Mofussil
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Mofussil is an Indian-English term dating from at least the 1800s used widely on the Indian subcontinent.
[edit] Regionalism
In Tamil Nadu, India the term refers to suburban and rural areas, especially to transportation services to such areas.[1]
In Bangladesh, mofussil refers to the regions outside the major cities of Dhaka and Chittagong. This can indicate the secondary cities (Rajshahi, Khulna, etc), the small semi-rural towns, and also the villages. Although value-neutral, the word occasionally carries negative connotations when used by residents of the large metropoleis, similar to "the boonies" or "the sticks" in English.
[edit] Examples of Usage
Herbert Compton, in his Indian Life in Town and Country, published in 1904, describes the life of English expatriates living in the then Colonial, India:
| “ | Such are the means by which the Mofussil, “up-country,” or provincial Anglo-Indian will reach his station or district, and unless he is going to Bombay or Calcutta, which are practically the two entrance doors of the Empire, with Madras for a back door, his first experience of Anglo-Indian life will be of travel; and the land journey will often prove much more trying than the sea-voyage. | ” |
"Mihir is a mofussil boy," is another example of usage.
