopher; specialist in a field of activity

gutka: v. [Hindi] a sweet, flavored tobaccoproduct

Meant to be chewed. Causes oral cancer and other ailments.

guyzer: n. electric appliance used to heat water; placed overhead in bathrooms

Pronounce it like geezer.

gyan: n. [Hindi] knowledge; wisdom; thoughts; attention

gymkhana: a sports facility mean for public use

hafta: n. bribe

Tamil Synonym: Mamool

hair fall: n. hair loss; aloepecia

half ticket:

1. train ticket given to a child below the age of 4, which is half the price of a normal ticket.

2. n. a small kid; an immature person.

hall ticket: n. [schools] admission slip to a school or college examination

hamara: our; ours

handwash: n.

 place/convenience for washing hands

 act of washing hands

Usually before or after eating. Most Indians eat with their right hand.

hard: adj. difficult

Example: The examination paper was a bit hard.

Harijans: n. [Sanskrit/politically correct] Sons of Hari

This was a politically correct term was given by Mahatma Gandhi to Scheduled Castes
people.

In the 1990s, many militant SC/ST groups opposed the use of this name and have since then
preferred the use of the term Dalits, which means "depressed classes."

havaldar: n. police rank between inspector and constable

haveli: n. private mansion (in North India)

Suggested by: Adam Stanhope

hawala: n./adj. [Hindi/Urdu] an illegal system of remitting cash from abroad to India. The
hawala dealer accepts hard currency abroad and instructs an associate to deliver Indian
rupees to a recipient living in India. No money passes through official channels. Since such
transactions cause no benefit to India´s foreign exchange reserves, it is banned.

The reason for its popularity is because hawala dealers offer higher exchange rates and the
transfer is done with very little delay or expense and leaves no paper trail. Hawala operations
are closely allied with other illegal activities such as gold smuggling or drug trafficking.

The hawala dealer living abroad gets a good supply of hard currency with which he buys
gold (or drugs or arms). He sends the contraband to his Indian associate who then sells it in
India. The Indian associate uses the Indian currency he gets by selling the contraband and
fulfills his commitments to make hawala payments to the individuals referred by the hawala
dealer. The huge margins available in trading in currency and smuggling in contraband
keeps the hawala operations in profit.

The hawala system is so efficient and so difficult to trace back that even foreign intelligence
agencies like the Pakistani ISI use the hawala system to send funds to their colloborators in
India.

hawaldar: n. [Hindi] police constable

head bath: n. [Tamil Nadu] a bath that includes the washing the head

As opposed to a bath that leaves the head dry or unwashed

Also, see oil bath.

headweight: n.

 being too proud

 conceitedness
healthy: adj. short

heat and dust: The rough and tumble or thehardships associated with Indian life.

heights of: intolerable extreme of

Example: Sleeping at 6 o’ clock in the evening is the heights of laziness!

high command: the top leadership in a political party

Example: Cong. high command not in favour of fresh election in Goa.

hijra: n. a member of a group of eunuchs

hillstation: n. a high-altitude city or town, usually well-populated and/or patronized by

tourists.

Example: Darjeeling is one of India’s popular hillstations.

Himalayan blunder: (noun) big mistake

The expression was probably first used by Mahatma Gandhi.

Hindi belt: Hindi speaking states of Bihar, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh,
Uttar Pradesh, and Uttaranchal

Hindu rate of growth: around 2 percent

the growth rate clocked by the Indian economy in the 60s and 70s

frowned upon by Hindutva brigade and considered to be insulting to the majority

community.

Hinduism: n. There is no such thing as Hinduism. Contrary to what many experts say, it is
not even a way of life. There is no common scripture or single deity to qualify as a religion,
as exemplified by Christianity or Islam. There certainly was and is a Hindu civilization. There
are numerous Hindu castes that have some religion-like characteristics. Each Hindu caste is
organized around an occupation and a deity. When Islam, Buddhism, Judaism, and
Christianity were introduced through proselytization, the descendants of the converts were
considered to belong to another caste. After the Revolt of 1857 against East India Company
and the direct establishment of British rule in India, the British sought to keep Indians
divided and treated seperately. Hindu castes were then grouped under a "Hindu religion"
and other groups such as Sikhs, and Muslims were made separate from what was a common
Indian civilization. Even then, for many years afterwards, the words Indian and Hindu were
synonymous.

Hindus: Originally applied to all Indians;inhabitants of the lands adjoining the banks of river
Sindh. After the British started scripting Indian history and particularly after the Revolt of
1857, this term has been used to refer to the majority community in India, as distinct from
other groups such as Sikhs and Muslims.

Hindustan: land of Hindus; another name for India. The term Hindus refers to all Indians.
Before the British started writing Indian History, Indians of all denominations were referred
asHindus.

Hindustani:

1. n. an Indian language that is a mix of Hindi and Urdu.

2. n. an Indian.

Hindutva:

 n. [Sanskrit] political strategy followed by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its allies
for consolidating the "Hindu" vote bank behind them in elections

 Sangh Parivar and its allies, such as Bajrang Dal & Shiv Sena - also known as the
Hindutva Brigade

Hinglish: a combination of Hindi and English

history sheeter: a person with a long criminal record

Also, see chargesheet.

Holi: festival of colours

homely: adj. good-looking

In case of a "homely" girl, it means a traditional-looking and attired girl, as opposed to a
modern Western-costumed girl.

hooch: n. illegally brewed liquor. A hooch tragedy occurs when industrial alcohol or carelessly
distilled alcohol (which contains poisonous methanol) is consumed.

horn OK please: if you are going to overtake, please sound the horn

found on signs behind vehicles

hotel: Any resturant or eatery; not necessarily a place to stay

hukka: n. [Hindi] tobacco smoking apparatuswhich allows the smoke to pass through a bowl
of water before being inhaled

hundi: n. [Hindi] collection box

kept in temples for donations

hungama: n. [Hindi] commotion; fuss; celebration; contest