An Anglo-Indian historical term for a Hindu clerk, secretary, or administrative official during British colonial rule in India.
From Hindi babu or Bengali babu (literally 'father' or 'master'), a respectful title for clerks and officials. English colonizers adopted and slightly altered the term.
Babu/bahoo was originally a respectful title, but British colonizers gradually used it dismissively to mock Indian administrators—showing how the same word can flip from honorific to insulting depending on who's using power!
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