Babu (title)

The title babu, also spelled baboo, is used in the Indian subcontinent as a sign of respect towards men. In some cultures, the term 'Babu' is a term of endearment for a loved one as well. 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. Quotes He who has one word in his mind, which becomes ten when he speaks, hundred when he writes and thousands when he quarrels is a babu. He whose strength is one-time in his hands, ten-times in his mouth, a hundred times behind the back and absent at the time of action is a babu. He whose deity is the Englishman, preceptor the Brahmo preacher, scriptures the newspapers and pilgrimage the National Theatre is a babu. He who declares himself a Christian to missionaries, a Brahmo to Keshabchandra, a Hindu to his father and an atheist to the Brahman beggar is a babu. One who drinks water at home, alcohol at his friend’s, receives abuse from the prostitute and kicks from his boss is a babu. He who hates oil when he bathes, his own fingers when he eats and his mother tongue when he speaks is indeed a babu . . . O King, the people whose virtues I have recited to you will come to believe that by chewing pan [betel], lying prone on the bed, making bilingual conversation and smoking tobacco, they will reconquer India. Bankimchandra Chattopadhyay [This translation is from Partha Chatterjee’s The Nation and its Fragments: Colonial and Postcolonial Histories, Oxford University Press, New Delhi, 1993. quoted from Akbar, M. J - The shade of swords_ Jihad and the conflict between Islam and christianity-Routledge (2008) External links Category:India