Baba ("father, grandfather, wise old man, sir")[1] is an Indo-Iranian honorific term,[2] used in several West Asian, South Asian and African cultures.
It is used as a mark of respect to refer to Hindu ascetics (sannyasis) and Sikh gurus, as a suffix or prefix to their names, e.g. Sai Baba of Shirdi, Baba Ramdev, etc.
[1] One of the most revered high priests in Samaritan tradition is Baba Rabba, literally "The Great Father".
The term was also adopted in Malaysia as an honorific of respect to address Chinese people born in the British Straits Settlement.
[5][2] Baba is also the familiar word for "father" in many languages (see mama and papa); in India it has even been adapted to address male children.