How a profession became a curse word

Dubakur, a common curse word, has its roots in a colonial Indian profession, Dubash.

Colonization in India has its effect on local languages even today. Many foreign words had crept into everyday usage. I had an explanation of the word “Aya” previously. Aya was a word for Grandma that existed in Portuguese. How about another word that slid into the Tamil language. The word is Dubakur, which means a cheat or con man. Dubakur is a common word in Tamil cinema and everyday usage. The roots of this word go back to colonial India to a profession called Dubash or translator.

The European countries which started to set up trade posts in India faced a huge problem- Language. Natives of each region had their language, which didn’t even coincide with the European languages. The European trade posts needed someone to translate the local language into the European dialect and vice versa. The language barrier opened up a new lucrative job inside the European inner circles- “Dubash or Translator.” Dubash in the southern region was usually fluent in Tamil, Telugu, English, and French. They were the eyes and ears of the trade, which goes via the trading post.

The lucrative post brought with it an immense pride and responsibility. When British East India Company wanted to rent land to form the modern-day Chennai, a Dubash from Perambur helped in negotiation between the local ruler and EIC. When the lease deed was signed, the Dubash came in an elephant with a procession to give the rental agreement to EIC officials. Once the Madras trade post expanded, they were illegal ways for the Dubashs to make money. The Dubash can procure material for a low price from the locals and increase the amount and sell it to EIC. The EIC officials who were not aware of the local language believed the Dubash words. 12 Dubashs controlled the entire EIC trade through Madras worth millions of pounds a year and amazed a fortune. Not only money, but the Dubashs were involved in Machevallian work to overthrow British governers and to…

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