1. Plural of babu; clerks, officials, or bureaucrats, especially in colonial India or South Asia.
Usage: historical; often used with a slightly derogatory connotation in colonial contexts
2. Plural of babu; Indian gentlemen or men of some education or status (archaic or respectful usage).
Usage: archaic; respectful or formal

Examples

• The colonial administration relied on local babus to manage paperwork and records.
• Many babus worked in the offices of the British Raj.
• The babus were often caught between their employers and their own communities.
• He was educated and considered one of the respectable babus in town.
• The babus handled most of the day-to-day administrative duties.