Maharaja

Last night was my first Indian dinner.  I'd never had indian food before, besides some really terrible curry a few summers ago and too spicy vegetable samosas. I didn't really know how it would go, but it was for my best friend's birthday dinner (honestly, I thought I was going to end up going to McDonald's right after for some fries and a sweet potato pie).  She ordered garlic naan bread and vegetable samosas, and they were both delicious, so I was super excited for the main course.  When it came, I could only eat spinach & potato stuff or chickpea stuff with rice - the spinach & potato on top of the rice was so good.  It didn't taste like curry at all, so I had a few spoons of it with my rice.

I decided to look up "Maharaja."  I found that its a Sanskrit word that translates to "great king." When India was colonized by Great Britain, the rulers of its states were known as "Rajas" ("kings"), and those with significant power were given the title "Maharaja."  Before this time, the word "Maharaja" had not really been used.  Great Britain used their power to give specific kings a more regal title to gain their allegiance; Great Britain used the power of language to create allies... and eventually ruined India.

Its amazing how people and culture can be so greatly influenced through language.