Sarkar

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Sarkar could mean:

• Government in Hindi. Colloquially in India, it is a Metonymy for the incumbent government. The wordSarkar in Hindi is derived from two words; 'Sar' meaning Head and 'Kar' meaning Work. It refers to that person or organization, that performs such work for a soveriegn state that is analogous to the work done by the head for its body. Thus it originally refers to both Head of State and Government and was one of the titles of a sovereign. As in earlier times, the British Imperial Government in India was also called Sarkar by the native peoples. The address British Sarkar for the empire is also found in official correspondence and treaties between the empire and native sovereigns who in turn were often addressed as Sarkar of their own dominions. Although taken from a time when the government was not independent of the institution of the Head of State, it continues to be used for elected governments of India today.
• An historic administrative unit, used mostly in the Muslim states of the Indian Subcontinent, including the Delhi Sultanate and the Mughal Empire. It corresponds generally to the districts of British India and independent India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh. A Sarkar was the component part of a subah or province, each of which is administered by a deputy governor (Naib Subedar). Therefore, the word was used for that area or unit of an empire or kingdom which was administered by the sovereign government as opposed to those areas that were under a feudatory. In English it is principally employed in the name of the Northern Circars, used to designate a former division of British India's Madras Presidency.
• The title of a Bollywood film: Sarkar (film).
• Also, 'Sarkar' is a Hindu surname among Bengalis in India and Bangladesh. This surname is spelt as Sarkar, Sarker, Sorkar, Sarcar, Sircar or Sorcar.
• Social and Spiritual Philosopher: Prabhat Ranjan Sarkar.