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Read
an extract from Brick Lane
“Seven Seas and the Thirteen Rivers” was a title
listed under Monica Ali's name at the Marsh Agency, and like 'Brick Lane', it
was to be published in June 2003, so it looks like this was the original title
of 'Brick Lane'. Seven Seas and the Thirteen Rivers would
appear to be a quote from the works of Rabindranath Tagore, from The Crescent Moon, although
this phrase seems to start a lot of Bangladeshi stories. According to
Amazon.ca, the full title of this novel was originally going to be "Seven
Seas Thirteen Rivers: A Stunningly Accomplished Debut and Already an
International Sensation - The Story of one Outsider's Quest to Find Her" -
which is a bit of a mouthful, to say the very least. Now that Monica Ali
is no longer using this title, maybe Dave Eggers could?
If Monica Ali had first called her novel
'Seven Seas and the Thirteen Rivers', and it has now changed to become
'Brick Lane', then who made this decision? Monica Ali, or her
publishers? 'Brick Lane', is after all, a multicultural community.
The front cover of the book, has the letter 'A' made up from the icon
of an Asian woman from what looks to be a sari, and the chillies also give a
multicultural impression, along with a hint of high tech and seventies chic
wallpaper. In the recent front cover advertising 'Brick
Lane' in The Bookseller, can it be any coincidence that the writer of
the first blurb is Meera Syal? It would be very understandable if Monica
Ali wanted to avoid Hari Kunzru's fate, of being presented
as this season's Zadie Smith. As
the Guardian says, "She is already labouring under the tag of 'the new
Zadie Smith'". Transworld have only been subtle by not mentioning Zadie Smith. And please remember, that it was Maya
Jaggi's newspaper that introduced Zadie Smith to the world as "She's
young, black, British..." I do distrust those who market British
books, who commission books on perceived trends rather than the quality of the
work, and who sell their authors like cars. If it weren't for the search
for the next Harry Potter, would
we really have had Artemis Foul thrust upon us? I suspect that Monica
Ali just wants to be free to write what she wants, and I hope that her
publishers will not just force her to write for the market that they believe
that she will sell in. After all, I bet Joanne Harris now wishes
that she had put a veto on France.
However, as David Smith writes in The Guardian, it was
actually the American publishers who wanted to call the novel 'Seven Seas and the Thirteen Rivers', with
Monica Ali definitely plumping for the title of 'Brick Lane', despite US
readers having no idea of Brick Lane’s location.
|
Visit our Monica Ali page,
for author biography, author bibliography and author interviews |
Kevin Patrick Mahoney now embarks on a reading guide to
the novel:
"A
man's character is his fate" - this quote from Heraclitus may have
echoes later on in the novel when Nazneen seems to have a debate with her
daimon (p. 83)
paratha - Chapter One p. 8 - is a kind of bread
"Some people, who think too much about how to save a
few takas, do not call a midwife" - Chapter One p. 8 - a 'taka' is a unit of
currency in Bangladesh
sadhus - Chapter One p. 13 - are holy beggars in
Hinduism
"To
God belongs all that the heavens and the earth contain" -
Chapter One p. 14 - is a quote from 4:170 in the Qu'ran
sura - Chapter One p. 15 - a chapter from the
Qu'ran
"Once there was prince who lived in far off land
seven seas and thirteen rivers away" - Chapter One p. 19 - is
possibly a common phrase used in many Bangladeshi/Indian childhood stories, as
Hasina says. Anjana Basu uses the concept of a prince from "seven
seas and thirteen rivers away" in her poignant short story "The
Moth"
Sylhetis - Chapter One p. 21 - Sylhet is a city in
north east Bangladesh
purdah - Chapter One p. 22 - 'screen' or 'veil', the
custom of Muslims and Hindus to hide women from public view by means of screens
or veils
jackfruit
- Chapter One p. 28 - see what one off these look like
"The jackfruit is still on the tree but already he
is oiling his moustache" - classic Chanu
Morley
College - Chapter One p. 32 - find out more about this venerable
institution
"All the objects of human reason or enquiry may
naturally be divided into two kinds, to wit, Relations of Ideas, and
Matters of Fact" - Chapter Two pp. 33-34 - is a quotation from
David Hume's book 'Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding'. Hume believed
that there was no knowledge of anything beyond experience, and that there is no
theory of 'reality', and was really one of life's great sceptics, although he
was actually Scottish. As Chanu says concerning the saris, "Two
proper objects of human enquiry, and you ask me if the pink and yellow is
nice? What shall I say? I can say that it is nice or not nice, and
how could I be wrong?"
Although Chanu
says, "Don't worry about the circle and triangle. They are from his
other examples," circles and triangles do not feature that much in
"Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding"; by mentioning circles and
triangles here, Hume is just referring to the concept of geometry.
Chanu must be an amazing translator
(if not a great communicator), as he quotes Hume word for word into Bengali:
Sect. IV. Sceptical Doubts concerning
the
Operations of the
Understanding
- &
PART I.
- &
20. "All the
objects of human reason or enquiry may naturally be divided into two
kinds, to wit, Relations of Ideas, and Matters of Fact. Of the first
kind are the sciences of Geometry, Algebra, and Arithmetic; and in short,
every affirmation which is either intuitively or demonstratively certain.
That the square of the hypothenuse is equal to the square of the two
sides, is a proposition which expresses a relation between these figures.
That three times five is equal to the half of thirty, expresses
a relation between these numbers. Propositions of this kind
are discoverable by the mere operation of thought, without dependence
on what is anywhere existent in the universe. Though there never were
a circle or triangle in nature, the truths demonstrated by
Euclid would for ever retain their certainty and
evidence.
21. Matters
of fact, which are the second objects of human reason, are not ascertained
in the same manner; nor is our evidence of their truth, however great, of
a like nature with the foregoing. The contrary of every matter of fact is
still possible; because it can never imply a contradiction, and is
conceived by the mind with the same facility and distinctness, as if ever
so conformable to reality. That the sun will not rise tomorrow is no less
intelligible a proposition, and implies no more contradiction than the
affirmation, that it will rise. We should in vain, therefore,
attempt to demonstrate its falsehood. Were it demonstratively false, it
would imply a contradiction, and could never be distinctly conceived
by the mind.
It may, therefore, be a subject worthy of curiosity, to enquire
what is the nature of that evidence which assures us of any
real existence and matter of fact, beyond the present testimony of our senses,
or the records of our memory. This part of philosophy, it is observable,
has been little cultivated, either by the ancients or moderns; and
therefore our doubts and errors, in the prosecution of so important an
enquiry, may be the more excusable; while we march through such difficult
paths without any guide or direction. They may even prove useful, by
exciting curiosity, and destroying that implicit faith and security, which
is the bane of all reasoning and free enquiry. The discovery of defects in
the common philosophy, if any such there be, will not, I presume, be a
discouragement, but rather an incitement, as is usual, to attempt
something more full and satisfactory than has yet been proposed to the
public.
salaam - Chapter Two p. 37 - a respectful bowing gesture, extending 'salaam'
('peace')
palanquin - Chapter Two p. 40 - a covered chair on
parallel poles that could be carried by two or four people
Kachuga
Turtle - Chapter Three p. 42 - this is what one of these handsome
chaps look like
muezzin - Chapter Three p. 43 - are those who call
Muslims to pray from the mosque
"Did He not find you an orphan and give you
shelter?" - Chapter Three pp. 45-46 - this is CHAPTER XCIII of the
Qu'ran, 'The Chapter of the Forenoon', according to this alternative
translation by E.H. Palmer:
"IN the name of the merciful and
compassionate
God.
By the forenoon!
And the night when it
darkens!
Thy Lord has not forsaken thee, nor hated thee! and surely
the hereafter is better for thee than the former; and in the end
thy
Lord will give thee, and thou shalt be well
pleased!
Did He not find thee an orphan, and give the shelter? and find thee
erring, and guide thee? and find thee poor with a family,
and
nourish thee?
But as for the orphan oppress him not; and as for the beggar
drive him not away; and as for the favour of thy Lord discourse
thereof."
maharanee - Chapter Three p. 46 - title given to the
wife of the maharajah, or a high ranking Indian princess
namaz - Chapter Three p. 55 - the five daily prayers
for Muslims
salwaar kameez - Chapter Three p. 55 - a
form of trousers worn by Indian women
goitre - Chapter Three p. 59 - a swelling of the thyroid
gland on the neck
"A bald man does not like to walk under the
bell-fruit tree twice" - Chapter Three p. 61 - Chanu's aphorisms seem
to involve fruit trees quite often
Sunlight soap - Chapter Three p. 64 - from the Lever
factory in Liverpool
nengti - Chapter Three p. 64 - I'm not quite sure
what kind of garment this is
mustard oil - Chapter Three p. 64 - presumably used
as some kind of 'Deep Heat' to keep the labourer's body warm as he dives into
the well to retrieve the body of Makku Pagla
"If God wanted us to ask questions, he would have
made us men" - Chapter Three p. 64 - great stuff
shondesh
- Chapter Four p. 65 - is a kind oof dessert
jute - Chapter Four p. 66 - strong plant fibre
used for variety of products, such as the underlay of carpets. The
processing of jute is a big industry in Bangladesh
"a virtuous circle" - Chapter Four
p. 66 - a neat phrase from Chanu, and a very good way to start a critique
of his loquaciousness
ghee - Chapter Four p. 68 - a clarified butter
that forms part of the staple diet on the Indian subcontinent, also used in
various religious ceremonies to mark certain landmarks in an individual's life
bhangra - Chapter Four p. 70 - traditional
harvest dance originating from the Punjab, that does involve vigorous movement
of the shoulders (amongst other body parts). According to Encarta, the
music now called 'Bhangra' that employs an infusion of the bhangra beat was
created in Britain
"But some of it is quite good... particularly the
Shakin' Stevens" - Chapter Four p. 70 - the beginning of
the long-dreamed for comeback? (I'm joking. I'm hoping that Monica
Ali is joking too)
okra - Chapter Four p. 73 - a plant that bears
edible green pods that are also called 'ladies' fingers'
roshmolai - Chapter Four p. 73 - I'm not quite
sure what this nosh is
gulabjam
- Chapter Four p. 73 - is a kind oof sweet
jelabee - Chapter Four p. 73 - is a deep-fried
sweet
"O! that I were as great/As is my grief, or lesser
than my name" - Chapter Four p. 74 - is a quote from Act 3,
Scene 3 of Richard II, where Richard is heartily regretting his banishment of
Henry Bolingbroke, since the latter has arrived back in England at the head of
a large army:
KING RICHARD. O God, O God! that e'er this tongue
of
mine
That laid the sentence of dread
banishment
On yon proud man should take it off
again
With words of sooth! O that I were as
great
As is my grief, or lesser than my
name!
Or that I could forget what I have
been!
Or not remember what I must be
now!
Swell'st thou, proud heart? I'll give thee scope to
beat,
Since foes have scope to beat both thee and
me.
"Mine eyes are full of tears,
I cannot see" - Chapter Four
p. 75 - from Act IV, Scene I, this is Richard's reaction to
being forced to abdicate:
KING RICHARD. Mine
eyes are full of tears; I cannot
see.
And yet salt water blinds them not so
much
But they can see a sort of traitors
here.
Nay, if I turn mine eyes upon
myself,
I find myself a traitor with the
rest;
For I have given here my soul's
consent
T'undeck the pompous body of a king;
Made glory base, and sovereignty a
slave,
Proud majesty a subject, state a peasant.
tabla - Chapter Four
p. 75 - an Indian percussion instrument
fajr - Chapter Four p. 75 - the dawn
Muslim prayer
zuhr - Chapter Four p. 75 - the midday
prayer
The Padma - Chapter Four p. 75 - a channel
of the Ganges in Bangladesh
fakir - Chapter Four p. 79 - poor
itinerants on the Indian subcontinent that are renowned for their wondrous abilities,
such as walking on fire, although none, so far as I've heard, have ever taken
to living in a plastic cube above the Thames
kalojam
- Chapter Four p. 81 - is a mmilk-based dessert, and so is quite
a big hint that Chanu wants Dr Azad to entertain him at dinner
"And there was this shapeless, nameless
thing that crawled across her shoulders and nested in her hair and
poisoned her lungs, that made her both restless and listless. What do you
want with me? she asked it. What do you want? it hissed
back. She asked it to leave her alone but it would not. She
pretended not to hear, but it got louder. She made bargains with
it... She offered all these things for it to leave her. It listened
quietly, and then burrowed deeper into her internal organs.
Perhaps, she came
to think, everyone has one. The trick was to ignore it. Turn your
back on it. Like Amma. 'I don't want anything from this life,' she
said. 'I ask for nothing. I expect nothing.' Hasina jumped up
and down at that. 'If you ask for nothing, you might get nothing!'
But she had proved her mother's point. 'How can I be
disappointed?'... Only one thing was not clear. The cause of Amma's
suffering" - Chapter Four p. 81 - this "shapeless,
nameless thing" could very well be Monica Ali's representation of
Nazneen's 'daimon' or fate, drawn from the Heraclitus quotation at the
beginning of Brick Lane: "Ethos
anthropos daimon-" A man's character is his fate (as Peter Malakoff
writes, 'ethos' is the Greek word for 'character' from which we get the word
'ethics', and 'daimon' is the Greek word for 'fate'). Monica Ali's
representation of this demon reminds me of the New Zealand writer Stephen
Minchin's short story 'Recht', which features little demons clinging to the
backs of Nazi soldiers. Minchin was himself inspired by a quote from
Nietzsche: "Not necessity, not desire - no, the love of power is the demon
of men... the demon waits and waits and will be satisfied".
Nazneen's little demon certainly seems to want her to control her own destiny
(or to control her destiny for her), for in her life with Chanu, she is quite
powerless, despite her little rebellion against Mrs Islam (p. 71).
The final chapter of
the Qu'ran seems to refer to such djinn ('mischievous spirits'):
"IN the name of the merciful and compassionate
God.
Say, 'I seek refuge in the Lord of men, the King of men, the
God
of men, from the evil of the whisperer, who slinks off, who
whispers
into the hearts of men!-from ginns and men!'"
amra tree - Chapter Four p. 85 -
would appear to be a kind of mango tree. Although one of Chanu's
aphorisms is: "Can't get mangoes from the amra tree" Chapter Twenty
p. 383. "The local yogi doesn't get alms" - Chapter Five p. 90
- is another one. However, Mrs Azad dooesn't appreciate it when he says
"To be an immigrant is to live out a tragedy" - Chapter Five p. 91.
"The whiskered man with the flat, blank eyes of a bandicoot rat" -
Chapter Six p. 96 - this website gives an idea of what one of these
rodents looks like
a mahout - Chapter Six p. 101 - is an elephant
driver
"sinking, sinking, drinking water" -
Chapter Six p. 105 - not sure where this quote comes from, but it seems to
be a familiar saying, no doubt a reference to the periodical flooding of
Bangladesh
tasbee - Chapter Six p. 106 - not sure what this
means
The Jamuna River - Chapter Six p. 106 - is the name
of the lower part of the Brahmaputra river, which is renowned for its
disastrous floods
dacoits - Chapter Six p. 109 - gang of armed robbers
on the Indian subcontinent of yore, perhaps like highwaymen
"We are the strength, we are the force/The Band of
Students that we are!" - Chapter Six p. 110 - this
poem was written by Nazrul
Islam
choli - Chapter Six p. 115 - the blouse worn beneath
a sari
"Suddenly the thought came to her that she had
killed Razia's husband. Raqib was meant to die, but she had forced Death
away. Death was forced to choose again. Be gone from me! she
shouted. Be gone! Back to hell, where you belong. And with
these words, banished the jinn that had danced, briefly, spitefully, through
the room and into her head" - Chapter Six p. 117 - great stuff
tiffin - Chapter Seven p. 121 - a light midday snack
lungi - Chapter Seven p. 121 - a kind of loincloth
worn by men in the Indian subcontinent
hartal - Chapter Seven p. 121 - a strike or
industrial dispute
"'Ershad! You goonda!'" -
Chapter Seven p. 122 - a reference to Hussein Muhammad Ershad, president
of Bangladesh from 1983-1990. A 'goonda' is a 'hooligan' or 'rascal'
betel nut - Chapter Seven p. 124 - the betel nut is
a stimulant. "Shahnaz say Renu end up breaking bricks. 'She
better tough those gums up and get ready'" - Chapter Seven p.
125 - probably a reference to the staining of the mouth that results from
chewing betel nuts, since it can produce a saliva that is brick-red in colour
ladoo - Chapter Seven p. 127 - is a kind of dessert
apostate - Chapter Seven p. 128 - someone who
renounces faith
bauls - Chapter Seven p. 133 - are members of a
religious order who sing mystical songs about the love between an individual
and a personal god that lives within them (like Nazneen's jinn?).
This is a Bengali tradition that has inspired many local writers, such as
Rabindranath Tagore, especially since Bauls have a reputation for being
quite unorthodox in performance and in the composition of the lyrics for their
songs
pan - Chapter Seven p. 134 - is the leaf of the
betel plant, so these men, like Renu, are taking a stimulant
lassi - Chapter Seven p. 139 - a flavoured
buttermilk or yoghurt drink
babu - Chapter Seven p. 139 - means 'father' in
Hindi
ghole - Chapter Seven p. 139 - is a yoghurt drink
"Do not despair of the mercy of God for Allah
forgives all sins. He is the Compassionate the Merciful" -
Chapter Seven p. 140 - I believes this comes from Chapter 39 of the
Qu'ran:
"Say, 'O my servants! who have been
extravagant against their
own
souls!' be not in despair of the mercy of God; verily, God
forgives
sins, all of them; verily, He is forgiving,
merciful.
But turn repentant unto your Lord, and resign yourselves to
Him,
before there comes on you torment! then ye shall not be helped:
and
follow the best of what has been sent down to you from your
Lord,
before, there come on you the torment suddenly, ere ye can perceive!"
Grisma - Chapter Seven p. 141 - is from March to May
in Bangladesh, a season of increasing heat with thundery showers. This is
the peak season for the brick making industry
pakora - Chapter Seven p. 142 - a deep-fried
Indian snack
Our Golden Bengal
- Chapter Eight pp. 145-146 - or Amar SSonar Bangla is the national anthem
of Bangladesh, written by Rabindranath Tagore. Chanu would be delighted
with this website
kameez - Chapter Eight p. 147 - an Indian garment
fashioned like a tunic
memsahib - Chapter Eight p. 147 - a title of
courtesy given to European married women during colonial times by Indians, so
Chanu is saying that Shahana has too many 'airs and graces'
"His energy went into the niyyah - the making of his
intention - and here he was advanced and skilful, but the delivery let him
down" - Chapter Eight p. 147 - before beginning to pray, a Muslim
will state the 'niyyah' - that is, his intention to pray
"In the sixteenth century, Bengal was called the
Paradise of Nations" - Chapter Eight p. 151 - Chanu doesn't provide
any evidence to back this up
muslin - Chapter Eight p. 151 - cotton cloth that
gets its name from its manufacture in Iraqi city of Mosul. The Italian
name is mussolina (maybe where Mussolini got his surname from?)
damask - Chapter Eight p. 151 - patterned fabric
that originally derived from Damascus
Colonel
Osmany - Chapter Eight p. 152 - became commander-in-chief of the
Mukti Bahini (Freedom Battalion) in 1971. He built up the East Bengal
Regiment during World War II.
Shah
Jalal - Chapter Eight p. 152 - find out more about the great saint
here
Warren
Hastings - Chapter Eight p. 152 - the controversial first British
Governor-General of India
"Azraeel is at the door" - Chapter Eight
p. 154 - Azraeel is the angel of death in Islam
"as if he had discovered a growth, this tumorous
phone on his side" - Chapter Ten p. 173 - a reference to the fears that
mobile phones could cause cancer
haram
- Chapter Ten p. 176 - that which is forbiddden to Islam
Sonali Bank - Chapter Ten p. 176 - is a Bangladeshi bank
"'Who was it who saved the work of Plato and
Aristotle for the West during the Dark Ages? Us. It was us.
Muslims. We saved the work so that your so-called St Thomas could claim
it for his own discovery'" - Chapter Ten p. 177 - Chanu would seem to be
referring to Saint Thomas Aquinas, who, rather than claiming to have
rediscovered Aristotelian philosophy, managed to reconcile
it with the predominant Roman Catholic theology of the time. Averroës,
born in Córdoba, Spain was the Muslim scholar whose extensive
commentaries on the work of Aristotle caused so much controversy at this
time. His views were labelled as "double truth" by the
Christian theorists of the time, as Averroës maintained that enlightenment
could come from both philosophy and religion
sampan - Chapter Ten p. 180 - flat-bottomed boats widely
used in Asia
"Bismillahir rahmanir rahim"
- Chapter Ten p. 180 - means "In the naame of Allah, the Most Beneficent,
the Most Merciful."
ayah - Chapter Ten p. 186 - a female servant employed as
a nanny
BNP - Chapter Ten p. 187 - is the Bangladesh Nationalist
Party, which no doubt has different aims and views from the British Nationalist
Party They secured the assistance of the religious parties such as
Jamaat-e-Islami in their successful victory over the ruling party, the Awami
League in the 2001 elections
"Her stepmother came into her mind, a young woman
with a large nose ring, thick gold bands on her ankles... Where did she
go? Where was she sent? How long before the bracelets were melted
down and spent? How long before she came to be where Hasina had also
been?" - Chapter Ten p. 189 - perhaps this is answered later on?
"Praise be to God, Lord of the Universe" -
Chapter Ten pp. 189-190 - this is how E. H. Palmer translates the opening of
the Qu'ran:
"IN the name of the merciful and
compassionate God.
Praise belongs to God, the Lord of the worlds, the merciful,
the
compassionate, the ruler of the day of judgment! Thee we serve
and
Thee we ask for aid. Guide us in the right path, the path of
those
Thou art gracious to; not of those Thou art wroth with; nor of
those
who err."
salaat -
Chapter Ten p. 192 - how to perform the Islamic ritual
prayer
kurta - Chapter Eleven p. 195 - a long loose collarless
shirt worn in Asia
hijab - Chapter Eleven p. 195 - headscarf worn by Islamic
women
the ummah - Chapter Eleven p. 196 - the community of
Islam across all nations. No doubt the suggestion to name Karim's group
'United Muslim Action' was intended to reflect the ummah
hadith - Chapter Eleven p. 196 - are the collected sayings
of the Prophet Muhammad, revered by Muslims as the second most important
text after the Qu'ran. 'Sunnah' means a "well-trodden path" and
refers to the example set by the Prophet, or the 'orthodox' way. The
consensus of the majority in the Muslim community rules, a concept known as
ijmaa, which is probably why there is so much voting in Chapter Eleven.
Those in the 'ununaminous vote' position (p. 197) do not enjoy God's
protection, as the majority view is regarded as being infallible.
"We urge you to write to your Head Teacher and
withdraw your child from Religious Instruction. This is your right as a
parent under Section 25 of the 1944 Education Act" - Chapter Twelve
p. 208 - this is true
"Her two angels, who recorded every action and thought,
good and evil, for the Day of Judgement" - Chapter Twelve p. 210
- I believe that this is the passage of the Qu'ran that Nazneen is thinking of
- I am not sure who did this translation thoough -
"Yes, you deny the
Last Judgement.
Yet there are guardians watching over you, noble
recorders
who know of all your actions.
The righteous shall surely dwell in bliss. But
the wicked shall burn in
Hell-fire upon the Judgement-day: they shall not
escape.
Would that you knew what the Day of Judgement
is!
Oh, would that you knew what the Day of
Judgement is!
It is the day when every soul will stand-alone
and Allah will reign
supreme."
taqwa
- Chapter Twelve p. 211 - is the ffear of Allah
"'O Rejoice/Beyond a common joy, and set it
down/With Gold on lasting pillars'" - Chapter Twelve p. 212 -
this is a quote from the Tempest. Gonzalo rejoices that Prospero's duchy
of Milan is to be returned to him, after he has summoned up a storm to bring a
ship to the island that he has been exiled to. Chanu is obviously hoping
to return home to Bangladesh in triumph, renewing the dreams that have hardly
prospered him so far. Here is the full quote from the Tempest:
"GONZALO. Was Milan thrust from Milan, that
his
issue
Should become Kings of Naples? O,
rejoice
Beyond a common joy, and set it
down
With gold on lasting pillars: in one
voyage
Did Claribel her husband find at
Tunis;
And Ferdinand, her brother, found a
wife
Where he himself was lost; Prospero his
dukedom
In a poor isle; and all of us
ourselves
When no man was his own."
"If Begum Khaleda Zia come to power it is bad for
him" - Chapter Twelve p. 220 - Begum Khaleda Zia is leader of
the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, who did win the 2001 election to become the
Prime Minister of Bangladesh again
"We
give thanks for Farook Zaman who died in the Duba Yurt operations in Chechnya,
February 2000" - Chapter Twelve pp. 226-227 - read
Pravda's probably not unbiased report of this operation, Farook Zaman is an
invention of Monica Ali. Here is the BBC view of Duba Yurt
Oldham riots -
Chapter Twelve p. 228 - read the BBC report on these disturbances
jatra
girl - Chapter Thirteen p. 229 - is folk theatre.
Maybe jatra girls are regarded just as low as female actors used to be in
European culture?
Dogwood Estate- Chapter Thirteen p. 230 -
probably named after the dogwood
shrub
mehindi - Chapter Thirteen p. 230 - mehindi
designs have reached Hollywood, as
this website relates
"'Why do you think they call themselves Lion
Hearts" - Chapter Thirteen p. 235 - a reference to Richard I,
the Lion-Hearted (Coeur de Lion). He made his name whilst on the Third
Crusade as a brave fighter, although he was also very ruthless and bloody,
being responsible for the death of nearly 3,000 Muslim prisoners of war at
Acre. No doubt the "Lion Hearts" have Richard I's war record to
mind when they name themselves. They would probably be horrified to learn
that Richard is widely presumed to have had homosexual tendencies
"If
the UN participates in such genocidal sanctions backed by the threat of
military violence - and if the people of the world fail to prevent such conduct
- the violence, terror and the human misery of the new millennium will exceed
anything we have known" - Chapter Thirteen
p. 236 - the former US Attorney General who said this was Ramsey
Clark
Apostate - Chapter Thirteen p. 236 - is someone
who renounces their faith, beliefs or allegiances - and is not used unfairly
here at all
"They looked like Pathans, tall and dignified, with
sharp cheekbones and high brows" - Chapter Fourteen p. 247
- 'Pathan' is Hindustani for 'Pastuns', the original inhabitants of
Afghanistan, and still the majority of that country. However, due to
tribal migrations over several centuries, there is also a large community in
Pakistan. They have a great military tradition, which is probably what
Nazneen is referring to here
"Like a Sufi in a trance, a whirling dervish, she
lost the tread of one existence and found another" - Chapter Fourteen
p. 248 - find out more about Sufism
here
"'It will be ninety-three all over again.'
That was when the BNP councillor was elected and it was not safe to go
out" - Chapter Fourteen p. 249 - ?
"the Bukhari collection" - Chapter Fourteen p.
250 - a reference to the compilation of hadiths collected by the Muslim scholar
Muhammad ibn-Ismail al-Bukhari. This collection is regarded by Sunnis as
being so authorative, that they rank it second only to the Qu'ran in importance
Hajjaj - Chapter Fourteen p. 250 - Abu Al-husayn Muslim
Ibn Al-hajjaj Al-qushayri was another major complier of hadiths. He made
sure to convey how each hadith had been transmitted down the generations, and
by whom, and also revealed textual variations between the various
different accounts of certain hadiths
"Do you know, the Ka'aba was built by the first
human, Adam, and is therefore the first shrine for worshipping God?" -
Chapter Fourteen p. 250 - according the Muslim legend, Abrahaam and
Ishmael built the Ka'aba (or 'Kaaba'), from foundations first laid down by
Adam. The Ka'aba is the cube-like shrine near the centre of the Great
Mosque in Mecca, which Muslims regard as being the most sacred place on
Earth. The Hajj is the major pilgrimage to Mecca, and all healthy adults
Muslims are expected to make this pilgrimage at least once in their
lifetime. The tawaf is the sevenfold circling of the Ka'aba by
pilgrims. Muhammad originally directed his followers to pray in the
direction of Jerusalem, but changed the direction of prayer towards Mecca after
he had a spot of bother with Jews in Medina
chromosome
- Chapter Fourteen p. 250 - and now the scciience bit
Madinah -
Chapter Fourteen p. 261 - is the Arabic name for Medina, the city that is now
in Saudi Arabia, which is home to Muhammad's tomb, the Mosque
of the Prophet
"'Do you know that the British cut the fingers off
Bengali weavers?.. It was the British... who destroyed our textile
industry'" - Chapter Fourteen p. 262 - the
following website relates how the fingers of Bengali weavers were broken, Bengal
Art also reveals how the Bengali textile industry was suppressed
"His face grew full of wonder, as if he had received
this revelation from the Angel Jibreel himself" - Chapter Fourteen p. 263
- more familiarly known to Christians as thee Angel Gabriel, this archangel was
the one who brought the divine revelations to Muhammad
Bangabandhu -
Chapter Fifteen p. 278 - means "friend of Bengal", a title reserved
for Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the leader of the independence movement during the
war of liberation from Pakistan. Until his assassination in 1975, he was
the premier of Bangladesh
jamdanis - Chapter Fifteen p. 278 - type of muslin that
is so intricately patterned that it can only be created by the best weavers,
and hence can be only be afforded by wealthy people
"He has bruise on jaw colour like
brinjal" - Chapter Fifteen p. 278 - is an aubergine, which are
indeed quite purple in colour - a good simile
nakphool - Chapter Fifteen p. 291 - the following
webpage, On
Human Rights in Bangladesh, contains an example of this expression being
used in relation to a rape
niramish - Chapter Fifteen p. 291 - is a stir
fried mixed vegetables dish
Ustad
Alauddin Khan and Ustad Ayet Ali Khan - Chapter Sixteen p. 298 -
find out more about them here
"Clouds rumbling in the sky; teeming rain. I
sit on the river-bank, sad and alone" - Chapter Sixteen p. 298 -
this is a quote from Rabindranath Tagore's The Golden Boat - read the rest of
the poem here
"The mirror of the sky/Reflects my soul" -
Chapter Sixteen p. 299 - this is a quotation from a Baul song.
Find out more about them and it here
"My
heart is not to my hearts liking" - Chapter Sixteen
p. 301 - if this is a quote, I don't know where it's from
Zainul Abedin - Chapter Sixteen pp. 306-307 - find
out more about this artist here
lakh - Chapter Sixteen p. 313 - is Hindi for
"One hundred thousand"
"He who kills himself with sword, or poison, or
throws himself off a mountain will be tormented on the Day of Resurrection with
that very thing" - Chapter Sixteen p. 318 - this is a quotation from
the Hadith
Joi Bangla
- Chapter Seventeen p. 322 - find out more aabout them these Bengali musicians
Tower Hamlets Bugle - Chapter Seventeen p. 323 - does not
exist
Jamme Masjid - Chapter Seventeen p. 326 - the building that is home to this mosque has had a varied