Appendix 2

Notes and glossary

It may be noted that these notes are of a very personal nature.

13 months salary: In the early days of the Indian administration by the British, the bureaucracy was very lean. So, even though the officials were given one months paid-leave for them to recoup their mental energies, they were given an incentive to dispense with the leave and get another one-month's pay. So, the total they got was 13 months salary in a year. Now the Indian bureaucracy is an overstaffed, unwieldy structure, wherein you will find a multitude of guys simply pondering over things that really do not require any of them. And, even then, they are still given the benefit of cashing in one months unearned salary. This is a significant thing, when the majority of Indians, are literally living on very meagre income, which in many cases don't even come to what an ordinary bureaucrat gets in one day.

Aap: The superlative, higher respectful Hindi word for You, and may roughly be translated as Thou, Thy etc.

Adhikari: The present day Village officer; actually not an officer, and also a very petty official at that, yet he or she can be a source of enduring nuisance to the citizens of India, by simply not giving urgent certificates in time. Many of them, do try to put on a demeanour of a ruffian.

Adhvaida: is the monistic interpretation of Vedanta of by Shankara. Vedanta is actually the last part of the Hindu scriptures, the Vedas.

Adivasi: The tribal folk of India. They are a lost crowd, with most of them with no place to call their own, as most of their traditional habitat, the forests, have been cleared by outsiders, with the active connivance of the officialdom, after independence. Now, the tribal generally survive as domestic servants, and heavily exploited labourers. A recent show of strength by the tribals in Kerala to regain their lost land, or some other land as compensation, was crushed with brutal forces, after leading them for months, and months on unending sessions of useless talk by political leaders, with the standard Indian policy of indifference as a technique of troubleshooting.

Afrikaners: The people of Dutch descend living in South Africa. Their language is known as Afrikaan or Taal. It is different from the Dutch language back in Netherlands.

Agent Provocateurs: Persons generally used by unscrupulous administrators, to sabotage any rebellion, by having these agents to go around in the guise of the rebels, and indulge in shocking mass murder and other inhuman activities, which is then reported in the national dailies, evoking a wave of antipathy for the rebels. In the wake of these feelings, the government forces storm into the areas of the rebels, and indulge in terrible violence and even molestation. This item doesn't get any publicity as the people are then fully focused on the destruction of the rebels.

Alexander the Great: Young king of Macedonia, son of King Philip II. Born: at Pella, Macedonia; on the 13^th of June  323 BC.  He destroyed the Persian Empire and laid the foundations for the Hellenistic world of territorial kingdoms. He was taught by Aristotle, who inspired him with an interest in philosophy, medicine, and scientific investigation. His invading army reached areas now in Pakistan, and some areas bordering modern India.

Andaman & Nicobar Islands: Islands in the Bay of Bengal; was under British control; was handed over to India.

Arranged marriages: In India, only in very rare cases do men and women marry as per their own wish. Actually, there is a component of safety in this. For, the society is shackled in various social positions. And if anyone makes the mistake of marrying from a wrong social class, then it would be story of tragedy and continuing woe for everybody concerned.

Arthashastra: Political treatise wrote by Chanakya, the political advisor of King Chandragupta Maurya, of the ancient Maurya Empire that ruled the geographical area in modern Pakistan, and Northwest India, extending up to East India.

Arundhathi Roy : Author of the novel The God of Small Things. This book won the Booker Prize in 1997. She is from Kerala, the south Indian state, where Malayalam is the spoken language.

Aryan: The people who came to north India, from the West Asian regions, and settled in India. Their early language was Sanskrit. They brought in the four varna caste system to India. The north Indians generally claim to be Aryans. Yet, in this regard, another anomaly may be pointed out: the Germans claim to be Aryans. They do not have the visible features of the north Indians. Yet it is claimed that their language does have some level of connection with Sanskrit.

Ashoka: The famous King of the Maurayan Empire of the ancient times. His Kingdom was based in Magadha, with Pataliputra as his Capital. This place is now identified with modern Patna in Bihar State, in East India.

Assembly: The legislatures in the various States in India. Some states have bicameral legislature; that is, there is an upper house, and a lower house.

Assertiveness of the lower class: I remember an incident in a minor village, where a newcomer tenant engaged an old woman as a domestic help. She was paid a daily wage, which was higher than what she was used to earning, but definitely much less than is decent. This woman had been living in dire circumstances, and the new job was a great help. She definitely displayed a new kind of assertiveness to the younger

generation, persons, who were richer than her. By assertiveness, it must be understood that here it meant that she was using lower indicant terms with abandon to these persons. Then one day some of the local men complained to the new tenant about the high wages he was giving her, and indicated that giving a person a means to come out of her social chains is disastrous.

Atlee: The British Prime Minister who came to power immediately after the Second World War. During his tenure, the process of giving independence to the various colonies was initiated.

Bangalore: Slightly English speaking city in the Southern State of Karnataka in India. It is the capital of this state.

Banning of Slavery: In 1807 Great Britain passed an Act for the Abolition of Slave Trade. It effectively led to the freeing of slaves in many places, including India where there had been innumerable slaves, who lived with no visible complaints. This act was a great financial burden on the British exchequer, for large sums of money had to be set aside for giving as compensation to slave-owners. And, it was entirely a moral and humanitarian act, by the British nation, an equivalent to which, I have not been able to see in human history.

Battle of Plassey: The battle that took place in this village, between the forces of the East India Company under Robert Clive, and between that of the Nawab of Bengal , Siraj-ud-Dawlah. Clive decisively defeated the Nawab, with a numerically insignificant force, and thus paved the way for the British domination of India. The battle took place in 1757. This battle was provoked by the Nawab's attack on the British fort at Calcuttah.

Bengal: The state on the East of India. The headquarters of this state is Calcutta. The division of this state for administrative reasons was claimed by the local political leaders of that time to be a vicious act of the British administrators, to crush the India spirit. Yet, now this state stands divided into many pieces.

BharathaNatyam: Classical dance form of Tamil Nadu, the southern State of India.

Black Sheep: A person who is generally unacceptable in a specific social group, like family etc. for some mental attribute of his.

Bombing of London: Hitler's air force pounded London, in the initial days of the war, to inflict unbearable mental and physical strain on Britain. Yet, it only provoked an efficient retaliation.

Brahmins: The highest caste as per the Vedic Aryan social hierarchy of chathurvarna.

CARE: Cooperation for American Relief everywhere.

Caste: The social hierarchy found in Indian/Hindu society. This social positioning is irrefutable and remains as an innate social quality of the person. According to the ancient charthuvarna or four caste or four colour division of society, the highest level is occupied by the Brahmins, then comes the Kshatriyas, the third comes the Vaishyas, and last the Shudras. Yet, it must be remembered that there are so many other castes in India, which do not come in any of these four. And so, they are generally assigned a lower status to these four. Generally a person marries only from his own caste. In many ways, it is helpful, for inter-caste marriage may bring in a friction of cultures, and family hierarchy.

Chanakya: Also known as Kautilya, and as Vishnugupta, was the author of the book Arthasathra. His period is believed to be the 3rd Century BC. He was the Chief Advisor of King Chandragupta Maurya, of the Maurya Empire, that ruled the northwest portion of the geographical area that now comprises modern India. The book, Arthashasthra was actually a dissertation on many things, including statecraft, polity, managing state economy, techniques of administration etc. He had his education in Taxila, which is a place now in Pakistan. In his book, he openly recommends the use of an elaborate system of espionage, to ferret out the undercurrents of the society at all levels. He finds nothing wrong in secret political assassinations, and advices it as a technique of statecraft. This book was recovered after being lost only in 1905.

Charu Majumdar: The Communist revolutionary of the Naxalbari movement of post Independence times, who was caught by the West Bengal Police, and reputedly beaten to death in Police custody.

Chief Election Commissioner of India: He has statutory powers.

Citizen: Term of address, popularised by the French Revolutionaries, to possibly bring in a more dignified level of social interaction.

Colonialism: The Europeans could take over many geographical areas all around the world, and rule them in varying mode of civility. Many colonial nations were very brutish to their colonies. The examples may be Belgium, Germany etc. At the same time, France was not very negative, possibly because many liberal ideologies were being debated there.

Communism: Socio-political theory expounded by Karl Marx. A form of socialism. Came into real international prominence after the success of power capture by persons, in Russia and China, who used this political philosophy as a front for propaganda and mob mobilisation.

Commutation of Pension: In the early days of Independence, when the British had just left, pension was merely a monthly pay to help a bureaucrat subsist without having to depend on anyone. Later on, the bureaucrat put in their mean mind, and found out that, as it is the money is for them. So, why can't we get it in lump sum? So, it was decided (by themselves) that immediately after retirement, they can opt to get the total of the half of 15 years pension in a lump sum. Only thing was that for the rest of the life he or she would get only half the pension per month. In this case, there was an element of gamble. For, if they died before 15 years, they had gained. If they did not die, there was a slight feeling of a loss. But then, over the years, lifespan has increased, and many retired bureaucrats do not die at 65. So again, the question of commutation was taken up. And then it was decided that after opting for commutation, if they do not die after 15 years, then the pension again becomes full monthly pension, on par with those who had not opted for commutation. Under these conditions, who would not opt for commutation? The problem here is about an unneeded, overstaffed bureaucracy, in a nation, where the majority of the people, who they are supposed to serve, are living in actual penury.

Comrade: Term propagated by the communist party for mutual addressing among its members, possibly to assuage the feudalism in the language spoken by its members.

Costa Nostra: The other name for the Italian underworld clans that operated in the USA.

Crimson Tide: A tension filled film, in which the submarine entrusted to launch the nuclear bomb on a first strike policy, can't decipher the urgent message from the US Military headquarters, as to whether it is to launch the missile or to defer.

Currency value:It is also a very telling illustration of the double standards of Indians, that when they are working abroad, they want the Indian currency to crash to the dustbin. At the same time, the citizens of the English nations enjoy the dignity, the superiority of their money, gives them worldwide. The former is not interested in dignity, but in pure attainment of superiority over his fellow countrymen.

Curry: The food item, which generally comes with as a gravy, and is added to a main food item to increase its taste and edibility.

Delhi: Capital of India. There are two cities in this city: the old Delhi, and the New Delhi. The city is on the banks of River Yamuna, which is a tributary of River Ganges (Ganga). It was the focus and stage of many historical intrigues and commotions. On an average one may say that every 50 years witnessed a real battle scene in the landscapes of Delhi, since medieval times, and since Independence also, there has been times when Delhi literally burnt, and saw street battles. The ancient Hindu empires, and the Sultans of the Slave dynasty, and later on the Moguls, gave much importance to the geographical area with which we now identify Delhi. Even though the British had established themselves pretty well in Calcutta, they moved their Capital of Indian possessions to Delhi. The various layers of historical incidences and multitudes of personageswho acted out here are reflected in the innumerable stone structures, gardens, memorials, tombs, and many other conspicuous edifices that abound the various corners and centres of the City. Yet, in many places they are inundated with a massive population, which struggle to survive in the narrow lanes around them. The Red Fort or what is locally known as the Lal Khila is in a place where one can perceive a dense movement of people.

Dewan: The Chief Minister of a King.

Disingenuous crooks:One thing that comes immediately to mind is the unbelievable trade in trapped girls and women who end up in brothels, in India. Bombay is one of the main areas. Girls belonging to the lower financial classes, from Bangladesh, Nepal, Andha Pradesh, tribal areas etc. are tricked, lured, trapped, and then sold. It may safely be asserted that even the crooks that man the Bombay Police are involved in this nefarious trade. And all of those who served in Bombay police would claim many achievements, yet this terrible thing that goes on and on, gets no notice from them. It has even been asserted that this trade is a necessary evil, for it is this factor that gives a lot of safety to the local female of Bombay. And the towering personalities of India are shocked only when a woman of their class gets assaulted. Here the issue is not of individual malevolence, but of state machinery supporting the evil game.

District Collector: The senior most public official in a district. Though a civil official, he has power over the police and has a limited judicial power also. The term Collector came from a former duty of this official during the East India Company rule; that of collecting tax.

Domino effect: One incident or cause having a continuous affect on other people, places, and events.

Dowry: In India, the bride's family is expected to give a handsome gift in the form of money, gold, property etc. to the groom at the time of marriage.

Dravidian: The people of South India are known as Dravidian.

East India Company:  In September 1599, a meeting of merchants was held in London, and therein a decision was made to form a company for trading with the Eastern Countries, mainly India. This company received its first charter on the 31^st of December 1600. This company was given monopoly of trade between England and all places lying between Cape of Good Hope and Cape Horn. This monopoly that the company held was always a disturbing factor for independent British traders who came to India to trade privately, and they had to get a licence from the company for this. Naturally, there would be friction. The company disliked the free merchants from Britain. For, they remained as a threat to the monopoly of trade that the company aimed for. The licence that the company gave to the free merchant to trade in India was actually a leash on him. For, then he literally became under its power; and the company could very deport him, if it so wished.

This company, formed by private merchants for the purpose of trade, was to consolidate the splintered political entities that littered the geographical landscape that is now identified with modern Pakistan, India and Bangladesh.  And rule it till the advent of the Sepoy Mutiny, wherein the British Crown took over the reigns of power.

Ehzhavas: An indigenous backward caste of South Kerala, now declared as Other Backward Caste. They were traditionally connected to activities connected with coconut trees, such as climbing etc. Till the advent of the independence, they suffered much social ostracism from the superior castes of Travancore, and were denied equal opportunities for higher public appointments, and educational opportunities. They had a patriarchal social structure.   

English Classic writings: Herein I must say that the great writers of English need to be read by all persons who would like to imbibe the supremely dignified English feelings. Here I would like to list out a few authors who I believe should be read, not just for the purpose of enjoying the story, but also for absorbing the finer sides of the English mindset that can still come out with wonderful contributions for posterity. In this regard, I must say that reading English books written with non-English themes, though may be interesting, would not serve the purpose that I mentioned here. Also, reading English translations of books would also be not filling the requirement I mentioned.

Erstwhile Superpower Japan: It is the author's contention that the superiority of nations like Japan's etc. are not long-lived.

Feudalism in Malayalam: Malayalam is progressively becoming more and more feudal in character. The reason needs to be debated in detail, and may not be a part of the main issue of this book.

Fidel Castro: Communist Dictator of Cuba.

First recount of this theme: I had first written the theme in this book, as early as 1989. Actually, the basic materials for this book were in mind at a very early age. For, when I was in my fifth class, age 10, I was impressed by the different social stature that I experienced in an English environment to that was extended to me in a Malayalam social environment. My first writing was about 17,000 words, which I did show to some persons for reading; and I did get a very good opinion about it. Yet, I had no one of calibre enough in my own circles to debate this issue on. But some persons did take copies of my article. In 1999, I had one typist to enter the whole theme into a computer. But she made a lot of mistakes in typing, that many paragraphs got mixed up and lines lost. But I was not aware of this fact. Later I learnt to use computers, and went on to add bits of themes here and there, all the time unaware of the great mistakes that had cropped up in the original writing. This time the article came to have around 33,000 words. Again I found that there was no one that I could really give for reading, other than academic persons, who I found were eternally on the watch for new themes to research on.  I found that many were unscrupulous enough to thieve any idea that came their way. Another thing that I found was that whenever I brought up my strange ideas in any debate, many of the self-conceited, shallow, formally qualified experts would go in for a frenzy of antipathy, and use very abusive terms to subdue me mentally. I found that they found it hard that persons who had declined the chance to become an empty expert like them should be able to debate on themes, which they considered to be exclusively within their domain. I have had the experience of one man telling me, "You should not talk on so many things." Another saying, " Who are you to write on such things. There are experts to talk about these things." Some abuses were of a worse quality. I actually found many of them of mediocre level of general awareness; yet there are many persons who were not formally qualified in India, who really had much more, common intelligence and social awareness, than these formally qualified experts. From 1999 onwards for at least 2 years, I send the original 33,000-word article to many publishers, by email. But the general comment was that even though there are a lot of original ideas in the theme, the whole writing was not in a publishable form.  Yet, I did not get any time to work on this theme for a long time.  In between, I wrote a few other books, and published them. Only in 2003 last, did I get some exclusive time to rework on this theme. And I gave an entirely new approach to the writing. And this is the result

French autocracy: In France, during the times preceding the French Revolution, there were terribly autocratic rulers. Louis XV was a typical example. It is said that it was Henry IV (1589-1610), the first King of the Bourban dynasty, who brought in the concept of absolute monarchy to France. Louis XII (1610-1643) consolidated the royal power. Next was the reign of the le grand monarque (the great Monarch) Louis XIV (1643-1715). This King believed with full conviction that he ruled by the Will of God, and his theory of Kingship was known as Divine Rights Theory. He proclaimed: L'elat, e'est moi- I am the State.

French revolution: The revolution in France that led to the overthrow of the Bourban dynasty in the last quarter of the 18th century. King Louis XVI was guillotined on the 21st of January 1793. A republican government was formed, but the whole experiment ended in disaster, with a reign of Terror being let loose. 

Fuehrer: The German title of Hitler. He believed Germans to be the only pure Aryans in the world, and was contemptuous of all other races. Was the founder of the Nazi party, with which he got political power in Germany.

Genius: There are so many original inventions and discoveries that can be traced to an English mind. Even the Postal department, which nobody may think of as a discovery is actually a British invention. Also, the basic discoveries that led to the World Wide Web belong to a British mind.

Glasinost: Reforms brought by Gorbeshev in Soviet Union.