Ganga - Resources

A
aarti (aarthi)		a small lamp which is fueled by oil or clarified butter (ghee) and used as part of the puja ceremony. Also refers to the puja ceremony itself and characterized by the circling of oil lamps before the divine image.
abraid		the action of water wearing away or eroding a surface
acharya		spiritual guide, learned man
activated Sludge Plant		a waste water treatment plant relying on enhanced bacterial decomposition of the wastes to reduce the amounts of organic matter discharged
adivasi		Indian tribal or aboriginal
aerobic		aerobic environments are characterized by a concentration of oxygen adequate to allow for organisms that use oxygen for respiration
Agni		the Vedic fire god, the fire itself
ahimsa		the refusal to hurt or kill others, often associated with Jainism
AIWPS		Activated sewage ponds
Akbar		late 16th century emperor of the Mughal dynasty
akhara		wrestling ground
Akshay Tritiya		another name for Ganga Dussehra
algae		a group of aquatic single or multicellular photosynthesis plants; a very diverse group of organisms that are critical to the ecosystem and vulnerable to pollution
aloo		potato
alpana		decorative floor designs made from rice paste and created for special occasions
amrit		nectar
anaerobic		anaerobic environments contain too little oxygen for organisms that require it for respiration. Carbon compounds are frequently converted to methane through metabolic pathways adapted to these environments
andolan		mass movement
Ardh Kumbh		the bathing festival at the Sangam at Prayag in Allahabad that takes place every sixth year. see Kumbh Mela and Magh Mela
ashram		religious retreat, often in forests, dwelling places of sages, yogis and their students
Ashvamedh yagna		the Vedic horse-sacrifice, usually performed at consecration of a king
Asi		the stream that borders Varanasi at its south and enters Ganga at Asi ghat asuras demons
assimilation		the uptake of material by plants which is then converted into tissue
asthis		ashes
asuras		demons
atman		the essence or soul
atta		flour
autecology		the study of a single organism or species
avatar		incarnation, another form of
ayurveda		traditional form of herbal medicine
B
bacteria		a single cell life form that can reproduce and live in both aerobic and anaerobic conditions
bacteriophage		viruses that infect and frequently kill bacteria
Badrinath		a place of pilgrimage in the Himalaya
barrage		a structure designed to manage the flow of water in a river without the deliberate intention of creating a reservoir or producing electricity. Note that the terms “dam” and “barrage” are at times used interchangeably in a confusing manner. The former is most properly used when the water is being retained for one of the two uses identified above
Bauls		mystic wandering musicians from West Bengal, often dressed in distinctive multicolored clothes
bedload		sediments at theh bottom of a river or stream that are carried by erosion
bentinck micro-invertebrate		a small animal without a backbone which lives below the surface of the water
Bhagavad Gita		the “Song of the Lord,” sixth book in the “Mahabharata.” Arjun laments he must fight his friends; Krishna convinces him that battle if an act of devotion and duty
Bhai dooj		day after Divali
bhajan		popular religious hymn, usually about Ram and Sita or Krishna and Radha
bhakti		the heart’s devotion and love towards God
bharal		blue mountain sheep
Bharat		the ancient name for India
bhatiali		boatmen in Bengal who sing folk songs
BHU		Banaras Hindu University
bidi		hand-rolled cigarette made from bidi leaves
biryani		a dish of rice, saffron and (usually) marinated lamb
BOD		is used to mean either “Biological Oxygen Demand” or “Biochemical Oxygen Demand” and it is critical for readers and writers to be aware of which meaning is intended. Both refer to the amount of oxygen consumed in a water sample over a period of time. This oxygen can be consumed by metabolic respiration of living organisms in the water, or by chemical oxidation, as in the oxidation of iron to create iron oxide. Much of the confusion about the use of the acronym lies in the difficulty associated with distinguishing between the two possible pathways
bodhisattva		Buddhist term referring to someone who has attained enlightenment but postpones nirvana to help others in the way Brahma the creator God of the Universe: one of the great Trinity along with Siva and Vishnu
Brahma		thew creator God of the Universe: one of the great Trinity along with Shiva and Vishnu
Brahman		the Absolute, the Ultimate God, the One Reality, the essence of life, the reality which is source of all being and knowing caste the division of society into classes or varnas based on occupation or skin color
brahmin		a member of the priestly class, one of Hinduism’s four varnas or castes
bustee		a small poor village
C
caste		a Portugese term for group, race or kind of people. The Indian term is jati. Castes are organized from the most ritually pure to those considered polluted Center political shorthand for government in Delhi
Centre		political shorthand for the government in Delhi
cetacean		a member of the whale or dolphin family
CETP		Combined Effluent Treatment Plant - mixing sewage and tannery waste water at a ratio of 3:1. Three parts sewage to one part tannery waste water
chaan		cowshed, seasonal shelter made of thatch
chappal		sandal
chappati		unleavened wholewheat flatbread
char		sandbar
charpoy		string cot
chawal		rice
cholera		infectious disease caused by bacterial infection of intestines, characterized be severe vomiting and diarrhoea, leading to dehydration, often death
choola		hearth
chowkidar		night watchman
coagulants		chemicals that cause dissolved materials to come of solution in wastewater treatment which allows for more settling of materials
colloidal		materials that are dispersed through a solution
Command Area		the total area within the reach of any given canal network
communalism		in Indian culture sectarianism (usually based on one's religion)
compound		substance made up of two or more elements
conch		a bivalve mollusc such as the mussel or oyster. The shell used as a wind instrument in Hindu temples and at festivals
contamination		the unwanted introduction of a material into another
crore		from the Hindi word meaning ten million
cusecs		measures flow in cubic feet per second, An old British unit, it is still used in India, now replaced by cumecs (m3/sec), the adaptation of cusecs to the metric
D
dacoits		bandir
dal		lentils
dalit		untouchable
dam		a barrier constructed across a river to create a reservoir. Unlike a barrage, which has gates to allow water to pass through.
damau		small tambourine like drum
danukh		Jati or subcaste (akin to Dalit) or Untouchables, who perform polluting tasks such as working with leather or cremating the dead
Darcy's Law		describes flow of a liquid through a porous medium, frequently used to model groundwater flow in an aquifer
darsan		to be in the presence of, to view, the deity: seeing the divine image is the single most common and significant element of Hindu worship
Darshashvamedha		a tirtha and one of most famous ghats in Varanasi Dessehra deva, devi god, goddess. Also refers to Great Goddess called Devi or Mahadevi
deva, devi		god, goddess (also refers to Great Goddess called Devi or Mahadevi
Dev Bhoomi		abode of the Gods
dhama		the abode or dwelling of God.
Dhanuk		another name for dhoms in Uttar Pradesh
dharma		dharma moral and religious duty of individual: also the special duties and obligations to be performed accordingly to carefully formulated codes of behavior and according to one’s position in life
dharamshala		rest house for pilgrims
dhobi		a sub-caste whose occupation is usually laundering
dhol		two-sided drum (esp in West Bengal)
dhom		untouchable who carries out cremations
dhoti		a piece of cloth worn by men and tied either in the form of pants or worn as a wraparound
distributary		a river that flows out of a main river down tothe sea. A tributary is a river that flows into a main river.
Divali		a five day Hindu festival, often referred to as the Festival of Lightrs, that celebrates the end of one year and the start of the new year in the lunar calendar. (also Diwali or Deepavali)
DO		Dissolved Oxygen: refers to the amount of oxygen dissolved in water. This oxygen is necessary for the life of aerobic organisms such as fish and many aquatic invertebrates
dumroo		small drum
Durga		same as Kali, a manifestation of Parvati or Devi, very popular in Bengal
Durga Puja		a Hindu festival in honor of Dburga symbolizing the triumph of good over evil, celebrated for ten days
Dussehra		festival celebrating the final victory of Lord Rama over the demon king Ravanna, in other words the triumph of Good over Evil. In West Bengal it makes the climax of Durga Pooja.
E
efficacies		The relative effectiveness of a treatment or practice
effluent		waste water
endemics		taxa that occur only in a single geographic location and nowhere else
Eocene		The second epoch of the Tertiary period of the Cenozoic, spanning the time from 54.8 to 33.7 million years ago. During this epoch mammals radiated and flourished
estuaries, estuarine		habitats where a river meets the ocean, characterized by changing levels of salinity, temperature and depth. Estuarine habitats tend to have high levels of primary productivity and serve as important breeding habitats for many marine organisms.
eutrophication		the enrichment of an aquatic system by inorganic nutrients, especially phosphorous and nitrogen. Eutrophication can lead to explosive growth of algae or aquatic plants which ultimately leads to a loss of dissolved oxygen and a reduction in the diversity of the habitat
evaporation		the phase change of a liquid to a gas
extant genera		currently existing
F
fan
flocculation		the process by which clay and other particles come together and adhere to form larger groupings. (Allaby)
flow
fractionation		the process of separating materials based on their chemical properties
G
Ganesha		the elephant-headed son of Siva and Parvati, to be honored at the begnning of any venture
gand, gandagi		Waste matter
gandhak		sulphur
Ganga Dusshehra		installation of Ganga in her temple in Gangotri
Ganga Jal		water from Ganga
Ganga Lahiri		song of the Ganga written by Jagannathan in the deventeenth century
ganja		hashish
GAP		Ganga Action Plan. Phase 1 was inaugurated in 1986 by Rajiv Gandhi, then Prime Minister of India. Phase 2 was started in 1993.
gariahal		fish eating crocodile
Gauri		Another name for Parvati, Siva’s wife
gaushala		stable for cows
Gaya		about 100 km south of Patna, not to be confused with nearby Bodhgaya, a major Buddhist pilgrimage center. Gaya is one of the three most sacred places in Hinduism - the Sangam and Varanasi are the others, because Vishnu gave Gaya the power to absolve sinners. Visnu’s footprint is believed to lie inside the temple.
genera		plural of “genus” the second level of taxonomic classification. The genus “Canis” contains dogs, wolves, coyotes and other related species.
ghat		steps leading down to a river
ghee		clarified butter
Godavari		one of India’s seven sacred rivers in the Deccan in Central India
goonda		thug
gunduk		Hindi for sulphur
Gupta		great North Indian empire from 4th-6th century AD
guru		teacher or spiritual guide
gurudakshane		symbolic gift such as a small sum of money or sweets or flowers, which a student gives to a guru to acknowledge the pricelessness of learning
gurudwara		Sikh temple
H
half-life		the amount of time required for the mass of material to be reduced by half through natural processes
Hanuman		monkey god, famous as faithful servant of Ram, and helped him free Sita from captivity
harijan		Untouchable, literally “child of god.”
Harischandra		legendary king famous for his Righteousness, ghat in Varanasi named after him “High Command” slang for final authority
haven mundan		head-shaving ceremony
heavy metals		A group of chemical elements, including Lead, Mercury and Cadmium, used for many industrial purposes. Many of these cause severe neurotoxic and other adverse effects to humans and other organisms.
helical		material in the shape of a helix
hexavalent chromium		Cr(VI)
High Command		slang/shorthand for final authority in an organization
hilsa		famous Bengali fish
hookah		water pipe
hydrology		science dealing with water on or under earth's surface and in tis atmosphere
hydrophone		a microphone specially sealed and adapted for recording underwater to depths of 30 feet
I
Indra		king of the gods, the Vedic warrior god, wielder of thunderbolts
IIT		Indian Institutes of Technology. There are seven IIT's across the country. They are considered the cream of India's universities.
inorganic		literally “non-living” and used in a variety of ways in science. This is most commonly used to describe chemicals that do not contain Carbon and Hydrogen.
ionized		changing the number of electrons in a molecule to give it a charge
J
Jagannath		“Lord of the Universe” and name of a 17th century poet and author of the Ganga Lahiri or “Song the Ganges.”
jal		water
jala		sacred water
Jal Nigam		The GAP executing agency (Ganga Pollution Control Unit UP)
Jal Sansthan		Water works responsible for water supply and sewage system.
jati caste		or sub-caste. Marriage partners are usually chosen from the same jati. There are thousands of jati. Local customs and practices frequently determine the precise relationship of one jati to another
jhoola		swing
K
Kabir		famous 15th/16th century Varanasi poet who taught synthesis of Hinduism and Islam.
kajal		black eye-liner
kalazar		disease of the eyes
Kali		wife of Siva, the malevolent form of Durga - the Mother Goddess.
Kali Yuga		fourth “age” of the world. The first is krita - the perfect age of the beginnings of Time; the last is Kali, the age of strife, degeneracy and immorality.
karamandal		gourd water pot in which Ganga was born
karma		the sum total of the ethical consequences of one’s thoughts and actions, which determine a person’s destiny in his or her existence
Kar sevak		volunteer
Kartik		the eighth month in the Hindu lunar calendar
kasha		tall grasses, often found on banks of rivers
Kashi		Kashi Beloved name for Banaras or Varanasi, literally “the city of Light.”
kavar		pilgrims who carry Ganga water on foot
khadi		handloom cloth, usually cotton
kheer		rice pudding
kinetic energy		the energy of a system at work or in motion
kingfisher		(Alecedo atthis) small bird with long beak and brilliant blue and orange plumage, feeding on fish which it captures by diving
Krishna		An avatar or form of Vishnu, but also worshiped in own right, as the playful lover of milkmaids (and Radha) in his native homeland near Mathura
kumbh(a)		a round water pot
Kumbh Mela		A great fair held once every twelve years at Prayag or Allahabad
kund		pool, usually sacred for bathing
kurta		long-sleeved tunic worn by men
Kurukshetra		Site of great war described in the Mahabharata
L
lakh		one hundred thousand
Lakshman		Brother of Ram, who accompanied him into exile to seek Sita.
Lakshmi		goddess of wealth
langar		communal kitchen
lingam		stone, phallic representation of Siva
M
maala		garland
Magh Mela		is an annual bathing festival at the Sangam at Prayag in Allahabad. It starts on Makar Sankranti and lasts between 15 and 30 days. Every sixth year it is known as the Ardh Kumbh and every twelth year as the Kumbh Mela.
Mahabharata		the Mahabharata is a huge body of stories, myths, folk takes and legends of Vedic gods and the struggle between two families for the possession of northern India.
mahant		a religious superior
mahseer		freshwater fish (barbus tor) found in northern plains and in the Himalayas
Makar Sankranti		the day of the solar calendar when the sun moves from the Tropic of Cancer to the Tropic of Capricorn, which marks the end of the winter solstice (always January 14 inthe Hindu calendar
mali		gardener
Mandakini		lake in Kashi, named for Ganga.
mandala		circular diagram which is also a schematic map of sacred universe in paintings and temples
mandir		temple
Manikarnika		one of two cremation ghats at Varanasi
mantra		sacred phrase or chant
masala		in Indian cooking masala refers to a mixture of spices used in a specific dish. In general usage it simply means a mixture, a hodge-podge
Mathura		One of India’s seven sacred cities, located on Yamuna river in northern India and birthplace of Krishna
maya		illusion
mela		fair, especially religious festival to which people come long distances on pilgrimage
mean velocity gradient		average rates of flow in a system
mld		million litres per day
moksha		release from the cycle of rebirth, therefore final liberation
morphological		refers to the visible traits and shape of an organism.
mull maas		thirteenth month in Hindu lunar calendar that occurs every third year
mundan		head-shaving ceremony for boys of the Brahmin caste
mukti		freedom, release from
murti		form or likeness
N
nadi		river
Naga		ancient serpent deities, today refers to ascetics who are naked and keep warm by smearing their bodies in ashes.
nala (nallah)		wastewater drain
narayan		god
Nataraj		Another name for Siva. Nataraj is the lord of dancers who eternally dances in the circle of fire and thus maintains the rhythm of the world.
neem		(Azadirachta indica), a tree valued for its leaves and bitter bark which are used medicinally, and for oils from which soap is made
Nirvana		the highest spiritual goal, freedom from all earthly attachments and desires
nitya puja		daily bathing ritual especailly in Ganga at Varanasi
NGO		non-governmental organization
non-point source pollution		pollution that is not discharged from a specific point; examples include urban runoff or erosion from agricultural fields.
non-toxic		a material that does not cause harm to living organisms under normal exposure conditions.
O
Oligocene		The third epoch of the Tertiary period of the Cenozoic, spanning the time from 33.7 to 23.8 million years ago.
Om (Aum)		the sacred syllable, the supreme mantra - the seed or source of all wisdom
organic		used in many ways to describe materials associated with the living world. Organic chemical are those that contain carbon; organic nutrients are those that are easily assimilated by living organisms; organic farmers rely on natural techniques fosr fertilization and pest control.
oxidation		the loss of electrons or the addition of oxygen to a material, frequently associated with the breakdown or decomposition of the material
P
pakka		neat, accurate
pakoras		any vegetable fried in batter
paan		Betel nut for chewing
paap		past sins
panch		five in Hindi
Panchaganga		literally “the Five Gangas.” one of great tirthas of Varanasi
Panchakrosi		A circular pilgrimage route round Varanasi, which takes 5 days to complete.
Panchatirtha		five tirtha pilgrimage in Varanasi, including Asi, Dashashvamedha, Adi Keshava, Panchaganga and Manikarnika ghats
panchayat		an elected Indian village council
panda		brahmin who serves as a pilgrim priest
Pandavas		The five brothers whose struggle with their cousins forms subject of the Mahabharata
pandit		a learned person
paratha		paratha fried flatbread usually stuffed with vegetables
parikrama		Circular journey round a place: you can make a parikrama of a building, a town or Ganga (up and down its entire length)
Parvati		“Daughter of the Mountain” and wife of Siva
pathogen		a bacteria, virus or microorganism capable of causing disease.
pentavalent		having the combining power of five atoms of a univalent element
peon		In India: a foot soldier, an attendant, a native constable
phool		ash and unburned bits of bones left after cremation, colloquially called flowers
photosynthesis		the conversion of the kinetic energy of the sun to stored chemical potential energy in the form of glucose. The process is carried out by the green plants.
phytoplanktons		small photosynthetic aquatic organisms
pinda daan		offeringn of the ashes and bones after cremation
plume		a characterisitc shape of fluid or gasses that have been discharged from a point source
polymer		a molecule made up of a chain of smaller units joined together through a variety of chemical processes
pradusan		pollution
prasad		Food offered to the deity and offered after consecration to worshipers
prayag		a confluence and the “place of sacrifice”, a tirtha at confluence of Ganga, Yamuna and mythical Saraswati rivers at Allahabad
primary treatment		wastewater treatment that utilizes screening to remove coarse materials, settling to allow smaller particles to drop out of column and chlorine or ultraviolet light to kill bacteria and viruses before the water is released into the environment.
puja (pooja)		ritual worship
pujari		a brahmin priest responsible for worship in a temple
pradhan		headman
Purana		One of the collections of “ancient stories” which preserve traditions of myth, legend and rite.
purnima		the full moon day of the Hindu lunar calendar, hence Kartik purnima - the purnima in the month of kartik.
purohit		priest
putrefaction		the state of decaying
PWD		Public Works Department
Q
quintal		one hundred kilograms
R
Radha		a shepherdess who was the great lover of Krishna
rakshas		demon
Ram		Virtuous king and hero of the epic “Ramayana,” also an avatar of Vishnu.
Ramayana		Epic poem originally written over 3,000 years ago in Sanskrit by Valmiki, subsequently retold in Hindi by Tulsi Das in Varanasi. It tells story of Ram, prince and later king of Kosala. Rama is said to embody the ideals by which a man, warrior and king must live.
ran singhar		serprent-shaped hunting horn
re-aeration		re-adding a gas to a liquid
Rickshaw wallah		a man who pulls or rides a rickshaw
Rig Veda		Important collection of 1028 hymns to various gods. Probably composed between 1500 and 900 BC.
rishi		monk, sage
riverine		habitats associated with a river or other perennially flowing water way.
river linking		a controversial Indian idea to link rivers, often east to west, via canals. It has yet to be implemented
roti		wholewheat flatbread fried in oil
Rudra		Vedic god
S
sabji		vegetable
sadhu		holy man, ascetic, person who has renounced world
salwar kameez		loose pantaloons and long shirt (worn by women)
samosa		fried pastry with savory filling
samsara		passage, never-ending cycle of birth, death and rebirth.
sangam		confluence of rivers
sankalpa		a vow of intent taken before any ritualistic activity
sant		a holy man
sanyas		renunciation of the material world
sanyasi		someone who has left behind worldly attachments for a life of contemplation and ascetism.
sari		garment worn by women, made of unstitched fabric
Sarnath		site just north of Varanasi where the Buddha began his teaching career
Sati		a wife of Siva who burned herself to death because of her father’s insult to Siva. Hence, the “good wife” who dies on her husband’s funeral pyre. Commonly used as noun to refer to self-immolation, practice banned by the British in early 19th century.
saturation
secondary treatment		wastewater treatment that supplements primary treatment (see definition below) by including aeration to allow bacteria to further breakdown organic material and frequently involving enhanced settling through the addition of a flocculent, such as alum, to further reduce the turbidity (see definition below) of water prior to discharge.
secum		Latin for appendix
Sedgewick-Raffer cells		glass cells used for counting zooplankton
sedimentation		the accumulation of particles behind a dam or on the bottom of a water body or waterway.
Shakti		power, creative energy, usually related to the goddess
Shankacharya		respected Hindu religious leader
shastra		sacred text
shehnai		Indian reed instrument akin to oboe, often played at weddings
Shigella		bacteria that causes intestinal diseases, especailly dysentery
Shitala		goddess of smallpox
shraddha		rites for the dead performed after cremation to nourish the deceased for passage to the world of the ancestors.
shudra		the lowest of the four castes, usually servants
silond		Bengali fish
silt		a soil particle intermediate in size between the smaller clay and larger sand particles. Silts can also contain organic particles which can be critical to the maintenance of the productivity in floodplains.
sindur		powder made from red lead and used for anointing images of local deities, also used by women in the central parting of their hair.
Sipra or Shipra		river in Madhya Pradesh
Sita		the beautiful, chaste and faithful wife of Ram, kidnaped by Ravanna and rescued from Lanka by Ram with help of Hanuman
Siva		(also Shiva), one of the great trinity of Hindu gods, along with Vishnu and Brahma. The god of destruction, b ut once something is destroyed it can be created again, so Siva can also be regarded as the god of re-creation. Along with Vishnu believed responsible for bringing Ganga down to this earth. Followers are called Shaivites
slokha		a verse from the Vedas or any other poetic utterance or metric phrase which contains a single thought
snan		ritual bathing
speciation		the appearance of a new species from a parent species. Speciation occurs as a consequence of reproductive isolation, frequently occurring after prolonged isolation from the parent population.
stochastic extinction		the disappearance of a species that is the result of an unpredictable occurrence. This is frequently used to describe changes in the sex ratios of a population that create imbalances or through fluctuations in population sizes that are create excessively low numbers.
STP		sewage treatment plant
stupa		Buddhist monument, shaped like a dome, to honor earthly remains of the Buddha.
suddha		pure
susu		Gangetic dolphin
suspended load		sediment particles transported in the water column of a river or stream
svacchta		cleanliness
T
tanpura		un unfretted long lute which serves as the drone in Indian music
tantra		esoteric religious movement, emphasising union of opposites, usually symbolised by male and female
tapas		heat
tapasya		meditation
taxonomy		describes the system of classifying an organism as part of a larger scheme. Taxonomic classification can be based on shared characteristics or an understanding of the evolutionary history of the group or “taxa”.
tertiary treatment		advanced treatment of waste water, supplementing primary and secondary treatment (see above) designed to remove materials that are dissolved in water. Materials that are removed by tertiary treatment include inorganic nutrients, heavy metals and trace levels of organic chemicals.
thali		tray
thar		mountain goat
tilak		mark on the forehead to signify completion of worship
tirtha		ford, crossing, sacred place of pilgrimage
tirthayatra		the journey (yatra) to a sacred place; a pilgrimage
toxic		describes the ability of any substance to cause harm to a living organism.
toxicity factor		used to describe the importance of a single factor in a complex system of potential toxins
tributary		a river or stream that flows into a larger river or lake
trishul		trident, carried by devotees of Siva
trivalent		an element connected to another by three chemical bonds
trivalent chromium		a less toxic form of the heavy metal chromium
triveni		meeting of three rivers
trophic		describes the position of an organism on a food chain. The first trophic level is consists of the producers in a system or those that acquire energy from the environment (the green plants or some of the interesting organisms in the chemosynthetic deep sea systems). The second trophic level consists of the herbivores or other organisms that consume the producers. Carnivores make up the third level, with carnivores that eat third trophic level organisms making up the fourth trophic level and so on.
tulsi		basil plant sacred to Vishnu. It is not sweet like European basil.
Tulsi Das		late 16th century poet, author of Hindi interpretation of the Ramayana, known as Ramcharitmanas
turbidity		a measure of the amount of light that can penetrate water. Turbidity levels are generally increased with increasing concentrations of suspended materials
turbulence		strong sudden movements within air or water
U
UASB		Upflow Anaerobic Sludge Blanket
Upanishads		Sacred texts from which Hindu philosophy derives. They represent early Hindu beliefs about the soul.
UPPCB		Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board
V
variyas		traditional Bengali folk songs
varna		there are four varnas or classes of Hindu society - brahmin, kshatriya, vaishya, shudra, and thousands of jati or subcastes.
vaviya		a traditional Bengali form of song, usually a lament
Vedas		the Vedas are the oldest Hindu scriptures. They appear in four formats - Samhita (prayers and hymns), Brahmanas (prose explanations of sacrifice), Aranyakas (instructions for meditation), and the Upanishads. Most important is the Rig Veda.
virus		a parasite that doesn't breathe move or grow. It can only reproduce in a host cell and in the process kills its host.
visaryana		submersion of the ashes of a departed relative
Vishnu		One of the trinity of supreme Gods; He is the epitome of goodness and mercy and maintains the order of the universe: followers called Vaishnavites.
volatile		a material that is likely to change to a gas under normal temperature and pressure conditions. Volatile organic materials such as solvents or fuels readily convert to gasses at room temperatures.
vrata		vow, religious observances done in fulfillment of a vow
W
wallah		someone who sells
watershed		the area of land that drains into a defined water body or waterway. A river’s watershed contains all the lands from which runoff could reach that river (ignoring infiltration of water into the soil and evaporation from the surface).
Y
yagna		fire
yaksha		animist deities in pre-Hindu India, usually associated with nature and animals
yatra		pilgrimage
yatri		pilgrim
yoni		female sexual organ
Yuga		the ages of the Hindu world - krita, treta, dvapara, kali. Since recorded time man has always been living in the fourth age - the Kali Yuga - the age of degeneracy and disaster
Z
zamindar		landowner