p. 2 Savitri - mythological character known for dutiful chastity.
p.12 Malati flower - the Bengali text is "sandhyamAlati", a flower on a creeper. Indian women often adorn their head-buns (khopA) witha flower.
paper-soot bindi - a black dot put on the forehead, often made by the woman herself
p.20 - laau - a vegetable gourd, a creeper with white flowers
p. 25 Shravana Purnima: a fullmoon night (purnima) in the rainy month of Shravana, a festival celebrating the love play of krishna and Radha. Often involves decorating a small stage with the two lovers shown on a swing. Also known as "jhulan purNimA," (jhulan is swing play).
p.26 conch: Blowing a conch is a good portent, and in earlier times, was more often blown on the birth of a son.
p.32 - a-aa-ka-kha is "ABC" - the first alphabets of Bengali. An a-aa-ka-kha book, is what a child learns the Bengali alphabet from.
paanta-bhaat - day old rice, preserved in water and eaten with lime.
haat - weekly market
p.36 - louki - a vegetable gourd, The bengali word is "laau" (see p. 20)
p.38 - brahmaputra. Most rivers in India are female, Brahmaputra is one of the rare exceptions.