Title Title Daily Vocab Capsule 3rd February 2020 - wifistudy

TitleCapsule
Daily Vocab
        Title 2020
 3rd February

Symbols and Slogans of Substance

The anthems, emblems and icons that define the idea of India have made a vibrant return to the public sphere.

The Constitution of India came into effect more than 70 years ago, on January 26, 1950. What should have been
a joyous occasion was darkened this year, by the long shadows that the dilution of Article 370 in Kashmir and
the adoption of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) by Parliament have cast over the sanctity of the
Constitution. That apart, January 30, the anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi’s assassination, was sullied by the ways
in which the ruling dispensation has sought to dilute or deny the historical facts around the Mahatma’s murder,
and glorify both his assassin, Nathuram Godse, and Godse’s guru, V.D. Savarkar, the original proponent of
Hindutva.

People’s power

While both official anniversaries of January 26 and 30 seem to ring hollow, given the conflict between their
secular spirit and the sectarian narrative being pushed by the incumbent government, India is bubbling over
with Gandhian forms of resistance to the Narendra Modi-Amit Shah regime’s majoritarianism.

Since mid-December, when the authorities attacked first the campus of the Jamia Millia Islamia University in
Delhi and then the Aligarh Muslim University, Indian citizens — especially students, minorities and secularists
— have come out on the streets to protest the imposition of the new citizenship laws, as well as the attempt to
dismantle publicly-funded higher education as a matter of state policy. Places like Shaheen Bagh in Delhi, Park
Circus in Kolkata, Gateway of India in Mumbai and the Town Hall in Bengaluru have become iconic sites of the
new non-violent civil disobedience. Most striking has been the emergence of Muslim women, twice

disenfranchised by minority religious status as well as by gender, as the strongest voices against a ‘Hindu
Rashtra’.

With India’s Opposition parties at an all-time low in terms of electoral strength and moral appeal, popular protests
seem to be completely lacking in political leadership or ideological coherence. And yet, they are not abating,
with thousands, and sometimes lakhs, of people showing up, even in small towns, at short notice.

Demonstrations, marches, sit-ins, strikes and boycott or occupy actions by citizens have been peaceful, even in
the face of Section 144 restrictions, egregious police violence (including beatings, arson, tear-gassing and
shooting), large-scale arrests and detentions, Internet shutdowns and extreme surveillance by security agencies.

It might have been somewhat easier to come out in large numbers in non-BJP ruled states like Maharashtra, Kerala
and West Bengal, but there have been vigorous protests across the board, in Delhi, Assam, Telangana, Karnataka
and Tamil Nadu as well, despite severe curbs to the right of citizens to gather, march and express their dissent.

In Uttar Pradesh, under Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, who tries to model himself on Mr. Modi when the latter
was Chief Minister of Gujarat, close to 30 unarmed civilians, including children, were killed in December 2019
alone. Legislatures of some States have passed resolutions against the CAA, signalling their defiance against the
Act, which was passed by a majority vote in both Houses of Parliament.

The poetry of nationalism

What is most striking about the current wave of anti-CAA sentiment sweeping India is the way in which symbols
and slogans of India’s secularism have been vigorously reclaimed and reasserted by ordinary citizens.

The national anthem, the national flag, the book of the Constitution (but especially its Preamble), photographs of
Mahatma Gandhi and B.R. Ambedkar, songs like “Saare jahaan se accha” by Mohammad Iqbal; “Hum dekhenge”
by Faiz Ahmed Faiz; a longer, unedited version of the lyrics by Rabindranath Tagore that became the national
anthem “Jana Gana Mana”; nationalist-era chants of “Azadi” (Freedom), “Swaraj” (Self-Rule) and “Inquilaab”
(Revolution) — this dormant repertoire has suddenly made a comeback, capturing the imagination of a new
generation as it finds its political feet under the shadow of Hindutva.

In posters and murals on walls and online, on the streets and on screens, India’s youth, women and minorities
are embracing the very repertoire of poetry, music, art and theatre that they were told had died along with the
Congress Party, the Nehruvian state and the secular-liberal elite that dominated postcolonial politics until recently.
New songs are being sung, new poetry written, new slogans coined and new art is emerging every day in defiance

of the Home Minister who is adamant about enforcing the new citizenship laws and the Prime Minister who feigns
ignorance of this seething public unrest.

Despite frequent and long-running suspensions of the Internet in the Northeast, and massive police and
paramilitary deployment in many parts of the country, public expressions of patriotic attachment to the original
“idea of India” seem unstoppable.

Aesthetic appeal of artefacts

India’s struggle for independence from British rule involved generations of writers, artists, intellectuals and
students, and gave the new nation a set of shared artefacts with both moral meaning and aesthetic appeal. Hindu
nationalism, inherently narrow, divisive and chauvinistic, lacks the capacity to create enduring icons of identity
and solidarity that can cut across religious, linguistic, gender and caste differences to make people feel involved
and invested in a common political project.

Tagore’s poems, Nehru’s speeches, Gandhi’s khadi and charkha, the Sarnath Lion Capital adopted as the national
emblem, and the Ashokan dhamma chakra placed at the centre of the national flag — these were not random
choices nor empty gestures, but rather symbols of substance that held millions of newly-minted Indian citizens
together in a shared dream of freedom, equality and justice.

The secular and inclusive character of these symbols, and their reference to a long history of coexistence between
the myriad communities that constitute India, made them immediately recognisable to the world’s most diverse
population merging and melding within one nation.

In their darkest hour, Indians are standing up to own what truly belongs to them. They are absolutely certain that
the tricoloured flag cannot be replaced by the monochrome saffron pennant of the Hindu supremacists. They
are holding on, harder than ever, to the simple yet powerful words of the Preamble, where the people of India
resolved to constitute to the country into a “sovereign, secular, socialist, democratic republic”, to secure to its
citizens “justice, liberty and equality” and promote among them a spirit of fraternity.

                                                                                Courtesy: The Hindu (National)
1. Sully (verb): Meaning: Damage the purity or integrity of. (कलंक लगाना)
Synonyms: Defile, Soil, Tarnish, Stain, Blemish, Besmirch
Antonyms: Improve, Upgrade, Enhance, Ameliorate
Example: By cheating they have sullied the good name of their country.

2. Striking (adjective): Meaning: Very unusual or easily noticed, and therefore attracting a lot of attention.
(ध्यान आकर्षित करनेवाली)
Synonyms: Noticeable, Conspicuous, Prominent, Distinct, Salient
Antonyms: Unremarkable, Ordinary, Unexceptional, Unobtrusive
Example: She bears a striking resemblance to her mother.

3. Abate (verb): Meaning: (of something unpleasant or severe) become less intense or widespread. (मन्द या
शान्त हो जाना)
Synonyms: Lessen, Subside, Drop Off, Wane, Taper Off, Recede
Antonyms: Rise, Intensify, Increase, Mount
Example: The storm suddenly abated’

4. Egregious (adjective): Meaning: Outstandingly bad. (अत्यंत बुरा)
Synonyms: Atrocious, Gross, Ghastly, Horrendous, Abhorrent
Antonyms: Pleasant, Delightful, Appealing, Inoffensive
Example: The misuse of the grand jury by prosecutors is among the most egregious abuses of all.

5. Defiance (noun): Meaning: open refusal to obey somebody/something. (आज्ञा का उल्लंघन)
Synonyms: Disobedience, Insubordination, Recalcitrance, Non-Compliance
Antonyms: Submission, Obedience, Compliance, Adherence, Acquiescence
Example: She acted in defiance of my orders.

6. Feign (verb): Meaning: To pretend that you have a particular feeling or that you are ill, tired, etc. (ढोंग करना)
Synonyms: Pretend, Fake, Sham, Put on a False Display
Antonyms: Be Real, Be Honest, Be Genuine, Be True
Example: She feigned nervousness

7. Supremacist (noun): Meaning: A person who believes that their own race is better than others and should be
in power. (सवोच्चतावादी)
Synonyms: Bigot, Chauvinist, Racist, Xenophobe
Example: It's as ridiculous as trying to paint all conservatives as white supremacists.

8. Solidarity (noun): Meaning: Support by one person or group of people for another because they share
feelings, opinions, aims, etc. (एकजुटता)
Synonyms: Unity, Camaraderie, Unanimity, Esprit De Corps, Oneness
Antonyms: Disagreement, Discord, Antagonism, Dissension
Example: Demonstrations were held as a gesture of solidarity with the hunger strikers.

9. Proponent (noun): Meaning: A person who speaks publicly in support of a particular idea or plan of action.
(समर्िक)
Synonyms: Supporter, Exponent, Adherent, Champion
Antonyms: Antagonist, Opponent, Detractor, Critic
Example: He is one of the leading proponents of capital punishment.

10. Incumbent (adjective): Meaning: (of an official or regime) currently holding office. (पदधारी, सत्ताधारी)
Synonyms: Current, Existing, Present, In Office, In Power
Example: He defeated the incumbent governor by a large plurality.