On 6th September 2018, the supreme court of India ruled to decriminalize homosexual sex in a historic judgment for gay rights. The law which was known as Section 377 held that intercourse between members of the same sex was against the order of nature, and therefore punishable by up to 10 years of imprisonment. While this colonial era law was still in vogue all over the country, in the national capital of India – Delhi, a community of homosexual men has evolved a secret language for expressing their needs. This argot known among its users as ‘Fārsi’ (फ़ारसी) has nothing to do with the Persian language spoken in Iran. According to Collins COBUILD Advanced English Dictionary (2006) – an argot is a special language used by a particular group of people, which other people find difficult to understand. Nevertheless this language uses syntax of Hindi-Urdu with a unique vocabulary. Most of the speakers of this language belong to the working class community. Some of the words from this argot are following –

bhapkī = milk tea (भपकी)

biTTu = hips (बिट्टू)

botal = backside (बोतल)

chilkũ = circumcised person (चिल्कू) / a Muslim man

dharkī = nipples (धरकी)

dharwānā = to penetrate (धरवाना)

dhumkī = cigarette (धुमकी)

ḍū̃gar = policeman (डूँगर) { note – ḍū̃gar in Rajasthani means ‘small hill’}

giriyā = top {person who engages in the penetrative role during sexual activity} (गिरिया)

Komer = fellatio (कोमेर)

koThi = bottom {receptive partner during sexual penetration} (कोठी)

likum = penis (लिकुम)

nath utarnā = to lose virginity (नथ उतरना)

nihāran = girl / female (निहारन)

panthi = top {person who engages in the penetrative role during sexual activity} (पंथी)

thipur = money (थिपुर)

While these are some words from ‘Farsi’ of Delhi, it will be interesting to know some homosexuality related words in modern standard Hindi. You will notice a lot of these words are used in pejorative sense, since homosexuality has long been a taboo in mainly patriarchal society of India.

bacchebāz = slang. a male homosexual (बच्चेबाज़)

chapṭī = slang. homosexual act between two females (चपटी)

gāṁṛ mārnā = slang. to commit sodomy (गांड मारना)

gāṁṛū = slang. a male homosexual (गाँड़ू)

gudābhanjan = male homosexual intercourse (गुदाभंजन)

hathelī-ṭek = slang. a catamite (हथेली-टेक)

jurm khilāf waza-i-fitrī = An unnatural offence; sodomy (जुर्म खिलाफ़ वज़ा-ए-फ़ित्री)

lauṇḍe-bāzī = slang. Male homosexual intercourse (लौंडे बाज़ी)

pulbandī = male homosexual intercourse (पुलबंदी)

purush gāmī = a male homosexual (पुरूष गामी)

purushgaman = male homosexual intercourse (पुरूषगमन)

sam-laiṅgik = a homosexual man (समलैंगिक)

sam-laiṅgikătā = homosexuality (समलैंगिकता)

sam-yaun = lesbian female (समयौन)

References –

Seabrook, J. (1999). Love in a different climate. 1st ed. London: Verso.

दुबे, अभय कुमार. (2016). फुटपाथ पर कामसुत्र – नारीवाद और सैक्शुअलिटी: कुछ भारतीय निर्मितियाँ, नई दिल्ली: वाणी प्रकाशन.

McGregor, R. S. (1993). The Oxford Hindi-English dictionary; New York: Oxford University Press.

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