Literally means "A person from the north" in tamil but in contemporary times, is used as a derogatory term to refer to North Indians, mostly by tamilians, mallus and other south indians. Historically, the word referred to the telugu
people (who live in the area north to that of the tamilians) but at present refers to a north indian, especially
one from the hindi-speaking
belt.
The word came into use after globalisation in
India(1990), as migrants from the Indian states of UP and Bihar started migrating in large numbers to Tamilnadu in search of jobs. Became even more
popular in the late 2015s, as south indians looked down upon the lesser literacy,
poor hygiene and religious extremism of the hindi-speaking states and started expressing them in the internet and social media.
A milder and less-offensive alternative to 'Bimaru'.
Nithya: "Eww look, he's spitting paan on the
walls,
nasty!"
Arun: "These vadakkans man, I'm telling you..."