Hindi English Translation || Editorial || Symbols and substance: on the inauguration of the new Parliament building and beyond

Symbols and substance: on the inauguration of the new Parliament building and beyond

Religious rituals at the opening of Parliament building defied propriety

The inauguration of the new Parliament building by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday was true to a style he has mastered: using every occasion (अवसर) to advance (promote, support, help/assist, facilitate, benefit, improve) a form of politics that many of his critics (आलोचक, समीक्षक) find problematic. Mr. Modi presented the aesthetics (attractiveness, fairness, beautifulness) of the new building as a representation (प्रतिनिधित्व) of India’s myriad (असंख्य) diversity (विविधता), its rich cultural heritage (विरासत) and its soaring (rising, increasing (rapidly)) aspirations (आकांक्षा, महत्वाकांक्षा). A multi-religious prayer was a part of the ceremony, but there was no mistaking that Hindu ritualism overshadowed (exceed, surpass, overtake, eclipse, outshine; overpower) all else. By weaving (tell, narrate) an artful tale (कहानी) around a Sengol (Tamil word; a historical sceptre (a baton held by a sovereign (king/queen) as a symbol of authority)), a sceptre gifted to the first Prime Minister of India by a Shaivite (relating to a Hindu Sect who worship Śiva as supreme God) sect (संप्रदाय) of Tamil Nadu, the current dispensation (government, regime, system, establishment) has sought to reimagine the founding principles of India’s republican (गणतन्त्र) sovereignty (संप्रभुता). A Sengol symbolised divine right and is now installed in the Assembly (सभा, सदन) of people’s representatives (प्रतिनिधि, नमूना). The symbolism strengthens Tamil Nadu’s connection to the political centre of India, and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is trying to make political gains from it. It is also notable that the day of the inauguration was also the birth anniversary of V.D. Savarkar, the founding father of Hindutva. A quest (search, hunt, pursuit; mission) to transition (change, adjust, transform) Indian republicanism ((of a form of government, constitution, etc.) belonging to a republic) to a new iteration (the act of repeating something again and again; repetition, reiteration, reprise, repeating, redoing) was apparent (obvious, visible, noticeable) in the style (method, procedure, way) and substance (significant subject, important matter/content, valid message) of the ceremony.

The new building also turns the spotlight, tangentially (slightly, marginally, peripherally), on an approaching challenge of representation that will be upon India within the next decade (दशक). A nationwide delimitation (an act of fixing boundary or limits) will reallocate representation as per the current population, leading to (result in, cause, bring on, bring about, give rise to) a significant, relative (comparative, corresponding; considerable, some) reduction of the voice (opinion, view, feeling, articulation) of linguistic (relating to language; lingual) minorities of the southern States in Parliament. The size of the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha will likely expand in order to (so as to, with a view to, for the purpose of, as a means to, as a way to) avoid an absolute (complete, total, full; unconditional, unlimited, unrestrained) reduction of representation of States that have stabilised their populations. But that may not be enough to assuage (alleviate, ease, relieve, soothe, allay, mitigate) the feeling of disenfranchisement (the condition of being stripped of the right (to vote)) that is already palpable (noticeable, visible, recognizable, conspicuous, discernible, tangible) among many regions due to the geographical (zonal, territorial, topical) fragmentation (separation, division, disunion) of Indian politics. The BJP wins its parliamentary majority from its strongholds (fort, fortress, bulwark, mainstay, support) while many States remain outside its sphere (arena, domain, realm, field, territory, area; an area/field of activity) of influence (power, control, leverage, sway). On 38% of popular votes (the popular vote is simply the total votes cast for each candidate/party across the whole of the country. The candidate/party with the most votes across the nation is said to have won the popular vote), the BJP has 55% of Lok Sabha seats currently. This imbalance (disparity, variation, disproportion, unevenness, lopsidedness) will be aggravated (increase, intensify, heighten, deepen, escalate, worsen, make worse) after the delimitation. The BJP’s outreach (the level of reaching out/activity/effort; involvement) to regions and communities outside of its current catchment areas (stronghold, bastion, mainstay) is to be welcomed. But the Centre and the BJP will have to show more seriousness, sensitivity and maturity to deal with the regional imbalances of India. For this, they will need to take recourse to more than just symbolism.

Courtesy: The Hindu

Important Word List With Meaning

1.symbol (noun)

Hindi Meaning - प्रतीक
English Meaning - representation.

2.occasion (noun)

Hindi Meaning - अवसर
English Meaning - instance, event, happening.

3.critic (noun)

Hindi Meaning - आलोचक, समीक्षक
English Meaning - criticizer, censurer, castigator, attacker, fault-finder.

4.representation (noun)

Hindi Meaning - प्रतिनिधित्व
English Meaning - portrayal, description, statement.

5.myriad (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - असंख्य
English Meaning - various, many and various, manifold, multiple.

6.diversity (noun)

Hindi Meaning - विविधता
English Meaning - 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; variety, variance, difference.

7.heritage (noun modifier)

Hindi Meaning - विरासत
English Meaning - tradition, history, background, culture.

8.aspiration (noun)

Hindi Meaning - आकांक्षा, महत्वाकांक्षा
English Meaning - aim, ambition, objective, goal, target.

9.tale (noun)

Hindi Meaning - कहानी
English Meaning - story, narrative.

10.sect (noun)

Hindi Meaning - संप्रदाय
English Meaning - religious group, denomination, religious order, faith, faith community, belief.

11.republic (noun)

Hindi Meaning - गणतन्त्र
English Meaning - a group of people involved in a particular activity with certain equality; “The Republic” is a form of government in which a state (country) is ruled by elected representatives of the people (citizen body).

12.sovereignty (noun)

Hindi Meaning - संप्रभुता
English Meaning - power, authority, control, rule/raj.

13.Assembly (noun)

Hindi Meaning - सभा, सदन
English Meaning - legislative assembly; parliament, Congress, Council.

14.(elected) representative (noun)

Hindi Meaning - प्रतिनिधि, नमूना
English Meaning - a member of a legislature (parliament/legislative assembly); lawmaker, legislator.

15.decade (noun)

Hindi Meaning - दशक
English Meaning - a period of ten years.

16.substance (noun)

English Meaning - significant subject, important matter/content, valid message.

17.propriety (noun)

English Meaning - protocol, rules of conduct, probity, formality, morality, correctness, rightness, appropriateness.

18.advance (verb)

English Meaning - promote, support, help/assist, facilitate, benefit, improve.

19.aesthetics (noun)

English Meaning - attractiveness, fairness, beautifulness.

20.soaring (adjective)

English Meaning - rising, increasing (rapidly).

21.there is no mistaking (phrase)

English Meaning - when there’s no mistaking something, you cannot forget/fail to recognize/understand it.

22.overshadow (verb)

English Meaning - exceed, surpass, overtake, eclipse, outshine; overpower.

23.weave (verb)

English Meaning - tell, narrate.

24.Sengol (noun)

English Meaning - Tamil word; a historical sceptre (a baton held by a sovereign (king/queen) as a symbol of authority).

25.Shaivite (adjective)

English Meaning - relating to a Hindu Sect who worship Śiva as supreme God.

26.dispensation (noun)

English Meaning - government, regime, system, establishment.

27.sought past and past participle of seek (verb)

English Meaning - try, aim, attempt.

28.Republican (adjective)

English Meaning - (of a form of government, constitution, etc.) belonging to a republic.

29.quest (noun)

English Meaning - search, hunt, pursuit; mission.

30.transition (verb)

English Meaning - change, adjust, transform.

31.republicanism (noun)

English Meaning - the political ideology of being a citizen in a state as a republic under which the people hold popular sovereignty.

32.iteration (noun)

English Meaning - the act of repeating something again and again; repetition, reiteration, reprise, repeating, redoing.

33.apparent (adjective)

English Meaning - obvious, visible, noticeable.

34.style (noun)

English Meaning - method, procedure, way.

35.turn the spotlight on (phrase)

English Meaning - to call attention to something.

36.tangentially (adverb)

English Meaning - slightly, marginally, peripherally.

37.delimitation (noun)

English Meaning - an act of fixing boundary or limits.

38.lead to (verb)

English Meaning - result in, cause, bring on, bring about, give rise to.

39.relative (adjective)

English Meaning - comparative, corresponding; considerable, some.

40.voice (noun)

English Meaning - opinion, view, feeling, articulation.

41.linguistic (adjective)

English Meaning - relating to language; lingual.

42.in order to (phrase)

English Meaning - so as to, with a view to, for the purpose of, as a means to, as a way to.

43.absolute (adjective)

English Meaning - complete, total, full; unconditional, unlimited, unrestrained.

44.assuage (verb)

English Meaning - alleviate, ease, relieve, soothe, allay, mitigate.

45.disenfranchisement (noun)

English Meaning - the condition of being stripped of the right (to vote).

46.palpable (adjective)

English Meaning - noticeable, visible, recognizable, conspicuous, discernible, tangible.

47.geographical (adjective)

English Meaning - zonal, territorial, topical.

48.fragmentation (noun)

English Meaning - separation, division, disunion.

49.stronghold (noun)

English Meaning - fort, fortress, bulwark, mainstay, support.

50.sphere (noun)

English Meaning - arena, domain, realm, field, territory, area; an area/field of activity.

51.influence (noun)

English Meaning - power, control, leverage, sway.

52.popular vote (noun)

English Meaning - the popular vote is simply the total votes cast for each candidate/party across the whole of the country. The candidate/party with the most votes across the nation is said to have won the popular vote.

53.imbalance (noun)

English Meaning - disparity, variation, disproportion, unevenness, lopsidedness.

54.aggravate (verb)

English Meaning - increase, intensify, heighten, deepen, escalate, worsen, make worse.

55.outreach (noun)

English Meaning - the level of reaching out/activity/effort; involvement.

56.catchment area (noun)

English Meaning - stronghold, bastion, mainstay.

57.take/have recourse to (phrase)

English Meaning - utilize, use, employ, draw on, resort to.