Stories of Ourselves: "Real Time" by Amit Chaudhuri

An Indian couple, Mr. and Mrs. Mitra, attend a memorial for a distant relative.

Here are links to our lists for the short stories in Stories of Ourselves:
The Hollow of the Three Hills, The Fall of the House of Usher, The Signalman, The Happy Prince, The Yellow Wall Paper, The Son’s Veto, The Open Boat, The Moving Finger, The Door in the Wall, Sredni Vashtar, How It Happened, Her First Ball, The Lady in the Looking-Glass: A Reflection, The Fly in the Ointment, The Custody of the Pumpkin, An Englishman’s Home, The Phoenix, There Will Come Soft Rains, The Prison, The Destructors, Meteor, Billenium, The Lemon Orchard, The People Before, The Enemy, Five-Twenty, A Horse and Two Goats, Report on the Threatened City, The Rain Horse, Ming’s Biggest Prey, The Village Saint, Secrets, The Stoat, Games at Twilight, The Taste of Watermelon, Journey (Patricia Grace), The Bath, My Greatest Ambition, To Da-duh, in Memoriam, Of White Hairs and Cricket, Elephant, Sandpiper, Journey (Shirley Geok-Lin Um), The Third and Final Continent, Tyres, At Hiruharama, Real Time, On Her Knees, The Contest
30 words 16 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. sari
    a draped dress worn primarily by Hindu women
    ‘Do what you want to do quickly,’ she said, dabbing her cheek with her sari.
  2. bereavement
    state of sorrow over the death or departure of a loved one
    ‘Do what you’d do in a normal case of bereavement,’ she said.
  3. swathe
    wrap in or as if in strips of cloth
    His feet, swathed in socks, were perspiring.
  4. theology
    the rational and systematic study of religion
    As they passed a petrol pump, Mr Mitra wondered what view traditional theology took of this matter, and how the rites accommodated an event such as this – she had jumped from a third-floor balcony – which couldn’t, after all, be altogether uncommon.
  5. rite
    an established ceremony prescribed by a religion
    As they passed a petrol pump, Mr Mitra wondered what view traditional theology took of this matter, and how the rites accommodated an event such as this – she had jumped from a third-floor balcony – which couldn’t, after all, be altogether uncommon.
  6. loiter
    linger, remain, or wait around for no apparent reason
    ‘Bhai, is this Rai Bahadur R.C. Mullick Road?’ he asked a loiterer somewhat contemptuously.
  7. contemptuously
    without respect; in a disdainful manner
    ‘Bhai, is this Rai Bahadur R.C. Mullick Road?’ he asked a loiterer somewhat contemptuously.
  8. forgo
    do without or cease to hold or adhere to
    The man leaned into a window and looked with interest at the couple in the back, as if unwilling to forgo this opportunity to view Mr and Mrs Mitra.
  9. reminiscent
    serving to bring to mind
    The over-sweet, reminiscent smell of the tuberoses rose in the front of the car with a breeze that had come unexpectedly through the window.
  10. impress
    produce or try to produce a vivid mental image of
    So Mrs Mitra had told the boy at home, firmly so as to impress her words upon him, ‘We’ll be back by one o’clock! Cook the rice and keep the daal and fish ready!’
  11. incongruous
    lacking in harmony or compatibility or appropriateness
    Behind him was an incongruously large bungalow, belonging to a businessman, hidden by an imposing white gate and a wall.
  12. imposing
    impressive in appearance
    Behind him was an incongruously large bungalow, belonging to a businessman, hidden by an imposing white gate and a wall.
  13. emanate
    proceed or issue forth, as from a source
    Faint music emanated to the corridor, and a few people could be seen moving about in the hall.
  14. promiscuous
    not selective of a single class or person
    There was a jumble of slippers and sandals and shoes by the door, promiscuously heaped on one another.
  15. curio
    something unusual, maybe worthy of collecting
    On the sideboard was a Mickey Mouse-shaped pencil box, next to a few photographs and curios.
  16. convex
    curving or bulging outward
    He was now standing next to a television set, whose convex screen was dusty, and talking to someone.
  17. hubbub
    loud confused noise from many sources
    The hubbub common to shraddh ceremonies was absent: people welcoming others as they came in, even the sense, and the conciliatory looks, of bereavement.
  18. conciliatory
    intended to placate
    The hubbub common to shraddh ceremonies was absent: people welcoming others as they came in, even the sense, and the conciliatory looks, of bereavement.
  19. gravitate
    move toward
    He walked a few steps with the cordless against his ear, gravitating towards a different group of people.
  20. convivial
    occupied with or fond of the pleasures of good company
    Shraddh ceremonies weren’t right without their mixture of convivial pleasure and grief; and he couldn’t feel anything as complete as grief.
  21. anecdote
    short account of an incident
    He’d known more about her academic record, one or two charming anecdotes to do with her success at school, her decent first-class degree, and about her husband, Gautam Poddar, diversifying into new areas of business, than about her.
  22. grope
    feel about uncertainly or blindly
    He groped for a bottle that was less cold than the others; he had a sore throat developing.
  23. jovial
    full of or showing high-spirited merriment
    ‘No, I don’t remember you; but I spoke to someone at the club just the other day who looks very like you, a Mr Amiya Sarbadhikari,’ said Mr Mitra jovially, taking a sip of faintly chilled Fanta.
  24. equable
    not easily irritated
    They talked equably of recent changes in their companies, catching up from where they’d left it in their last exchange; then to their children, and a brief disagreement about whether civil engineering had a future as a career today.
  25. dregs
    sediment that has settled at the bottom of a liquid
    His Coke bottle was now almost empty; he held it symbolically, putting off finishing the dregs to a moment later.
  26. histrionic
    overly dramatic or emotional
    Gathering the folds of his dhuti in one hand, he turned histrionically and padded off in the direction of a bathroom door.
  27. obtuse
    lacking in insight or discernment
    There was a rumour that her parents had not been altogether sympathetic, and had been somewhat obtuse; but it’s easy to be lucid with hindsight.
  28. lucid
    capable of thinking in a clear and consistent manner
    There was a rumour that her parents had not been altogether sympathetic, and had been somewhat obtuse; but it’s easy to be lucid with hindsight.
  29. hindsight
    understanding the nature of an event after it has happened
    There was a rumour that her parents had not been altogether sympathetic, and had been somewhat obtuse; but it’s easy to be lucid with hindsight.
  30. ravenous
    extremely hungry
    Once inside the car, he said to his wife, ‘I don’t know about you, but I’m quite ravenous.’
Created on Thu Mar 08 10:44:41 EST 2018 (updated Fri Mar 23 15:42:38 EDT 2018)

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