He looks up at her again. “She came looking for us, Kavi. She left this.” Jasu hands her the letter. A small smile breaks through on Kavita’s face. She peers at the page while he recites from memory.
“My name is Asha…”
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
THE SEED OF THIS STORY WAS PLANTED DURING A SUMMER IN college I spent as a volunteer at an orphanage in Hyderabad, India. For that experience and so many others, I thank the Morehead-Cain Foundation of Chapel Hill, North Carolina, and also Child Haven International.
My instructors and fellow students in the SMU Creative Writing Program provided me with the opportunity, the inspiration, and the tools to write.
Fellow writers Cindy Corpier, Lori Reisenbichler, Sarah Wright, and Erin Burdette read the earliest drafts of the manuscript and helped me craft the story I intended to tell, offering both criticism and encouragement when necessary. Every writer should be fortunate to have such a group.
I am grateful to my dear friends Dr. Katherine Kirby Dunleavy, Celia Savitz Strauss, Saswati Paul, and Dr. Sheila Mehta Au, each of whom read key sections and provided critical insights along the way.
Many people contributed invaluably to my research on various places, professions, and experiences: Reena Kapoor, Michele Katyal Limaye, Faith Morningstar, Alice De Normandie, Susan Ataman, Anjali Shah Desai, Dr. Michael Desaloms, Dr. Irène Cannon, James Slavet, Stephanie Johnes, Jennifer Marsh, Sangeeta and Sandeep Sadhwani, Christine Nathan, Leela de Souza Bransten, Geetanjali Dhillon, and Tushar Lakhani.
During this process, I was fortunate to have my own personal Texas cheerleading squad on the Stanford block, and even from a distance, the Stanford book club was a formidable presence. Many other friends, too numerous to name, were generous with their introductions and unwavering in their support.
My agent, Ayesha Pande of Collins Literary, believed in this project long before there was any good reason to, and generously invested her time, insight, advice, and support. She is a writer’s true gift, and I thank Rachel Kahan and Carrie Thornton for leading me to her.
Carrie Feron took on this project with enthusiasm, and I am grateful for her keen instinct and sensitive touch. She and her wonderful team at HarperCollins/William Morrow—Tessa Woodward, Esi Sogah, Tavia Kowalchuk, and Liate Stehlik—expertly shepherded it through to fruition.
The most essential ingredient to this project, as with everything in my life, has been the influence and support of my family across generations and continents, and in particular:
My father, who introduced me to the art of storytelling with his own imagination from the earliest age I can remember.
My mother, who cherished every piece of writing I have ever created in my life as if it were a priceless work of art.
My sister, Preety, who was the first nurturer of creativity and the artistic spirit in me.
Dr. Ram and Connie Gowda, my parents-in-law, who have supported me in countless ways.
My children, for bringing joy and perspective to every day.
And finally Anand, who always has bigger dreams for me than I can possibly have for myself.
FOREIGN TERMS GLOSSARY
Achha—OK, all right
Agni—god of fire
Aloo—potato
Arre—exclamation, roughly meaning “Oh my!”
Asha—female name meaning “hope”
Atman—soul
Ayah—nanny servant
Ba—mother
Bahot—very
Bapu—father
Basti—settlement, slum
Bathau—show me
Beechari—unfortunate woman, girl
Beedi—hand-rolled cigarettes
Ben, bena—term of respect meaning “sister”
Bengan bhartha—eggplant curry
Betelnut—hard nut chewed as a digestive
Beti, beta—term of endearment meaning “dear”
Bhagwan—god
Bhai, bhaiya—term of respect meaning “brother”
Bhangra—lively Indian dance
Bhath—rice
Bhel-puri—snack food, sold at street stalls
Bhinda—okra
Bindi—mark (makeup or sticker) on Indian woman’s forehead
Biryani—rice dish
Chaat—snack food
Chai—tea
Chakli—bird
Challo—let’s go
Chania-choli—two-piece Indian dress outfit, with a long skirt and short top
Chappals—sandals
Chawl—tenement building with units that consist of one room for living and sleeping, and a kitchen that also serves as a dining room. Latrines are shared with other units.
Chicken makhani—butter chicken
Crore—ten million (rupees)
Dada, Dadaji—paternal grandfather
Dadi, Dadima—paternal grandmother
Daiji—midwife
Dal—lentil soup, staple of Indian diet
Desi—colloquial term for Indian
Dhaba-wallah—tiffin carrier
Dhikri—daughter
Dhoti—traditional Indian men’s garment
Diwali—festival of lights
Diya—a flame/light made in a small earthen pot, with a wick made of cotton and dipped in ghee
Doh—two
Ek—one
Futta-fut—quickly
Garam—hot
Garam masala—spice mixture
Gawar—insult meaning “village boy”
Ghee—clarified butter, used in Indian cooking
Gulab jamun—Indian sweet
Hahn, hahnji—yes
Hijra—transvestite
Idli—South Indian savory dumpling
Jaldi—quickly
Jalebi—Indian sweet
Jamai—groom’s wedding procession
Jani—term of endearment used between spouses
Jhanjhaar—silver anklet
-ji—as a name suffix, respectful term of address
Kabbadi—chasing game
Kachori—savory fried dumpling
Kajal—eyeliner
Kali—goddess of destruction
Kanjeevaram—type of silk
Khadi—buttermilk soup
Khichdi—simple porridge made of rice and lentils
Khobi-bhaji—cabbage dish
Khush—happy
Kulfi—frozen flavored milk dessert
Laddoo—Indian sweet
Lagaan—wedding
Lakh—ten thousand (rupees)
Lathi—bamboo stick used as a weapon by Indian police
Layavo—bring to me
Lengha—two-piece Indian dress outfit, with a skirt
Limbu pani—sweetened lime juice
Mandir—Hindu temple
Mantra—chant
Masala dosa—South Indian savory griddle cake
Masi—maternal aunt
Mehndi—henna
Nai—no
Namaste, Namaskar—common Indian gesture of greeting, thanks, prayer, or respect, in which the palms of the hands are placed together in front of the face
Namkaran—naming ceremony
Paan—leaf-wrapped postmeal digestive
Pakora—battered vegetable fritters
Pandit—Hindu priest
Paneer—pressed cheese
Pau-bhaji—mixed vegetable curry with bread, often sold by street vendors
Pista—pistachio
Puja—prayer ceremony
Pulao—basmati rice with peas and carrots
Puri—delicate deep-fried bread
Raas-Garba—Gujarati group dance
Ringna—eggplant
Rotli—flatbread
Saag paneer—spinach and cheese curry
Sabzi-wallah—vegetable vendor
Salwar khameez—two-piece Indian dress outfit, with pants
Sambar—spicy South Indian dal, or lentil soup
Samosa—deep-fried savory turnovers
Sari, saree—traditional garment worn by Indian women, a six-yard rectangle of fabric wrapped around the body over a full-length petticoat/skirt and short blouse.
Sassu—mother-in-law
Shaak—vegetable dish
Shakti—strength, the sacred feminine force
Shukriya—thank you
Singh-dhana—peanuts
Slokas—Sanskrit religious chants
Tabla—hand drum
Tandoori—made in a tandoor (open clay) oven
Thali—large dining platter made of stainless steel or silver
Tiffin—stainless steel pot carrying food, usually delivered for lunch
Tindora—variety of Indian vegetable
Wallah—vendor
Yaar—slang term for friend
Zari—silver or gold embroidery
About the Author
SHILPI SOMAYA GOWDA was born and raised in Toronto to parents who migrated there from Mumbai. She holds an MBA from Stanford University and a BA from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. In 1991, she spent a summer as a volunteer in an Indian orphanage. She has lived in New York, North Carolina, and Texas, and currently makes her home in California with her husband and children.
WWW.SHILPIGOWDA.COM
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Copyright
This book is a work of fiction. References to real people, events, establishments, organizations, or locales are intended only to provide a sense of authenticity, and are used fictitiously. All other characters, and all incidents and dialogue, are drawn from the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real.
SECRET DAUGHTER. Copyright © 2010 by Shilpi Somaya Gowda. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data has been applied for.
EPub Edition © January 2010 ISBN: 978-0-06-198146-3
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