Tales of Words

Etymology meaning 'true sense' in Greek is the study of origin of words. And, indeed in truest sense, knowledge of it enlivens their whole existence. It makes them more than their meaning. We speak through words, but it is through etymology  that these adorable creatures speak. Listen to their myriad voices, you will find a musical cacophany of every human emotions ever conceived.
Here I am culling some of those tales from 'desi' vernaculars. Hope you enjoy them!

Bohni : It is a social and commercial custom especially of North India and Pakistan that refers to the first sale of the day. 'Bohni' happens on cash-only basis and ideally without discount. The practice originated in early 18th century in weekend markets of Lahore. The tradition was such that the first sale on every market day was made to a dwarf, ostensibly for auspicious reasons. A dwarf  in Hindustani is known as bauna, hence the practice 'Bohni/Boni'.

Satyagraha : Meaning insistence on truth in Sanskrit. The practice of satyagraha can be conveniently attributed to Gandhi Ji, but the theory, however amorphous, was eclectically extracted from the works of Henry David Thoreau, Leo Tolstoy and to an extent Rabindranath Tagore. Moreover, it is further fascinating to note that it was not Gandhi Ji who coined the term. In 1906, South Africa, during the incipient stage of his political career, Gandhi Ji advertised an open competition in his newspaper Indian Opinion. After sieving through numerous entries, one proposed by Maganlal Gandhi was finally selected. Magan proposed Sadagraha meaning insistence on purity (Sada in Urdu meaning pure and Aagrah in Sanskrit meaning polite insistence). After minor tweaking Satyagraha was finally chosen.

Daam : Colloquially speaking daam means price or value in Hindustani but very few would be alive to the fact that it was a copper coin introduced by Sher Shah Suri between 1540 and 1545 alongwith much celebrated silver coin called rupiya to which present day name of Rupee owes its origin (which in turn is derived from raupya meaning silver in Sanskrit). Still fewer would know that the English phrase "I don't give a dam[n]" is supposedly of desi origin. Although its veracity is disputed by many etymologists but it does feature as one of the possible explanations.

Vahshi : In Urdu it means barbarian and is used to describe the man of macabre disposition. It derives its meaning from an eponymous Ethiopian slave hired by Hinda to avenge the death of her father, Utbah, at the hands of Abu Hamza, the uncle of Prophet Muhammad, in the battle of Badr. Hinda vowed to eat the liver of Abu Hamza. In the battle of Uhud she quenched her thirst of vengeance when Vahshi surreptitiously impaled Hamza's back with his javelin.  

Nautanki : It refers to folk play and tamasha in Hindustani. Colloquially it is also used for people who act with pretense. It derives its name from an eponymous princess in Punjab called Nautanki Shahzadi as she used to be weighed in nine silver coins. Her delicate beauty was talked far and wide. A young man Phool Singh was once gibed by his in laws while he was knocking persistently at their door "You haven't wed the princess that you are in such a hurry" piqued at this remark, Phool Singh, with the help of her gardener, married the princess and brought her home. This tale formed the content of a popular folk theatre of northern India and was aptly named Nautanki. Such was the success of this play that Nautanki  became a generic name for all such folk plays.

Chak De Phatte : Literally it means to keep house in order in Punjabi but it originated as a war cry for the Khalsa. Using Guerilla tactics the Khalsas used to attack the Mughals, usually camped near the canals. The Khalsas used to have a separate team stationed at the nearby bridges, which were made up of Phatte, colloquial for woods. When the retreating unit used to return, Chak de Phatte used to be the signal to dismantle the bridge. This way they prevented being chased.

Shampoo : A simple hair care product with a fascinating etymological evolution. It is derived from Hindustani Champo which literally means to knead the muscles as in massage. The practice of shampoo itself started in Eastern Mughal Empire, particularly with Nawab of Bengal, as a head message. This practice was first introduced in London by a Bengali entrepreneur named Shaikh Din Mohammad in early 19th century. He, alongwith his Irish wife opened Mahomed's Steam and Vapour Sea Water Medicated Baths in Brighton. His method of baths followed by champi (shampoo) earned him the sobriquet of Shampoo Doctor.

Hobson-Jobson : Talking of etymology of 'English' words with desi underpinning one cannot keep onself away from Hobson-Jobson, a colloquial history of Anglo-Indian contact. Compiled by Henry Yule and Arthur Burnell, its appellation is itself a matter of great etymological interest. In Anglo-Indian English, Hobson-Jobson referred to the festivals, particularly to Moharram. The term is derived from the wailing practice of Shia Muslims during Moharram. As a matter of fact, it is the corruption of Ya Hasan, Ya Hossain which is repeatedly chanted by Shia Muslims during their mourning. 

Munshi : It is of Persian origin and rather than occupation, it was an academic degree bestowed on those who have achieved proficiency in languages.The Mughals relied on the services of these individuals and instituted a clerical post by the name of Munshi. In India due to hereditary nature of occupation, it became a surname for those people whose ancestors had received this title.