Rukhsana, a researcher, studies a petition written late in 1857 by a grain trader of Bareilly. He complains that soon after the sepoys of the station rose, crowds from the nearby villages came into the town. They broke into his house and the houses of several other traders, carried away their goods and set some of the houses on fire. In the same file she finds a poster that had been put up on a city wall. Written in Urdu, it calls on the people of the town to rise and drive out the firangis.
What is the origin of the word firangi used in the poster?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 1
The correct answer is Option (1) → It is a term of Persian origin, possibly derived from Frank
Firangi is a term of Persian origin, possibly derived from Frank, the name from which France gets its name; it passed into Urdu and Hindi as a word for foreigners.
NCERT (2026-27): “1.1 How the mutinies began … |