Gora (racial epithet)

Gora (or "gaura"), is a Hindi and Punjabi word for a yellow-skinned or light-brown person, whether Indian or from other regions.

According to the "Natyasastra", the term refers to "yellowish-reddish". ["Studies in the Nāṭyaśāstra : with special reference to the Sanskrit drama in performance", G.H. Tārḷekar, p. 138]

The term "gora" is often used by British Asians to refer to white people, the feminine form being "gori". [ [http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/this-britain/linguists-get-chuddies-in-twist-over-dialects-568408.html "The Independent", 1 April 2004] ] The plural term "gore" is also used to refer to white people of both genders.

In the Ottoman Turkish language, a similar term "goure" was used to refer to kafirs, particularly white Christians from Europe. [citation|title=Islam in Britain, 1558-1685|first=Nabil I.|last=Matar|publisher=Cambridge University Press|year=1998|isbn=0521622336|page=4]

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