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The Naulahka Chapter X Notes on the text by Sharad Keskar The page and line numbers below refer to the Macmillan Uniform Edition of The Naulahka, first published in 1892 and frequently reprinted since). |
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[Jan 29 2009]
[Heading] Two verses accredited to a “Song of the Women”, from the poem “For the Women” (not "The Song of the Women") collected in Early Verse (1900).
[Heading, line 4] Sootak usually “sooterkin”, a kind of miscarriage said to be brought about by Dutch women sitting over their stoves. Also, an abortion, or an abortive scheme.
[Page 124, line 30] Rhatore a make-believe city in Rajputana {Rajasthan] disguised to hide an actual reference to one in “Letters of Marque”.
[Page 127, line 3] small-pox this dreadful and disfiguring disease was endemic in most large cities in India at that time. It has now been eradicated. See Dr Gillian Sheehan's notes on "Kipling and Medicine".
[Page 128, line 33] Duff College the Reverend Alexander Duff (1806-1878), a well-known medical missionary, practically founded the Calcutta University, and the Medical College there was named after him. The Church of Scotland sent him out as its first missionary.
[Page 132, lines 21 & 27] Order going through me offeecially officially. An immemorial custom of the East—it surprised the European going to India for the first time to realise that everything he purchased had to bear a charge for one or other of his servants. In the early twentieth century it was 1 anna in the rupee, then equal to 6%, but sometimes double that.
[S.K.]
