Berbers are the indigenous people of North Africa. They were made up of many tribes but had managed to retain their culture, Hamitic language and considerable military power during successive invasions of their land. Some berbers were Christian, some Jewish and some maintained their polytheist religion before being converted to Islam by the Arabs. The Berbers once occupied the entire …

The Bedouins are a nomadic Arab tribe whose name is derived from badawi meaning ‘desert-dweller.’ They make up about one-tenth of the population of the Middle East, but cover in their wanderings nearly nine-tenths of its land area. Their pattern of life is determined by the grazing needs of their flocks which they follow all the year round, living in …

‘Twas on a Holy Thursday, their innocent faces clean, The children walking two and two, in red and blue and green, Grey headed beadles walk’d before, with wands as white as snow, Till into the high dome of Paul’s they like Thames’ waters flow. Oh what a multitude they seem’d, these flowers of London town! Seated in companies they sit …

Stilt fishing is an old tradition practised by around 500 fishing families in Galle, in southwestern-most Sri Lanka. These fishermen usually fish at sunset, noon and sunrise, with each one taking an elevated position and balancing about 2 metres above the water. The stilts are dug into the coral and bed of the sea. Stilt fishing started after the Second …

An investor or speculator who subscribes to a new issue, expecting the price of the stock to rise immediately upon the start of trading is known as a stag. The sole aim of a stag is to sell the shares soon after allotment to realise a quick profit.

Siddhas are liberated souls. They have reached the highest state, salvation, and have attained Moksha. They have eradicated all their karmas, and therefore do not accumulate any more new karmas, thus freeing themselves forever from the cycle of birth and death (Akshaya Sthiti). This state of freedom is called Moksha. They are experiencing ultimate, unobstructed bliss (Aksha Sukh) and are …

A Rajput is a member of one of the landowning patrilineal clans of central and northern India. Rajputs consider themselves descendants of one of the major ruling warrior groups of the Hindu Kshatriya Varna (social order) in the Indian subcontinent, particularly North India. However this claim has been contested by various historians and scholars, from the medieval era to the …

A portmanteu of the words pajamas and Mujahideen, Pajamahadeen or Pajamahideen refer to bloggers who constantly check facts in traditional media. The word refers to news bloggers, their main goal being overthrowing the news establishment. ‘Mujahideen’ comes from an Arabic word referring to those who participate in jihad while bloggers are said to mostly work in their pajamas. It was …

Kitchen police are military service personnel whose services are deployed to assist the cook in the kitchen. They help the cook by cutting vegetables, cleaning the floor, washing the dishes, etc. Sometimes, regular combat personnel are also sent on kitchen duty as punishment for minor offences. This term has been used in the US since World War I.

Hypocritical celebrities or those who espouse a cause but don’t live by the principles they preach. The word hippy-crite particularly refers to those celebrities guilty of environmental hypocrisy. For instance, those who complain about pollution but nonetheless use products that pollute. Hippycrites also refer to wannabe hippies —those who claim they are hippies but don’t exactly lead such a lifestyle.