"Dubashis" of Colonial India: Power Brokers and manipulators in the British Mercantile Empire!!

 

East India Company flag (1801)en.wikipedia.org

The term ''Banyan'' (from caste term Baneah) implies a Hindu merchant, shopkeeper or confidential cashier and broker. The term was used in Bengal to designate the native who managed the money concerns of the European, and sometimes served him as an interpreter. In plain term, he was a 'commission agent' for the Europeans who arrived in India to engage in mercantile trade and business and acted as an intermediary between Europeans and Indian goods manufacturers or business people. These so called agents were closely associated with the British East India Company that landed in India in the 1700s to engage in mercantile trade in cotton, Indigo, spices, silk, etc. They got trading concessions from the then  Mogul ruler  after 1634. Their trading activities began to  spread across slowly and they established the Madras Residency and Calcutta residency with forts and factories to carry on their trading activities.  With the expansion of their business they needed the help of people who were bilingual -knowing English and the local language spoken  in that region.

 Banyan (agent)-a native of Surat.Brtish India. diwancybermuseum.com

At Madras (now Chennai, Tamil Nadu) the person of same description was called a Dubashi (meanig bilingual), one who could speak, besides English, two local languages - Tamil or Telugu. Subsequently these Dubashis at Madras became influential and well-known merchants. They were very close to their British sahibs and wielded enormous powers. It was inconceivable what property was in their hands. They were  ostensible agents in every line of business, placing their dependents in the several departments over which they themselves had obtained dominion. If a contract was to be made with the Government by any gentlemen not in the Company's service, the banyans became the securities, under the condition of receiving a percentage. When a person in the service of the Company was an indirect beneficiary which he was unable to enjoy for some reason, then the banyan became the principal agent , and the donor either received a share or derived advantage from loans. The same person frequently was banyan/intermediary to several European gentlemen, all of whose concerns were, of course, accurately known to him, and thus became the subject of conversation.

Dubashis of colonial India. hinduunityblog.wordpress.com

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Dubashis of Colonial India: Power Brokers in the British Mercantile Empire

The term Dubashi—derived from the Persian “du” (two) and “bhasha” (language)—referred to bilingual individuals who played a pivotal role in colonial India's commercial and administrative machinery. These intermediaries were essential to the functioning of the British East India Company, especially in Madras (present-day Chennai), where they facilitated trade, negotiations, and communication between British officers and native merchants, artisans, and rulers. Their equivalents in Bengal and western India were known as Banyans or Baniahs, typically Hindu merchants or cashiers.

The Dubashis were indispensable during the early years of the Company’s expansion in India from the 17th century onward. Fluent in English and local languages such as Tamil, Telugu, or Persian, they served as interpreters, translators, brokers, accountants, and trusted business advisors. Over time, their roles expanded, and they emerged as powerful middlemen in revenue collection, contract brokerage, and property acquisition.

In Madras, the Dubashis became fabulously wealthy and influential, with some controlling vast estates and acting as power brokers in both local society and the colonial establishment. A prominent Dubashi could hold sway over access to British officials—so much so that even Indian rulers often had to pass through the chief Dubashi to secure a meeting with the Governor. They placed relatives in various administrative departments, securing monopolies and commissions, often acting as agents for multiple British officials simultaneously.   

In Madras Dubashis were very close to their British sahibs and wielded enormous powers. It was inconceivable what property was in their hands. They were  ostensible agents in every line of business, placing their dependents in the several departments over which they themselves had obtained dominion. If a contract was to be made with the Government by any gentlemen not in the Company's service, the banyans became the securities, under the condition of receiving a percentage. When a person in the service of the Company was an indirect beneficiary which he was unable to enjoy for some reason, then the banyan became the principal agent. Their notoriety was the talk  of  the town to such an  extend, some  historians consider the Chennai term "dubakoor" (born liar) is the forerunner of dubashi.

Dubashi 's  insider knowledge of both colonial bureaucracy and indigenous networks gave them immense leverage and advantage. In Calcutta, nearly every British merchant had a ''banyan'' to manage his affairs. The Dubashis of  Madras, like their northern counterparts, knew their British patrons intimately - sometimes even astrologically!

However, their immense power in the  corridors of government  offices also bred corruption and nepotism  as well. Some were complicit in financial scandals involving corrupt British officials. Despite this, their role in shaping colonial India’s economy and bridging two cultures was undeniable. Today, the legacy of Dubashis remains a complex mix of collaboration, cultural exchange, and commerce-driven power.

https://hinduunityblog.wordpress.com/2018/01/07/east-india-company-dubashis-birth-of-anti-brahminism-part-ii

https://bharatabharati.in/2017/09/03/east-india-company-dubashis-and-the-birth-of-anti-brahminism-vedam-gopal

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Possessing large properties  with most extensive credit and influence they were absolute monarchs in their respective fields of operations. So vast was their influence that Calcutta was once under the control of about 20 or 30 banyans, who managed every concern in which they could lay their hands on and find means to make a profit. Likewise Madras had about 12 Dubashis, acting as intermediaries between the natives and British Sahibs (Durai). They very well knew the horoscope of English sahibs and their planet positions!! They knew their weakness as well as strength.

It was impossible for British men to carry on his daily activities, particularly trading without support from Banyans. Obviously these people enjoyed political clout, pelf and power. At one point of time corrupt British officials in the Madras Residency engaged in financial irregularities and the Indian agents were their accomplices.  No body, not even the rulers could see the governor without obliging the chief Dubashi. (source: from a few  references that made a mention of colonial agents)

https://hinduunityblog.wordpress.com/2018/01/07/east-india-company-dubashis-birth-of-anti-brahminism-part-ii

https://bharatabharati.in/2017/09/03/east-india-company-dubashis-and-the-birth-of-anti-brahminism-vedam-gopal/

The Tamilian tradition of giving enormous accommodation has been fully exploited by the foreigners, by trapping the greedy local groups who literally sold their own motherland to unscrupulous traders. Yes, such are the open secrets of our weak history.

One such avatar is the contribution of the dubashis. The word dubashi is Hindi or Sanskrit or Persian is still a controversy. Some says the Chennai term dubakoor (born liar) is the forerunner of dubashi.  The people who in the beginning doing the translator job between foreign and local traders slowly began to turn into brokers. Cheap local procurement and undue profits from foreign elements were chief ways of expanding their assets. With their British and French fervour, their dressing and cultural habits followed suit. Also did they undertake the cooking, washing, shaving ordeals of the alien households and proved their servitude? There were even dubashi who attended the personal requirements of the governor’s female clan. Also these suited servants arranged for wine parties and visit there with full suit crossing the board kept written as “Dogs And Indians

An English circular describes the dubashi as follows: “Much has been said about these monsters, but it is impossible to say too much until the whole race of them both with the English jargon and without it, are entirely eradicated. They will correspond with your enemies, they will plunder you of your property and after they have enriched themselves at your expenses, they will throw you into jail. All currency is in their hands, hoarded up and lost to the state.” (C. G. Heyne in his tracts.)

A few among such people were of a philanthropist nature with benevolent attitude

Largest group of dubashis serving during 1650 to 1850 were the Mudaliars and Pillaimars is a historical fact. Later certain Telugu Brahmins and Komatti Chettiyars were also serving as dubashis.  The Vellalars were keenly inclined to be in the good books of the British and Christian lords, thereby getting enough influence and favors that were their sole aim. Several of them converted into Christianity. 

https://bharatabharati.in/2017/09/03/east-india-company-dubashis-and-the-birth-of-anti-brahminism-vedam-gopal/

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