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To caall somebody a Babu when I was a child was a somewhat derogatory term as in "he speaks babu English".What is your morfe positive translation of the word "babu",Subbiah?

Yvonne : Its actually a respectful honorofic for a man. But I understand what you mean : http://www.answers.com/topic/babu

@Yvonne: It means to speak English like an English man ,with an accent like an English man ....!

Not so Vikas From the link to a dictionary above n., pl., -bus, also -boos. 1.Used as a Hindi courtesy title for a man, equivalent to Mr. 2. a.A Hindu clerk who is literate in English. b.Offensive. A native of India who has acquired some superficial education in English. [Hindi bābū, father.] Offensive. A native of India who has acquired some superficial education in English. [This association is trued for me ] [The English accent of a babu has long been lampooned by the likes of comedian Russell Peters ...who can imitate , as well ,any other accent from other nationals speaking in English ] The abbreviated texting language between educated Indians bothers me almost as much .There is no"pure" language anymore ...just a myth . People wrote letters to each other 100years ago where they attempted to write well...in any language .Cyberspace creates a new version of texting bytes . Personally , I like reading and still revel in the ability of a good author to clearly convey meaning in words strung together beautifully ...and spoken well when read aloud

Initially babu was a respectful word. (Even it was used in names of children). By the time it degraded. just Like what happening with the prestegious "sir' now.

Babu is more or less used as a title for Bengali Gentlemen,which Aurobindo Ghose was.

OAK GROVE SCHOOL.MUSSOORIE students ,at FB , message each other with a plethora of "sirs' and "ma-ams" ,to address somebody younger or equal than self while an address like Subbiahji seems to be entirely repugnant in the heirarchy of respect for friends and acquaintances , colleagues ...and close family members .Was strange to me at first I left India in 1947 at age fourteen and my Anglo-Indian family of six humans all born in India [with a paternal history dating back to 1792 in Mumbai ], plus an infant sibling born in UK , then immigrated again to Canada in 1952 .Three vastly different cultural experiences by the time I was aged nineteen. I am merely a fascinated observer of the nuanced differences evident in these cyberspace communications .To some extent I hope the students I am messaging at OG never lose this affectionate respect for each other while being able to drop a salty WTF just as easily into their conversations with each other .India is moving rapidly into the technolgical age ; I hope these young educated adults do not entirely lose their courteous way of acknowledging their friends coupled with profound respect for their educators and educational institutions

Babu was/is used in many parts of India as a mark of respect. In Telugu, Babu is equivalent to 'sir'. Some parts of Karnataka and TN have similarly used the term as an alternative name - iirc, the cricketer Javagal Srinath was called 'Babu' at home. And of course, our first President was 'Babu' Rajendra Prasad.

English found Indian body odour offensive, especially the office clerks they had to work with in proximity. They coined the term Baboo{=Ba+Boo=with (body) odour} for their Indian co-workers/ subordinates. While for English, baboo was a term of disparagement amongst themselves, the native courtiers felt gratified to accept whichever qualification the master spoke to them with, in good grace.

Priceless bit of history Niranjan...thankyou for that ironic tidbit . The obsequious native bowing low to the masters for a disparaging label not undertood! They were being adressed as Babu...a term of respect in their vernacular , totally unaware of the sweaty context intended in "dear ba-boooooo" enunciated in perfect pearly-toned English ! ;o))

@ Yvonne: For 'baboo', any kind of facetime with the white master was worthwhile, even if he was being berated implicitly/ explicitly. Also, diplomatic delivery of the term 'baboo' by the British, coupled with feigned ignorance of adverse implications by Baboos themselves might have done the trick. Please remember the term didn't exist anytime earlier. Also after the British left, Baboo has been a term used not for the brown sahibs but for the lower clerks. As to why would obsequious native bow, see what would Indian leadership not do even today to get near the high table of developed countries even as their HDI remains at 134!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_Development_Index HDI remains at 134!...is high level ?...I did not spend long at that complex explanation in the link above though it was great to see Canada rated tops eight times annually. Also ...IF the term Babu did not exist earlier ...what year are you indicating it came into existence ? the book put out here by RBSI is dated 1918.... and then there is a reference to it being a term for a father in the thread above .

I wouldn't put origin of 'Baboo' much earlier than 1857, the year the British took India within the empire. Also 'Baboo' is more commonly used in Bengal & Bombay presidency dominated areas where persian (Ba + Boo, are persian in origin) was ...more prodominant court language; than, say, Madras Presidency areas, where it wasn't. Baboo for father must have been used as an honorific (without realising its real connotation) much the same way in some families 'Saheb' is used now for father, husband, lord & master etc.

This was an enjoyable exchange about this word , Niranjan. I thought the "sahib" address was defunct now and this wonderful paragraph from Shri Chowdhury...who made me read even more Today, many years after the partition of Bengal, when a non-babu-like Nobel Laureate, Muhammad Yunus, have settled the scores of acheivement with those babus of Kolkata, the word "babu" has lost much of its glory and glamour. Today, the non-babus tend to think of the babus mostly as irrational caste snobs still reeling from the shock of Thomas Babington Macaulay's Minutes on Indian Education. AgeoftheSage .org ! http://www.age-of-the-sage.org/history/historian/Thomas_Macaulay.html In 1834 Macaulay became a member of the Supreme Council of India, created by the India Act of 1834; for which he was to be paid the then princely salary of £10,000 per annum. He spent four years in India, devoting his time chiefly to reforming the criminal code of the colony and to instituting an educational system based on that of Great Britain. In 1835 Macaulay began to seriously consider that he might someday attempt to write about the History of England. "They" all managed to get rich in India! In 1839, a year after his return, as a now well off man, to England, Macaulay resumed his political career and was elected to Parliament to represent an Edinburgh constituency. So , with all due respect, my esteemed Babu wallahs this is a wrap ...it is 5.30 am and I am going to get a catnap before this memsahib might tackle another thread at the Rare Book Society of India frequented by the erudite elite of its nation, seems to me .I love to learn . Namaste ...shukriya... and have a great day y'all .I invite all your friendships at FB if you have not already honoured me with that privilege !

Love your spirit Yvonne ! : )

@Niranjan: Interesting angle. Are there any documents/manuscripts about this?

Boom ! Boom ! Boom !....Trust the mysterious Sudhee to present his opinion with a bang as always. : )

Sahib Sudhee please befriend me IF FB will permit ...they keep blocking my attempts to befriend people even though they keep putting names up in the right margin showing a myriad mutual friends . BEGIN-BANKIM CHANDRA CHATTOPADHYAYA'S VIEWS ON BABU - Just fabulously embroidered description of a venerated Babuji !

There is a movie ! On occasion, there would be Harindranath Chattopadhyaya walking in from 'Kismet Apartments' across the road with harmonium slung on his shoulder and an impromptu mehfil would begin. Harinda (Baba to all of us) had the most extraordinary repertoire of the classical, the frivolous and the political/revolutionary songs. I still remember my goose-pimples one evening in Hrishida's balcony, when Baba first rendered Nishi they jaiyyo phoolo bane, o bhanwara (the Banglaa song which Sachin Dev Burman made famous in Hindi as Dheere se jaana bagiyan mein, o bhanwara) in the exquisite classical style of the Kirana Gharana (he was a shaagird of Ustad Abdul Kareem Khan himself), and then suddenly just switched the pace of the same Raga and belted out the famous song of the 1942 'Quit India Movement' he had written and sung Aa gaya din Swadhinta ka, aage chalo aage chalo, bhayi. He later gave us an unforgettable lecture-demonstration on how it was possible to take 'soft' Ragas and infuse them with radical potential by merely changing the beat and tempo of the Raga.

http: // en. wikipedia. org/ wiki/ Harindranath_ Chattopadhyay some content has been reported as abusive by FB users .....dunno what is happening ...but this notice keeps coming up with every attempt to add an internet link to this thread ...somebody mad at me ??/

http: //www .outlookindia. com /article.aspx?232337

From Canada to you ...our fave Anglo-Indian ...was feature artist at multiculti show for approx 2300 A-Is here in Toronto for 60year celebration in 2007.His mother was present soaking up the laughter from a very appreciative audience http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o4oO7ZdfSFI

BE A MAN ! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QYiteaPBlz0&feature=related