The Tamil slang for something free of charge, oasi, is derived from the abbreviation, OC, which expands to On Company's Service. The company in question was the British East India Company which stamped its official mail with these letters to avoid having to pay postage.
Some sources claim that the envelopes and parcels were marked with the full initialism, OCS rather than simply OC. Others suggest that items were stamped with the full expansion and not with an abbreviation. Then again, none of the sources provide any contemporary evidence for either claim.
Connotations
Indian connection
