abru

credit, reputation.

agiyari

Parsi place of worship, sometimes termed "fire temple."

ahimsa

nonvoilence; noninjury to humans and other living creatures; a critical principle in the philosophy of Jainism and in Gandhi's thought.

Anavil Brahmans

a high-caste community of Brahmans living in South Gujarat, traditionally associated with agriculture and land ownership.

ashram (Gujarati, ashram )

a hermitage; for supporters of Gandhi, a center of the nationalist movement.

avahan

an invitation; invocation of the deity to be present and enter an image.

avatar (Gujarati, avatar )

an incarnation, especially of a deity.

bandobast

an order; in this study, that of a caste to enforce its moral injunctions.

bhajan

a hymn in praise of God.

bhakti

devotion, reverence; a Hindu devotional sect.

bhog

an offering made to a deity, an act of sacrifice.

Bohra (Gujarati, vora )

a Muslim community known for its involvement in trade.

Brahman (Gujarati, brahman )

the highest of four varnas in the caste system.

Brahman-Vaniya

high-caste.

chelo

a disciple, follower.

da'i

the spiritual leader of the Daudi Bohras, also known as the "Mulla," or Syedna.

darshan

a viewing, particularly that of a holy man.

Davar

a title claimed by the head of the Modi family that refers to the family's supposed descent from Persian kings and its assertion of headmanship among Surat's Parsis.

dharma

duty; in Hinduism an obligation attached to one's caste, sex, or age.

dharmashala

among Hindus, a rest house, especially for pilgrims; among Parsis, a sort of convalescent home for the sick and the elderly.

dokhma

"tower of silence"; a structure where Parsis leave their dead.

durbar (Gujarati, darbar )

under the Mughals, the emperor's court, an audience with the emperor. Under the British, an imperial ceremony, local or empire-wide.

general ward

an electoral ward of Surat reserved for educated persons and government employees and pensioners.

Ghanchi

a middle-status caste group, traditionally oil pressers by occupation.

Gola

a middle-caste community, traditionally rice pounders by profession. Now known as the ranas.

hartal (Gujarati, hadtal )

a business closing, a strike.

hundi

a credit note, bill of exchange.

Jain

member of a western Indian religious community.

Jain Sangh

the organization of all Jains in Surat.

jari

gold thread.

jnati

subcaste, generally the outer limits of those with whom one could marry. But see chap, 4 and accompanying footnotes for a fuller explanation.

jihad

among Muslims, the religiously obligatory effort to defend Islam and to establish the rule of Muslims.

Kanbi

in Surat City, a middle-caste community, traditionally artisans or petty traders. In rural areas, a dominant agricultural caste (also known more prestigiously as Patidar).

khadi

handspun, handwoven cotton cloth.

khalifa

the spiritual and temporal leader of the Muslims; in India during the early 1920s, the term specifically referred to the Sultan of Turkey.

Khatri

a community of Gujarat, traditionally involved in weaving.

Khilafat

the Indian movement to defend the khalifa (1919–24.)

kinkhab

an expensive cloth of interwoven gold thread and silk thread.

lago

a cess collected by an occupational mahajan for the support of religious charities.

lakh (Gujarati, lakh )

one hundred thousand.

mahajan

a merchant organization, a guild.

Mahajan Sheth

the hereditary head of the Samast Vanik Mahajan.

Mahabharata

the great epic poem of Hindus.

Maharaj

head of Vaishnava sect; in Surat chief spiritual leader associated with the temple Mota Mandir.

man

honor, prestige.

mansabdar

a Mughal nobleman.

Memon

a Muslim community known for commercial activities.

Nagar Brahmans

a community of Brahmans in Gujarat, traditionally associated with government employment and the professions.

Nagarsheth

literally, the city sheth (or leading sheth ); in Surat, the head of the Jain Sangh.

octroi

duties imposed by a municipality on goods imported into a city.

panch, panchayat

the regulating organization of a Hindu caste grouping, theoretically one composed of five members.

panjrapol

a hospice for sick and aged animals.

Parsis

a community of believers in Zoroaster who migrated from Persia to western India around the seventh century.

patel

headman of a panch.

Patidar

a caste grouping in Gujarat (see kanbi above).

pedhi

a business firm.

prabhat feri

"morning round"; a procession taken by Congress volunteers early in the morning. Would usually involve the singing of nationalist songs.

Praja Hit Vardhak Sabha

"Society for the Advancement of the People's Welfare"; a public organization in Surat during the 1880s.

pratishtha

honor, prestige.

puja

among Hindus, a ceremony of workship.

purdah

among Muslims, the seclusion of women.

pura

a neighborhood in Surat, especially one outside the central core of the city.

Ramchandraji

the mythical hero of the Ramayana.

Ramayana

one of the great Hindu epics.

Samast Vanik Mahajan

the Mahajan of all the Hindu Vaniyas in Surat (also known as the Hindu Mahajan).

sannyasi

a Hindu ascetic.

satya

"truth"; an important Hindu concept, stressed heavily by Gandhi.

satyagraha

literally, persistence in the truth; a nonviolent campaign of Gandhi.

satyagrahi

one who engages in satyagraha, particularly one who accepts the entire moral code proposed by Gandhi.

seva

devotional service, worship; in Gandhian usage, public work.

sharaf

shroff; a merchant of high status, especially a banker.

sharif

"exalted"; usually refers to high-status Muslims, especially those claiming descent from immigrant Muslim families.

sheth, shethia

a wealthy merchant; a headman of a caste or other organization; alternatively, any respected and influential individual.

Shia

one of two major sectarian divisions in Islam.

Sunni

the larger of the two major sectarian divisions in Islam.

swadeshi

"of one's own country"; used primarily in reference to campaigns against wearing foreign cloth.

swaraj, swarajya (Gujarati, svaraj )

independence; in Gandhian usage, personal self-control as well as an ideal state for India characterized by the absence of materialism and the fulfillment of personal needs.

tap, tapas, tapasya, tapascharya

penance, religious austerity.

tyag

renunciation.

vahevar

social intercourse.

Vaishnava

devotee of Vishnu, adherent to one of the two major sectarian divisions in Hinduism.

Vallabhacharya

a Hindu devotional teacher of the late fifteenth, early sixteenth, century; alternatively, the religious sect that he founded.

Vaniya (Hindi, bania )

members of a high-status caste grouping traditionally associated with commerce.