, or or or ( fem.), is a suffix used in a number of Indo-Aryan languages, like Hindi/Urdu, Gujarati, Bengali or Marathi. It forms an adjectival compound from a noun or an agent noun from a verb. For example, it may indicate a person involved in some kind of activity, where they come from or what they wear (), for instance: Dabbawala, lunch box deliverer Chaiwala, a boy or young man who serves tea Dishwalla, satellite TV installer, from "dish" for parabolic antenna , a rickshaw driver Punkawallah, the servant who keeps the punkah or fan going on hot nights , a cotton carder , a waste picker or scrap dealer Puncture or puncher , a tyre repairer
or was also used in Parsi and Dawodi Bohra surnames, suggesting the profession or a place name. For example: Amroliwala Daruwalla, seller of or Persian for 'wine' Mithaiwala, sweetseller
is also used to indicate a specific object or thing among several: , 'the small one' , 'the second one' , 'the next one' In British military jargon of the first half of the 20th century, a "base wallah" is someone employed at a military base, or with a job far behind the front lines.
Ian McDonald has a short story, "Sanjeev and Robotwallah" (2007), and there is a character named General Robotwallah in the 2010 novel For the Win by Cory Doctorow.