Hindi English Translation || Editorial || Freedom notes: On the Independence Day speech and beyond

Freedom notes: On the Independence Day speech and beyond

India must make its governments more accountable (उत्तरदायी, जिम्मेदार) to the people

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s first Independence Day speech in his third term (अवधि, कार्यकाल) in office — the eleventh since 2014 — sought to signal continuity and authority (अधिकार, सत्ता), particularly in the context (संदर्भ, प्रसंग) of the fact that (यह तथ्य कि) he is now leading a coalition government. He called for (मांग करना, आवश्यकता होना) a uniform civil code (समान नागरिक संहिता), terming it a secular (धर्मनिरपेक्ष) measure (उपाय, कदम) agnostic of religious faiths (आस्था, विश्वास), ‘one nation, one election,’ and increased (बढ़ा हुआ, वृद्धि हुआ) safety of women against the backdrop (पृष्ठभूमि) of the sexual assault (यौन उत्पीड़न) and murder of an on-duty doctor (a doctor who is available to provide care to patients at any time when needed) in Kolkata recently. Mr. Modi said there were attempts to destabilise (अस्थिर करना, कमजोर करना) the economy of the country, echoing (दोहराना, गूंजना) the BJP’s view on a recent report by U.S.-based short seller Hindenburg Research that has accused (charge with, lay charges against; blame for, hold responsible for) the head of stock market regulator (an association/statutory body that supervises a particular business activity) SEBI of conflict of interest (a situation in which a person cannot do his/her job fairly because he/she has the power to decide something in a way that would be to his/her advantage, although this may not be the best decision). Mr. Modi criticised the continuing trend of dynastic (relating to a dynasty (leaders who are all from the same family)) politics and suggested (propose, put forward, urge, encourage, advocate, recommend) that one lakh first generation young leaders should enter electoral politics at various levels, and also expressed hope for peace being restored in Bangladesh. Reviewing his two terms in power, he claimed (assert, state, declare, affirm, insist (usually without proof/evidence)) that India has made great strides in manufacturing, and in fighting corruption, and vowed (promise, assure, pledge, guarantee, take an oath, commit) to stay the course (continue doing something in spite of difficulties; to continue doing something till the end even though it is tough/challenging; work hard till the end to accomplish the task) regardless of (in spite of everything, irrespective of, without regard to, without reference to, notwithstanding, no matter, without considering, disregarding) obstacles (hurdle, difficulty, problem, barrier, impediment, obstruction, hindrance). The desirability (appeal, advisability, preferableness, advantage, expedience) of a uniform civil code, or more youngsters in politics or fighting corruption is not in question. But unfortunately, all these remain contentious (controversial, disputable, debatable) issues, largely (mostly, mainly, generally) due to (because of, as a result of, thanks to, on account of, owing to) the government’s partisan (biased, bigoted, prejudiced, one-sided, discriminatory, preferential, partial, inequitable, unfair/unjust) approach.

That Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi was seated in a back row of the audience at Red Fort where Mr. Modi delivered his customary (routine, traditional, familiar) address (a formal speech, talk, discourse) is instructive (informative, instructional, informational, explanatory, telling, revealing; good example, case study). The government’s explanation for this breach (contravention, infringement, violation, breaking, lack of compliance with, non-observance, defiance) of precedent (a past action/event/decision that is seen as an example; previous example, previous instance, prior instance, previous case, example), that the seats in the front rows were given to members of this year’s Olympic team, is hardly (barely, almost not) a reasonable one. The government needs to be less unilateral (relating to a method of taking decisions individually without considering others) and more consultative (advisory, recommendatory, consulting, counseling) if it is truly committed (dedicated, resolute, steadfast, devoted dutiful, sincere, unwavering) to advancing (promote, support, further, foster, encourage; propose, put forward, present, submit, suggest, put up, come up with) a unified national agenda in the seventy-eighth year of India. A uniform civil code in a country as diverse (relating to the existence/presence of different people (from a variety of backgrounds and perspectives ranging from race to age to gender to hometown to educational experience) within group) as India requires consensus building (a process involving a good-faith effort to meet the interests of all stakeholders and seek a unanimous agreement), and ending the opportunistic (selfish, self-centred, self-seeking, egocentric, inward-looking) use of the issue to attack the Muslim community. The government cannot fight corruption by investigating only Opposition leaders and overlooking (reject, ignore, neglect, discount, disregard, leave out, dismiss, pay no heed to) serious charges against functionaries (government official; an official who is involved in public administration or government, through either election, appointment, selection, or employment) such as the SEBI chief. Criticism of the government is not a conspiracy ((unlawful) plan/plot/script, intrigue, collaboration/deception, collusion) to destabilise the nation, and labelling (describe, classify, categorize, typify, call, name, term) it as such is appealing (attractive, pleasing, interesting, likeable, inviting, tempting, enticing) only to a diminishing (decreasing, declining, reducing, lessening, shrinking, falling) number of people. Independence Day should be a good occasion as any other to remember that the nation is not the government, and certainly not synonymous with (closely associated with) the party in power. The freedom is for keeping the government of the day accountable to the people through a political process.

Courtesy: The Hindu

Important Word List With Meaning

1.accountable (verb)

Hindi Meaning - उत्तरदायी, जिम्मेदार
English Meaning - responsible, liable, answerable; obligated, beholden.

2.term (noun)

Hindi Meaning - अवधि, कार्यकाल
English Meaning - tenure, period of/in office; period, time, stint, spell.

3.authority (noun)

Hindi Meaning - अधिकार, सत्ता
English Meaning - control, charge, domination, influence.

4.context (noun)

Hindi Meaning - संदर्भ, प्रसंग
English Meaning - circumstances, conditions, situations,

5.the fact that (phrase)

Hindi Meaning - यह तथ्य कि
English Meaning - used to refer to a particular situation under consideration.

6.call for (phrasal verb)

Hindi Meaning - मांग करना, आवश्यकता होना
English Meaning - require, publicly ask/necessitate, demand.

7.Uniform Civil Code (UCC) (noun)

Hindi Meaning - समान नागरिक संहिता
English Meaning - Uniform Civil Code or UCC is to provide one law for all the religious communities governing the issues of marriage, adoption, inheritance, divorce etc. Article 44 of the Indian constitution says, “The state shall endeavour to secure a Uniform Civil Code for the citizens throughout the territory of India.” Article 44 is one of the Directive Principles of State Policy, described in Part IV of the Constitution.

8.secular (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - धर्मनिरपेक्ष
English Meaning - non-religious.

9.measure (noun)

Hindi Meaning - उपाय, कदम
English Meaning - action, step, course of action, procedure, means.

10.faith (noun)

Hindi Meaning - आस्था, विश्वास
English Meaning - religion, religious belief, belief/ideology.

11.increased (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - बढ़ा हुआ, वृद्धि हुआ
English Meaning - heightened, raised, enhanced, augmented, strengthened, intensified.

12.backdrop (noun)

Hindi Meaning - पृष्ठभूमि
English Meaning - situation, scenario, context.

13.sexual assault (noun)

Hindi Meaning - यौन उत्पीड़न
English Meaning - sexual misconduct, sexual interference, physical violence, sexual offence.

14.destabilise (verb)

Hindi Meaning - अस्थिर करना, कमजोर करना
English Meaning - undermine, weaken, impair, damage, subvert, sabotage.

15.echo (verb)

Hindi Meaning - दोहराना, गूंजना
English Meaning - repeat, say again, restate, reiterate, imitate, reprise.

16.sought past tense of seek (verb)

English Meaning - try, aim, attempt.

17.term (verb)

English Meaning - call, name, label, describe as.

18.agnostic (noun)

English Meaning - sceptical, doubting, faithless, cynical, questioning unbelieving, non-believing, rationalist.

19.on-duty (adjective)

English Meaning - engaged/occupied in one’s regular work.

20.on-duty doctor (noun)

English Meaning - a doctor who is available to provide care to patients at any time when needed.

21.short-seller (noun)

English Meaning - a person who sells a stock that he/she doesn’t own.

22.short selling (noun)

English Meaning - In SEBI’s words, short selling is the selling of a stock that the seller does not own at the time of trade. Short seller is a person who sells a stock that he/she doesn’t own.

23.Hindenburg Research LLC (noun)

English Meaning - it is an investment research firm with a focus on activist short-selling founded by Nathan Anderson in 2017 and based in New York City.

24.accuse (verb)

English Meaning - charge with, lay charges against; blame for, hold responsible for.

25.regulator (noun)

English Meaning - an association/statutory body that supervises a particular business activity.

26.Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) (noun)

English Meaning - It was established on April 12, 1992 in accordance with the provisions of the Securities and Exchange Board of India Act, 1992. It is the regulator of the securities and commodity market in India owned by the Government of India.

27.conflict of interest (noun)

English Meaning - a situation in which a person cannot do his/her job fairly because he/she has the power to decide something in a way that would be to his/her advantage, although this may not be the best decision.

28.dynastic (adjective)

English Meaning - relating to a dynasty (leaders who are all from the same family).

29.suggest (verb)

English Meaning - propose, put forward, urge, encourage, advocate, recommend.

30.claim (verb)

English Meaning - assert, state, declare, affirm, insist (usually without proof/evidence).

31.make strides (phrase)

English Meaning - make progress, make headway, gain ground, progress, advance.

32.vow (verb)

English Meaning - promise, assure, pledge, guarantee, take an oath, commit.

33.stay the course (phrase)

English Meaning - continue doing something in spite of difficulties; to continue doing something till the end even though it is tough/challenging; work hard till the end to accomplish the task.

34.regardless of (preposition)

English Meaning - in spite of everything, irrespective of, without regard to, without reference to, notwithstanding, no matter, without considering, disregarding.

35.obstacle (noun)

English Meaning - hurdle, difficulty, problem, barrier, impediment, obstruction, hindrance.

36.desirability (noun)

English Meaning - appeal, advisability, preferableness, advantage, expedience.

37.contentious (adjective)

English Meaning - controversial, disputable, debatable.

38.largely (adverb)

English Meaning - mostly, mainly, generally.

39.due to (phrase)

English Meaning - because of, as a result of, thanks to, on account of, owing to.

40.partisan (adjective)

English Meaning - biased, bigoted, prejudiced, one-sided, discriminatory, preferential, partial, inequitable, unfair/unjust.

41.customary (adjective)

English Meaning - routine, traditional, familiar.

42.address (noun)

English Meaning - a formal speech, talk, discourse.

43.instructive (adjective)

English Meaning - informative, instructional, informational, explanatory, telling, revealing; good example, case study.

44.breach (noun)

English Meaning - contravention, infringement, violation, breaking, lack of compliance with, non-observance, defiance.

45.precedent (noun)

English Meaning - a past action/event/decision that is seen as an example; previous example, previous instance, prior instance, previous case, example.

46.hardly (adverb)

English Meaning - barely, almost not.

47.unilateral (adjective)

English Meaning - relating to a method of taking decisions individually without considering others.

48.consultative (adjective)

English Meaning - advisory, recommendatory, consulting, counseling.

49.committed (adjective)

English Meaning - dedicated, resolute, steadfast, devoted dutiful, sincere, unwavering.

50.advance (verb)

English Meaning - promote, support, further, foster, encourage; propose, put forward, present, submit, suggest, put up, come up with.

51.diverse (adjective)

English Meaning - relating to the existence/presence of different people (from a variety of backgrounds and perspectives ranging from race to age to gender to hometown to educational experience) within group.

52.consensus (noun)

English Meaning - an idea or opinion that is shared by all the people in a group, agreement, concurrence.

53.consensus building (noun)

English Meaning - a process involving a good-faith effort to meet the interests of all stakeholders and seek a unanimous agreement.

54.opportunistic (adjective)

English Meaning - selfish, self-centred, self-seeking, egocentric, inward-looking.

55.overlook (verb)

English Meaning - reject, ignore, neglect, discount, disregard, leave out, dismiss, pay no heed to.

56.functionary (noun)

English Meaning - government official; an official who is involved in public administration or government, through either election, appointment, selection, or employment.

57.conspiracy (noun)

English Meaning - (unlawful) plan/plot/script, intrigue, collaboration/deception, collusion.

58.label (verb)

English Meaning - describe, classify, categorize, typify, call, name, term.

59.as such (phrase)

English Meaning - being as earlier mentioned/described; as it depends entirely on what has been said in the preceding sentence.

60.appealing (adjective)

English Meaning - attractive, pleasing, interesting, likeable, inviting, tempting, enticing.

61.diminishing (adjective)

English Meaning - decreasing, declining, reducing, lessening, shrinking, falling.

62.synonymous with (adjective)

English Meaning - closely associated with.