Wallah

Indian surname or suffix From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Wallah, -walla, -wala, or -vala (-wali fem.), is a suffix used in a number of Indo-Aryan languages, like Hindi/Urdu, Gujarati, Bengali or Marathi. It forms an adjectival compound from a noun or an agent noun from a verb.[1] For example; it may indicate a person involved in some kind of activity, where they come from, or what they wear (topiwala), i.e., habitué.[2][3]

Example uses

Examples of such uses include:

In British military jargon of the first half of the 20th century, a "base wallah" is someone employed at a military base, or with a job far behind the front lines.[6] There were a number of other words of this type, such as "camel wallah" and "machine-gun wallah", and more.[7] "Base wallah" had a derogatory reference for a person who is seldom seen at the front lines during major attacks, pretending to be sick.[8]

There is a short story "Sanjeev and Robotwallah", by Ian McDonald. There is a character named General Robotwallah in the 2010 novel For the Win by Cory Doctorow. "Robotwallah" refers to the pilot of a mecha.

Other uses

Wala or Vala was also used in Parsi and Dawodi Bohra surnames, suggesting the derivation from a profession or a place name. For example:

Wala is also used to indicate a specific object or thing among several:

  • chota wala, 'the small one'
  • dusra wala, 'the second one'
  • agla wala, 'the next one'

These uses of wala should not be confused with the Arabic: ⁧وَٱللّٰه⁩, romanized: wal-lāh, lit.'by God'.[10]

References

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