Rais

Raʾīs (Arabic: رئیس‎; also spelled Raees) is a title used by the rulers of Arab states in the Middle East and South Asia. Swahili speakers on the Swahili Coast may also use it for president. It is translated as "president" in Arabic, and as "wealthy" in Persian. In Urdu, the word Rais is also used as the opposite or antonym of Nouveau riche, a person who has accummulated considerable wealth within his or her generation.

From Arabic, via Persian, this word came into Ottoman Turkish as reis, and into Urdu as raees, and means a person belonging to the aristocracy. When the book "The pleasure of Philosophy" by Will Durant was translated into Urdu, by Syed Abid Ali Abid, he translated the word aristocracy with the Urdu word raisiyyat (رئیسيت). In India the word was used in many cities, especially in Lucknow for the sophisticated and urban members of a culture that combines emotional warmth, a high degree of sophistication, courtesy, and a love for gracious living. This class of Lucknow can be compared with the 18th century aristocrat class of France before the French Revolution in 1789. In the rural areas of the Punjab, the word is also used for the head of an ancient tribe or a person belonging to old landed aristocracy. The adjective 'Azam' great, is also added to mean 'the great rais'.

Rais (disambiguation)

Rais may refer to:

People:

Other uses:

Baloch people

The Baloch or Baluch (Balochi: بلوچ) are a people who live mainly in the Balochistan region of the southeastern-most edge of the Iranian plateau in Pakistan, Iran, and Afghanistan, as well as in the Arabian Peninsula.

They mainly speak the Balochi language, a branch of Northwestern Iranian languages, and are therefore an Iranic people. About 50% of the total Baloch population live in Balochistan, a western province of Pakistan; 40% of Baloch are settled in Sindh; and a significant number of Baloch people in South Punjab of Pakistan. They make nearly 3.6% of the Pakistani population, about 2% of Iran's population (1.5 million) and about 2% of Afghanistan's population.

Etymology

The exact origin of the word 'Baloch' is unclear. One theory is that the word came from the Median word brza-vak, which describes a loud aggressive way of speaking. Others say the word came from the Babylonian king Belus. Still others say it is a nickname meaning "cock's comb", referring to the distinctive helmets that Balochi forces wore when they fought the Median king Astyages in the mid 6th century BCE. Finally, there are some who believe it came from the Sanskrit words "Bal" (meaning strength or power) and "Och" (meaning high or magnificent).