Glossary for “what we lose between the lines”
by Devika Bahadur
1. साँस (Sāns)
Literal translation: breath
Contextual meaning: Not just the act of breathing, but symbolic of life, memory, maternal comfort and ancestral presence.
2. इज़्ज़त (Izzat)
Literal translation: honour, respect, dignity
Contextual meaning: A culturally loaded term tied to reputation, gendered expectations and societal pressure; often associated with shame and punishment in the Indian context.
3. एकान्त (Ekānt)
Literal translation: solitude, seclusion
Contextual meaning: A deliberate or chosen solitude, often peaceful or reflective in nature.
4. तन्हाई (Tanhāī)
Literal translation: loneliness
Contextual meaning: A more emotional or haunting solitude, often tied to melancholy or longing.
5. जब बड़े बात करें, बीच में नहीं बोलते (Jab baṛe bāt karein, bīch mein nahīṁ bolte)
Literal translation: When elders are speaking, one doesn’t interrupt.
Contextual meaning: A cultural idiom implying obedience, hierarchy and suppression of self-expression.
6. तेल की शीशी (Tel kī shīshī)
Literal translation: a bottle of oil
Contextual meaning: Evokes the scent and nostalgia of home, traditional grooming rituals and intergenerational memory.
7. घर (Ghar)
Literal translation: home
Contextual meaning: More than a place, evokes feelings of belonging, grief, ritual, memory and separation.
8. समझ (Samajh)
Literal translation: understanding, comprehension
Contextual meaning: Can also mean emotional intelligence or deep cultural intuition; in the piece, also metaphorically refers to emotional wounds.
9. लज्जा (Lajjā)
Literal translation: shame, modesty
Contextual meaning: A culturally coded word that carries both virtue and stigma, especially in gendered contexts.
10. जड़ (Jaṛ)
Literal translation: root
Contextual meaning: Used metaphorically to represent origin, ancestry or source of identity.
11. विरासत (Virāsat)
Literal translation: inheritance, legacy
Contextual meaning: Something passed down, could be wealth, trauma, language or culture, wanted or unwanted.
Devika Bahadur is a researcher in Material Culture Studies. Her research explores home-making and migration in India, alongside queer fashion in workplace contexts. She is a published poet and is active in teaching and community-based volunteering initiatives. She is a published poet, her work appears in Swim Press, Overachiever Magazine and Critical Studies on Security. She writes poetry and fiction across genres, with a soft spot for emotional wreckage and quiet longing. Find more of her works here: https://bahadurdevika.carrd.co/.