Babu (title)

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jagadeesh babu
Minah carrying two Dutch children, Jantje and Agnes, aged three and one-and-a-half, in the Dutch East Indies, 1915.

The term babu, also spelled baboo, is used in modern-day South Asia as a sign of respect towards men. It is a derivation of bapu which means father or grand father. The honorific "ji" is sometimes added as a suffix to create the double honorific "babuji" which, in northern and eastern parts of India, is a term of respect for one's father. "Babuji" can also be used as a term of respect for any respected elder or man. In some Indian states, "babu" is also used as a generic word of respect to address men, especially unknown ones, e.g., "Babu, can you help me?" In Bengali, "babu" is used as suffix to a person's name to show respect while calling him by name, e.g., "Sudarshan-babu, could you please come here!" The term "babu" may be suffixed to a person's name, but the term "babuji" is always used by itself.[citation needed]. In the Saurashtra language, "babu" may refer to a younger brother (sibling), or it can be used more broadly, similar to the terms fellow or bretheran, but, only in reference to those younger than oneself.[citation needed]

In British India, babu often referred to a native Indian clerk. The word was originally used as a term of respect attached to a proper name, the equivalent of "mister", and "babuji" was used in many parts to mean "sir"; but when used alone without the suffix only as babu, it was a derogatory word derived from baboons, signifying the natives who copied the British.[1][2] In the early 20th century the term babu was frequently used to refer to bureaucrats and other government officials, especially by the Indian media;[3] in this sense the word hints at corrupt or lazy work practices.[citation needed]

"Babu" also means grandfather in Swahili, like "papu" in Greek.[4] In the Nepali, Eastern Hindi/Bihari, Bengali, Telugu, and Oriya, it is a means of calling with love and affection to spouses or younger brothers, sons, grandsons, etc.[citation needed]

See also

Look up babu in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

References

  1. ↑ Nandi Bhatia. "Kipling's Burden: Representing Colonial Authority and Constructing the Other through Kimball O'Hara and Babu Hurree Chander in Kim". Retrieved 2009-09-12. 
  2. ↑  Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Babu". Encyclopædia Britannica 3 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press 
  3. ↑ Anand Parthasarathy (Sep. 01 - 14, 2001). "A barbed look at babudom: Will the typically British humour of Yes Minister work if transplanted to an Indian setting? Viewers of a Hindi satellite channel have a chance to find out.". Frontline, India's National Magazine from the publishers of THE HINDU. "Bureaucracy knows no bounds..." 
  4. ↑ See babu in Wiktionary.


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