Hindi English Translation || Editorial || Protect, don’t pander: On suppression of free speech

Protect, don’t pander: On suppression of free speech

Suppression of free speech by yielding (प्रस्तुत करना, झुकना, पालन करना) to threats has become an unfortunate norm (आदर्श, मानक, सम्मेलन)

The ‘heckler’s (a person who embarrasses a performer/speaker with irrelevant & impolite comments) veto’ seems to be winning repeatedly against stand-up comedian Munawar Faruqui. Bengaluru has joined the list of cities in which Mr. Faruqui cannot perform because right-wing (दक्षिणपंथी, रूढ़िवादी) Hindutva groups routinely threaten to disrupt his shows, wherever they are scheduled to be held. The Bengaluru city police asked the organisers to put off a show on November 28, alleging (आरोप लगाना, अभियोग लगाना) that allowing it to go on (जारी रखना, आगे बढ़ना) would create law and order (कानून एवं व्यवस्था, वैधता, शांति) problems and disrupt peace and harmony (सद्भाव, एकता, तालमेल). Mr. Faruqui was unjustly (अन्यायपूर्ण ढंग से, अनुचित रूप से, गलत तरीके से) arrested in Indore in January after a BJP functionary’s (पदाधिकारी, अधिकारी, कार्यकर्ता) son complained that he was about to denigrate (बदनाम करना, आलोचना, अपमान) Hindu gods in a planned show. He had to spend 37 days in prison before obtaining bail (जमानत, दस्ता) from the Supreme Court for remarks that had not been made in a show that did not take place. It is this case, in which the police arrested even local organisers and those selling tickets for the show and had nothing to do with the content of his performance, that has been cited (हवाला देना, संदर्भ देना, आह्वान करना) by the Bengaluru police while voicing fears about the consequences (परिणाम, नतीजा, असर) of allowing the show to be held. Earlier, programmes in which he was due (expected, anticipated, scheduled for) to perform in Raipur, Mumbai, Surat, Ahmedabad and Vadodara were called (cancel, abandon, shelve, scrap) off for the same reason. It is a telling (revealing, significant, striking, strong, compelling) commentary (टिप्पणी, स्पष्टीकरण, व्याख्या) on the state (condition, plight, situation, circumstances) of free speech in the country that anyone can be silenced (suppress, muffle, stop) anywhere by the threats posed (constitute, present, create, cause (a problem or danger or risk)) by violent and vociferous groups that no regime (system) in the country seems to be able to rein in (to control, restrain, restrict, limit someone/something).

In a despairing (hopeless, desperate, discouraged, demoralized, anguished, distressed, broken-hearted) reaction, Mr. Faruqui has said, “Goodbye! I’m done (finished, completed (with any activity that one is presently doing or engaged in or with))”, indicating that he has no further hope that he would be allowed to exercise (use, employ, make use of, utilize; engage in) his constitutional (legal, lawful, legitimate) right to express himself. This is reminiscent (similar to, comparable with, bearing comparison with) of Tamil writer Perumal Murugan declaring his own “death” in a literary sense after being silenced by conservative and religious groups. In Mr. Murugan’s case, he was fortunate that the Madras High Court resurrected (revive, bring back, breathe new life into, give a new lease of life to) the author in him with a stirring (spirited, stimulating, moving, inspiring, inspirational, emotive) verdict underscoring (underline, emphasize, highlight) the duty of the state (the government, the administration, the regime, the authorities) to protect free speech and to preserve (conserve, protect, maintain) law and order, instead of placating (appease, calm down, pacify, reconcile) those who threaten to take the law into their own hands. It is a pity (sad thing, unfortunate thing) that the police authorities perfunctorily (casually, unthinkingly, inattentively, automatically/mechanically) advise authors, speakers and artists to remain silent rather than (instead of) take proactive (farsighted, forehanded, forward-looking, careful/prudent) steps to protect their fundamental rights. It is true that whenever such issues go before a court of law, the resulting (occurring, happening (as a result of something)) judgments are speech-protective (protecting/safeguarding the speech), but the proclivity (liking, inclination, tendency/leaning) of the authorities to pander to (को बढ़ावा देना, सहायता करना) chauvinist (sectarian, isolationist, jingoistic; excessively patriotic, excessively nationalistic) groups is posing a serious threat to free expression in society. The Supreme Court’s observation in S. Rangarajan etc. vs P. Jagjivan Ram (1989) that suppressing (control, contain, restrain, stifle, muffle) free speech in response to (with regards to, regarding, concerning) a threat of demonstration or protest “would be tantamount to (equivalent to, comparable to, amounting to, on a par with) negation (denial, contradiction, repudiation, disproving; nullification, cancellation) of the rule of law (it is described as “a principle of governance in which all persons, institutions and entities, public and private, including the State itself, are accountable to laws that are publicly promulgated, equally enforced and independently adjudicated, and which are consistent with international human rights norms and standards) and a surrender (capitulation, submission, yielding, giving in, succumbing) to blackmail (intimidation, threat, compulsion, coercion; extortion) and intimidation” seems to have few takers (a person who accepts something (a challenge)) among those in positions of power.

Courtesy: The Hindu

Important Word List With Meaning

1.pander to (verb)

Hindi Meaning - को बढ़ावा देना, सहायता करना
English Meaning - to do or say something to satisfy someone or someone’s (wrong) desire in order to get some advantage/benefit from it; satisfy, fulfil, indulge, gratify, soap.

2.yield (verb)

Hindi Meaning - प्रस्तुत करना, झुकना, पालन करना
English Meaning - submit to, bow down to, comply with, conform to, agree to, relinquish, surrender, cave in.

3.norm (noun)

Hindi Meaning - आदर्श, मानक, सम्मेलन
English Meaning - standard, convention, rules of conduct.

4.right-wing (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - दक्षिणपंथी, रूढ़िवादी
English Meaning - conservative, rightist, ultra-right, alt-right.

5.allege (verb)

Hindi Meaning - आरोप लगाना, अभियोग लगाना
English Meaning - contend, argue, claim.

6.go on (phrasal verb)

Hindi Meaning - जारी रखना, आगे बढ़ना
English Meaning - continue, carry on, proceed; happen, occur.

7.law and order (phrase)

Hindi Meaning - कानून एवं व्यवस्था, वैधता, शांति
English Meaning - lawfulness, peacefulness, harmony (of a society); goodwill, non-violence.

8.harmony (noun)

Hindi Meaning - सद्भाव, एकता, तालमेल
English Meaning - unity, solidarity, rapport, goodwill.

9.unjustly (adverb)

Hindi Meaning - अन्यायपूर्ण ढंग से, अनुचित रूप से, गलत तरीके से
English Meaning - unfairly, wrongly, unreasonably.

10.functionary (noun)

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

11.denigrate (verb)

Hindi Meaning - बदनाम करना, आलोचना, अपमान
English Meaning - criticise, attack, insult, devalue, defame.

12.bail (noun)

Hindi Meaning - जमानत, दस्ता
English Meaning - conditional, temporary release of an arrested/imprisoned person when a specified amount of security is deposited or pledged (as cash or property) to ensure his/her appearance in court when required.

13.cite (verb)

Hindi Meaning - हवाला देना, संदर्भ देना, आह्वान करना
English Meaning - refer to, adduce, make reference to, invoke.

14.consequence (noun)

Hindi Meaning - परिणाम, नतीजा, असर
English Meaning - outcome, ramification, repercussion.

15.commentary (noun)

Hindi Meaning - टिप्पणी, स्पष्टीकरण, व्याख्या
English Meaning - explanation, interpretation, analysis, comments, opinions.

16.heckler (noun)

English Meaning - a person who embarrasses a performer/speaker with irrelevant & impolite comments.

17.veto (noun)

English Meaning - a right/power to reject a decision/proposal; rejection, dismissal, denial, ban, prohibition.

18.suppression (noun)

English Meaning - repression, clampdown, crackdown, restriction, crushing, quelling, stifling.

19.free speech (noun)

English Meaning - the right to express one’s opinions publicly (without any restraint).

20.put off (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - cancel, postpone, defer, reschedule, shelve.

21.be nothing to do with (phrase)

English Meaning - be unconnected with, be unrelated to.

22.voice (verb)

English Meaning - express, communicate, announce, point out.

23.due (adjective)

English Meaning - expected, anticipated, scheduled for.

24.call off (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - cancel, abandon, shelve, scrap.

25.telling (adjective)

English Meaning - revealing, significant, striking, strong, compelling.

26.state (noun)

English Meaning - condition, plight, situation, circumstances.

27.silence (verb)

English Meaning - suppress, muffle, stop.

28.pose (verb)

English Meaning - constitute, present, create, cause (a problem or danger or risk).

29.vociferous (adjective)

English Meaning - vehement, vigorous; full-throated, demanding, noisy.

30.regime (noun)

English Meaning - system.

31.rein in (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - to control, restrain, restrict, limit someone/something.

32.despairing (adjective)

English Meaning - hopeless, desperate, discouraged, demoralized, anguished, distressed, broken-hearted.

33.done (adjective)

English Meaning - finished, completed (with any activity that one is presently doing or engaged in or with).

34.exercise (verb)

English Meaning - use, employ, make use of, utilize; engage in.

35.constitutional (adjective)

English Meaning - legal, lawful, legitimate.

36.reminiscent (adjective)

English Meaning - similar to, comparable with, bearing comparison with.

37.conservative (adjective)

English Meaning - right-wing, traditionalist, conventional, orthodox.

38.resurrect (verb)

English Meaning - revive, bring back, breathe new life into, give a new lease of life to.

39.stirring (adjective)

English Meaning - spirited, stimulating, moving, inspiring, inspirational, emotive.

40.underscore (verb)

English Meaning - underline, emphasize, highlight.

41.the state (noun)

English Meaning - the government, the administration, the regime, the authorities.

42.preserve (verb)

English Meaning - conserve, protect, maintain.

43.placate (verb)

English Meaning - appease, calm down, pacify, reconcile.

44.take the law into one’s own hands (phrase)

English Meaning - to try to punish someone for a wrongdoing violently & illegally without waiting for the police or legal system to handle the situation.

45.pity (noun)

English Meaning - sad thing, unfortunate thing.

46.perfunctorily (adverb)

English Meaning - casually, unthinkingly, inattentively, automatically/mechanically.

47.rather than (phrase)

English Meaning - instead of.

48.proactive (adjective)

English Meaning - farsighted, forehanded, forward-looking, careful/prudent.

49.Part III Rights/Fundamental Rights (noun)

English Meaning - The Fundamental Rights, embodied in Part III of the Constitution, guarantee civil rights to all Indians and prevent the State from encroaching an individual’s liberty while simultaneously placing upon it an obligation to protect the citizens’ rights from encroachment by society. Seven fundamental rights were originally provided by the Constitution - the right to equality, right to freedom, right against exploitation, right to freedom of religion, cultural and educational rights, right to property and right to constitutional remedies. However, the right to property was removed from Part III of the Constitution by the 44th Amendment in 1978.

50.resulting (adjective)

English Meaning - occurring, happening (as a result of something).

51.speech-protective (adjective)

English Meaning - protecting/safeguarding the speech.

52.proclivity (noun)

English Meaning - liking, inclination, tendency/leaning.

53.chauvinist (adjective)

English Meaning - sectarian, isolationist, jingoistic; excessively patriotic, excessively nationalistic.

54.observation (noun)

English Meaning - pronouncement, declaration, finding.

55.suppress (verb)

English Meaning - control, contain, restrain, stifle, muffle.

56.in response to (phrase)

English Meaning - with regards to, regarding, concerning.

57.tantamount to (adjective)

English Meaning - equivalent to, comparable to, amounting to, on a par with.

58.negation (noun)

English Meaning - denial, contradiction, repudiation, disproving; nullification, cancellation.

59.rule of law (phrase)

English Meaning - it is described as “a principle of governance in which all persons, institutions and entities, public and private, including the State itself, are accountable to laws that are publicly promulgated, equally enforced and independently adjudicated, and which are consistent with international human rights norms and standards.

60.surrender (noun)

English Meaning - capitulation, submission, yielding, giving in, succumbing.

61.blackmail (noun)

English Meaning - intimidation, threat, compulsion, coercion; extortion.

62.intimidation (noun)

English Meaning - frightening, threatening, threatening, daunting; persecution, oppression; pressurization, coercion, harassment.

63.taker (noun)

English Meaning - a person who accepts something (a challenge).