Note on Transliteration

In this book I have used common transliterations of Nepali words and phrases only where it was absolutely necessary to demonstrate nuance, to communicate spontaneity of many conversations and give readers a way to feel what the fieldwork situation was like. I do not make a distinction, while writing, between Darjeeling Nepali and Nepali spoken in Nepal. Instead, I have provided the meaning of each Nepali word in parentheses in text for ease of reading and understanding. I have tried to make some distinction in pronunciation, most common of them is the “a” vs. “ā” distinction.