Words from the River of Smoke

1. Paunchy - a man/woman with a big belly
2. Chivvy - repeatedly tell someone to do something
3. phalanx - a group of people moving in a formation
4. daguerrotypes - first of its kind of photographic method

Memorable Quotes from the Hungry Tide - 4

Age teaches you to recognize the signs of death. You do not see them suddenly; you become aware of them very slowly over a period of many many years.

Egalitarian - someone who believes that every person is equal and they deserve equal rights and opportunities.

Dalliance - a casual romantic or sexual relationship.

"You're all the same you men. Who can blame the tigers when predators like you pass for human beings?"

"He says when a tiger comes into a human settlement, it's because it wants to die."

Memorable Quotes from the Hungry Tide - 2

replete = full as in eaten to heart's content.

scuttling - destroying a ship by creating a hole in it to let the water enter

The sight made Piya laugh: so this is where the word 'crabby' came from , a creature so stubborn that it would rather be captured than let go.

abed - in bed - Nirmal talking abt his retirement
beset - trouble or threaten persistently - Nirmal talking abt the thought of retirement would trouble and threaten him persistently .
despondency - a state of low spirit caused by loss of hope or courage.

The true tragedy of a routinely spent life is that its wastefulness does not become apparent till its too late.

Someone who has stayed in the same job for thirty years becomes like mildew on the wall - everybody longs to see it wither in the bright light of a new day.

For if you compared it to the ways in which dolphin's echoes mirrored the world, speech was only a bag of tricks that fooled you into believing that you could see through the eyes of another being.

Memorable Quotes from the Hungry Tide - 1

There is no prettiness here to invite the strangers in : yet to the world at large this archipelago is known as the Sundarbans, which means "the beautiful forest."

To look upon this strange parturition, midwifed by the moon, is to know the name "tide country" is not just right but necessary.

Words and situations from the Hungry Tide by Amitav Ghosh

restitution - payment of some sort .....used in the book when Nirmal mentions to Kanai that since the Bay of Bengal has given so much to the Sundarbans...they need to take something back .....and hence the Bay is looking for a restitution.

androgyny - showing characteristics of both male and female....used in the book when Kanai mentions a man dressed up funnily at the railway stations.

parturition - the process of giving birth...mentioned when Kanai speaks of the Ganges giving birth to numerous islands ....

demur - raise doubts or fear.....When Piya is scared of the various boat-wallas trying to skin money of her.

obsequious - Obedient or attentive to an excessive or servile degree...initially the guard from the forest department behaved obsequiously later he became extremely officious .

bandolier - A shoulder-belt with loops or pockets for cartridges.

desultory - Lacking a plan, purpose, or enthusiasm...when Piya was searching for a boat to hire ...her process was entirely unplanned ....

mime - The theatrical technique of suggesting action, character, or emotion without words, using only gesture, expression, and movement.

pantomime - excessive mime

gesticulate - Use gestures, esp. dramatic ones, instead of speaking or to emphasize one's words