Khalsa bole

Khalsa bole (Gurmukhi: ਖ਼ਾਲਸਈ ਬੋਲੇ or ਖ਼ਾਲਸਾ ਬੋਲੀ; Ḵẖālasa'ī bōlē, Ḵẖālasā bōlī; meaning "words of Khalsa"; alternatively transcribed as Khalsa boli) is a bravado-based language variety developed and spoken by members of the Akali-Nihang sect of Sikhism.[8] It has also been described as a coded language.[9]

Khalsa bole
Gar Gaj Bole, Nihang Singh de Bole, Khalsa de bole
ਖ਼ਾਲਸਈ ਬੋਲੇ, ਖ਼ਾਲਸਾ ਬੋਲੀ, ਗੜਗੱਜ ਬੋਲੇ
PronunciationḴẖālasa'ī bōlē, Ḵẖālasā bōlī
Era17th or early 18th century to present
Early forms
Gurmukhi
SourcesPunjabi and its dialects (mostly), Hindi, Persian
Language codes
ISO 639-3–
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Names

Other common names for the lect are Gar Gaj Bole (ਗੜਗੱਜ ਬੋਲੇ; meaning "words that thunder"), Nihang Singh de Bole ("words of the Nihang Sikhs"), Nihang Bola ("Nihang speak"), and Khalsa de bole ("words of the Khalsa").[10][11]

Purpose

The dialect encompasses the Sikh philosophical concept of remaining ever optimistic, known as Chardi kala.[12] The unique dialect serves martial and mental objectives, such as helping the speaker and listeners remain in high-spirits in the face of adversity.[13][14] It serves as a verbal act of dissent in the face of troubling circumstances.[11]

"There is a great degree of general Sikh ambivalence towards the Nihangs and their deras. There is no real knowledge but through the construction of the Sikh past by ragis and dhadis and others involved in the invention of Sikh tradition, they seem to have made sacrifices for the faith and qaum. One possible consequence of their relative isolation could be the development of coded language. Sekhon (1997: 229) attributes these different meanings of the words as metaphors of optimism and belief in the inevitable achievement of the goal: 'Taking a meal of parched gram of necessity a Nihang would describe himself as eating almonds. Even now onions for Nihangs are silver pieces, rupees on the other hand mere pebbles, and a club the repository of wisdom.’ "

— Pashaura Singh, Louis E. Fenech, The Oxford Handbook of Sikh Studies (2014), page 380

History

Origin

Some claim it was invented by Banda Singh Bahadur, the early 18th century Sikh warrior and martyr.[10]: 120  Sikh scholar, Piara Singh Padam, claims it originated earlier in the 17th century, during the time of the Sikh Gurus.[15] The lect developed during the period of intense persecution of the Sikhs by the Mughal and Durrani empires in the 18th century.[16] During that period, Sikhs vacated for the mountains, jungles, and deserts to escape the genocidal policies enacted against them.[16]

"Guru Gobind Singh would rename some of the smaller or weaker Singhs in the ranks of the Khalsa army. He would bestow them with lofty titles such as ‘Dharti-Hallaa Singh' (literally, the Earth-shaker). This would not only send fear and doubt deep within the ranks of the enemy soldiers, but encouraged the Singhs in the Khalsa army to fight heroically with courage and confidence and honour the names given to them by the Guru."

— Nihang Darshan Singh, audio recording, July 2006[17]

Present-day

The dialect is still used by some modern Sikhs, especially the Akali-Nihangs.[18] Many modern Nihangs are ridiculed for using their dialect.[11] They are often the target for jokes by outsiders.[11]

Linguistic sources

Khalsa bole sources its vocabulary from "a mixture of Punjabi, Hindi, Persian and other dialects used in various regions of India".[19][13]

List of vocabulary examples
Khalsa bole words and phrases with figurative and literal meanings
No. Word or phrase Figurative meaning Literal meaning Reference(s)
1. akāl dan dispenser of wisdom wooden club [10]: 120 
2. conquer Chittor or Multan urination or defecation [8][18]
3. Nihal Kaur blanket Sikh woman's name, satisfied woman [13]
4. larki green chillies girl or woman [13]
5. rupa onion beautiful, beauty, silver pieces [13][9][20]
6. dhid phookni, tid fookni tea stomach destroyer [13][20]
7. thokhay baj (spoon) of sugar [13]
8. akaash pari goat [13]
9. larraaki refers to an individual with a martial spirit red chillies [13]
10. akkar-bhan fever [13]
11. sukha Cannabis concocted beverage (bhang), tranquilizer peace of mind, happiness, pleasurable [13][20]
12. araakis horses [13]
13. thanedaar donkey police officer [13]
14. Qazi, Kaji cockerel[note 1] judge in the field of Islamic jurisprudence [13][20]
15. chhauni undergarments (kacchera) encampment [13]
16. aflatoon quilt braggart, bragger, boaster [13]
17. aandey potatoes eggs [13]
18. aring baring lying down wrestling [13][20]
19. Basant Kaur corn combination of Basant (Spring festival) + Kaur (female Sikh title) meaning "Spring damsel" [13][20]
20. billa Englishman cat [13][20]
21. bhuchanger youth [13]
22. chugal mirror back-biter, tattler [13][20]
23. DC limper [13][20]
24. dhullay meat [13][20]
25. gobinday watermelon [13][20]
26. gobindyia carrots [13][20]
27. jahaj cart boat, ship [13][20]
28. samundar milk ocean [13]
29. sarb ras salt essence of life [13][20]
30. siropa beating robe of honour [13][20]
31. tehsildar intelligent tax official of a tehsil (administrative unit) [13][20]
32. Teja Singh train Sikh man's name [13]
33. athak savārī pair of shoes tireless mount [10]: 120 
34. charāī karnā to die to invade, charge or set out on an expedition [10]: 120 [21]
35. lakh netarā blind in one eye one with 100,000 eyes [10]: 120 
36. mast, mastana empty of personal supplies in a state of ecstasy, carefree [10]: 120 [20]
37. savā lakh approach of one Nihang Sikh 125,000-strong army [11][10]: 120 [18][21]
38. eating almonds eating parched gram [9]
39. rupee pebbles rupee currency [9]
40. a quarrelsome woman red chilli [16]
41. garamjal beverage concoction made

of cannabis and hot water

 hot water [16]
42. smoking kissing a female donkey [16]
43. golee medicinal pill, tablet, or capsule bullet [22][23]
44. veer brother brave [15]
45. fauj oneself army [15]
46. mithe parshad old bread, leftover roti or chapati more than a day-old sweet and blessed bread or sacrament [15][20]
47. tar pulaw dry meal aromatic gravied rice [15]
48. langar mast nothing to eat, hunger happy time, intoxication [15][21]
49. chhapa maarna showing up spontaneously to the homes of friends or relatives guerilla ambush, surprise attack [15]
50. Dharamraj di dhee di sewa being ill being cared for by the angel of death's daughter [15]
51. jān bhai personal horse dearest brother, blood brother [15][20]
52. Pathan sira cauliflower Afghan head[note 2] [15][20]
53. chhilad money tree bark [15]
54. silk Jute (bast fibre) [15]
55. budhiye young damsel old lady [15]
56. panjwan clarified butter, ghee [15]
57. chaiwan cooking oil [15]
58. chup sugar silence [20]
59. choona flour lime-stone powder [20]
60. panj ratnee wine, alcohol [15]
61. titari karela (bitter melon or bitter gourd) [15]
62. karadhee radish [15]
63. garday rice [20]
64. samudar milk ocean [20]
65. kastoora pig musk [20]
66. kesar turmeric saffron [20]
67. badam groundnuts, chickpeas, grams almonds [20]
68. aaracaa horse [15]
69. harni louse, lice [15]
70. baaj iron rod hawk, falcon [15]
71. bhuchangee, bhuhhangi son snake [20]
72. aakarhpun fever or bodily illness arrogance [20]
73. miserable pony Arab or Iraqi steed [21]
74. bata iron bowl [20]
75. birajkay seated holding court [20]
76. gurh jaggery (unrefined cane sugar) [20]
77. heeray white hairs pearls [20]
78. hulla hurry blast of eastern winds [20]
79. jhatanga goat [20]
80. kulga baldy (bald person) [20]
81. laraki chilli, spice shrew [20]
82. mamla money revenue [20]
83. morcha endeavour assault on the enemy [20]
84. parsram axe [20]
85. patwari cat tax-collector/village accountant [20]
86. bhootni train (rail locomotive) female ghost [20]
87. subhedar sweeper governor/army sergeant [20]
88. theekar body shell [20]
89. dhokhay baaj spoon imposter [20]
90. vaheer mobile [20]
91. ghorrhey jutti shoes horses [20]
92. shaheedi maar punishment to the guilty a martyr's beating [20]
93. sawaayaa A little one and a quarter [20]
94. haraa pallaa grass green rice [20]
95. Sheesh Mahal shanty palace of mirrors [20]
96. swarag calamity heaven [20]
97. hazaar mekhee worn-out scarf [20]
98. gurmukhi parshad coarse grain blessed sacrament from the mouth of the Guru [20]
99. dabrroo ghusrooh individual lacking in Sikh conduct [20]
100. Dharamraj di dhee Sleeping daughter of the angel of death [20]
101. blind man wide-awake hero [24]
102. half-blind man argus-eyed lion [24]
103. deaf man man in the upper storey [24]
104. baptised Sikh brother of the golden cup (actually an iron vessel) [24]
105. to be fined by the community for a fault getting one's salary [24]
106. big stick lawyer [24]
107. to speak roar [24]

See also

Further reading
  • Padam, Piara Singh (1985). Khalsa Bole ਖਾਲਸਈ ਬੋਲੇ [Khalsa language] (PDF) (in Punjabi).
  • Bedi, Daljit Singh. Nihang Singha De Khalsai Gadgaj Bole ਨਿਹੰਗ ਸਿੰਘਾਂ ਦੇ ਖਾਲਸਾਈ ਗੜਗੱਜ ਬੋਲੇ [The Khalsa of the Nihang Singhs roared] (in Punjabi).
  • Singh, Teja (1929). Humour in Sikhism (PDF) (2nd ed.). Amritsar: The Star Book Depot.

Notes
  1. Paishachi, Saurasheni, or Gandhari Prakrits have been proposed as the ancestor Middle Indo-Aryan language to Punjabi.
  1. This is due to the Qazis being associated with the Islamic call to prayer (azhan), a likeness is made to the call of a cockerel, and them demanding the non-Muslims of an area pay the Jizya tax, which was despised by the non-Muslim commoners, was a call of nature.
  2. Please see Afghan-Sikh Wars for background information on historical Afghan-Sikh relations.

References
  1. Singh, Sikander (April 2019). "The Origin Theories of Punjabi Language: A Context of Historiography of Punjabi Language". International Journal of Sikh Studies.
  2. Haldar, Gopal (2000). Languages of India. New Delhi: National Book Trust, India. p. 149. ISBN 9788123729367. The age of Old Punjabi: up to 1600 A.D. […] It is said that evidence of Old Punjabi can be found in the Granth Sahib.
  3. Bhatia, Tej K. (2013). Punjabi: A Cognitive-Descriptive Grammar (Reprint ed.). London: Routledge. p. XXV. ISBN 9781136894602. As an independent language Punjabi has gone through the following three stages of development: Old Punjabi (10th to 16th century). Medieval Punjabi (16th to 19th century), and Modern Punjabi (19th century to Present).
  4. Christopher Shackle; Arvind Mandair (2013). "0.2.1 – Form". Teachings of the Sikh Gurus : selections from the Scriptures (First ed.). Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge. ISBN 9781136451089. Surpassing them all in the frequent subtlety of his linguistic choices, including the use of dialect forms as well as of frequent loanwords from Sanskrit and Persian, Guru Nanak combined this poetic language of the Sants with his native Old Punjabi. It is this mixture of Old Punjabi and old Hindi which constitutes the core idiom of all the earlier Gurus.
  5. Frawley, William (2003). International encyclopedia of linguistics (2nd ed.). Oxford: Oxford University Press. p. 423. ISBN 9780195139778.
  6. Austin, Peter (2008). One thousand languages : living, endangered, and lost. Berkeley: University of California Press. p. 115. ISBN 9780520255609.
  7. Braj B. Kachru; Yamuna Kachru; S. N. Sridhar (2008). Language in South Asia. Cambridge University Press. p. 411. ISBN 9781139465502.
  8. "India Today". India Today. Living Media India Pvt. Limited. 9: 61. 1984.
  9. The Oxford Handbook of Sikh Studies. Oxford Handbooks. Pashaura Singh, Louis E. Fenech. OUP Oxford. 2014. p. 380. ISBN 9780191004117.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  10. Madra, Amandeep Singh (2016). Sicques, Tigers or Thieves : Eyewitness Accounts of the Sikhs (1606-1810). P. Singh. New York: Palgrave Macmillan. pp. 120, 362. ISBN 978-1-137-11998-8. OCLC 1083462581.
  11. The Illustrated Weekly of India. Vol. 90. Times of India Press. 1969. p. 38.
  12. Singh, Dya (2016). "Chapter VII: Sikhing Happiness - Chardhi Kala, Amritvela & Anand". Sikhing Success & Happiness : Spiritual Secrets for Success, Fulfillment & Happiness. [Singapore]. ISBN 978-1-4828-6637-7. OCLC 1007302595.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  13. Singh, Khuswant (23 March 2011). "Nihang Speak (bole)". Hindustan Times (original publisher), republished on SikhNet. Chandigarh.
  14. Singh, Ganda (1990). Sardar Jassa Singh Ahluwalia. Publication Bureau of Patiala Punjabi University. p. 16. This Nihang Singhi language helped the Singhs of those days to maintain themselves in high spirits and face the tempest of ordeals bravely.
  15. Padam, Piara Singh (1985). Khalsa Bole ਖਾਲਸਈ ਬੋਲੇ [Khalsa language] (PDF) (in Punjabi).
  16. Gupta, Shekhar (15 August 1984). "We are the real heirs of the Sikh shrines and traditions: Baba Santa Singh". India Today. Retrieved 2023-03-08. Over the years as they fought suicidal battles and lived off the jungle in marginal conditions the Nihangs developed their own distinctive lifestyle, mannerisms and even language. To a Nihang even today to answer the call of nature is to "conquer Chittor or Multan", smoking is "kissing a female donkey" and red chilli is "a quarrelsome woman". Also, perhaps because of the harsh lives they were forced to lead the Nihangs were allowed the use of a concoction made of cannabis and dry fruit which they call garamjal (hot water).
  17. NIHANGSINGH.ORG (21 October 2010). "Thundering Words: The Martial Language of Nihangs". sikhchic.com.
  18. Crenshaw, Martha (2010). Terrorism in Context. Penn State Press. p. 363. ISBN 9780271044422.
  19. Pall, S. J. S. (2007). The beloved forces of the Guru (1st ed.). Amritsar: B. Chattar Singh Jiwan Singh. ISBN 978-81-7601-857-9. OCLC 294988259.
  20. NIHANGSINGH.ORG (21 October 2010). "Thundering Words: The Martial Language of Nihangs". sikhchic.com.
  21. Pathak, Vikas (22 October 2021). "The Nihangs: Sikh Warrior Creed That Evokes Respect And Fear In Equal Measure". Outlook India. 'He will dream of armies and he thinks in lakhs. If he is alone he will say, 'a-lakh-and-a-quarter Khalsa are present'. You ask him how he is, he will reply, 'the army is well'. For him, hunger is intoxication, a miserable pony an Arab or Iraqi steed…and dying would be proceeding on an expedition.' – 'Nihangs', a section in the Encyclopedia of Sikhism, edited by Prof. Harbans Singh and published by Punjabi University, Patiala
  22. Macintyre, Donald (1889). Hindu-Koh: Wanderings and Wild Sport on and Beyond the Himalayas. William Blackwood and Sons. p. 279.
  23. Syal, Meera (1996). Anita and Me. London: Fourth Estate. p. 111. ISBN 1565845293.
  24. Singh, Teja (1929). Humour in Sikhism (PDF) (2nd ed.). Amritsar: The Star Book Depot. p. 6.
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