An Indian term for a native banker, money-lender, or financial agent during the British colonial period.
From Hindi 'baniā' or similar terms, adapted into Anglo-Indian English during the colonial era (1800s-1900s) to describe indigenous financial middlemen.
Colonial languages are time capsules—'bummil' shows how British traders had to invent English words for roles that didn't exist in Britain, creating a hybrid vocabulary of empire.
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