Transmission, by Hari Kunzru: "Leela was already a rising star, India's new dream girl, shinning up the greasy lingam of the Mumbai film world like the child in the conjurer's rope trick" (4).

A Lingam is a symbol worshipped in the name of the Hindu God Shiva, the destroyer of the world (Brahma is the creator, and Vishnu is the preserver). There is some debate among Hindus about whether the linga/lingam is a phallic symbol signifying something sexual or generative.

Significance of the Shiva Lingam

Sanatan Society: http://www.sanatansociety.org/hindu_gods_and_goddesses/shiva.htm

Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lingam

http://www.thaiexotictreasures.com/shiva_lingam.html