Wallah, -walla, -wala, or -vala (-wali 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 (topiwala), i.e., habitué.

Example uses

Examples of such uses include: 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. There were a number of other words of this type, such as "camel wallah" and "machine-gun wallah", and more. "Base wallah" had a derogatory reference for a person who is seldom seen at the front lines during major attacks, pretending to be sick. There is a short story "Sanjeev and Robotwallah", by Ian McDonald. There is a character named General Robotwallah in the 2010 novel For the Win by Cory Doctorow. "Robotwallah" refers to the pilot of a mecha.

Other uses

Wala or Vala was also used in Parsi and Dawodi Bohra surnames, suggesting the derivation from a profession or a place name. For example: Wala is also used to indicate a specific object or thing among several: These uses of wala should not be confused with the.