“Babu” is an honorific used to refer to Hindu gentlemen (generally those who come from higher castes). Babus were also often clerks, reading and writing in both English and Hindi, which perhaps explains why…
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Brahmin
In Hindu culture, the Brahmin caste is considered to be at the very top of the caste hierarchy. Brahmins are traditionally associatedwith priesthood and teaching, though in Untouchable, poet Iqbal Nath Sarshar asserts…
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Caste
The caste system organizes Indian culture into an unequal and often prohibitive hierarchy; though the different varnas, or social classes, have their origins in the ancient Hindu Vedic texts, the caste system was more formally…
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Havildar
A Havildar was a sergeant in the British Indian army, an Indian officer with higher-rank than a sepoy. During the years of the British Raj, Havildars were often placed in charge of a given…
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Outcaste/Untouchable/Harijan
Outcastes are those who are shunned from the Indian caste system entirely, deemed “polluted” because of their jobs (which include scavenging, cutting grass, washing clothes, and working with leather). Bakha and his family, disparaged…
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“Sahib,” which derives from the Urdu word for “master,” was used as a term of respect for Europeans in colonial India. In the novel, Bakha often refers to the English clothing and past times he…
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Scavenger/Sweeper
Scavengers, more commonly referred as sweepers, are in charge of cleaning human and animal waste from latrines and streets. Because of this work, which is considered to be “polluting” by higher-caste Hindus, sweepers are…
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Sepoy
A sepoy was an Indian soldier fighting in the British army during the years of the British Raj (1858–1947). Though they were lower ranking than Havildars, sepoys usually came from higher castes; because…
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Tommy
“Tommy,” short for Tommy Atkins, was a slang term for a common soldier in the British army, originating in England during World War I. In the novel, Bakha and his friends frequently describe all British…
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