Changing Lexicons of Development and Politics
Seeing a more upbeat and optimistic tenor of the budge speech using a different lexicons is beautiful.
This time around, returning from the US after staying there for almost 20 years, I am forced to pay closer attention to the annual budget speeches in India. I am at the helm of the Rashtram School of Public Leadership, which runs on the Rigvedic mantra of:
वयं राष्ट्रे जागृयाम पुरोहिताः ||
We, the leaders, will remain awake in the Rashtra and for the Rashtra.
Yajurveda 9.23
Earlier, my focus used to be on the state’s perspective on health and the healthcare sector, but now I am trying to get a deeper sense of how a civilisational state like Bharat understands the challenges the rashtra is facing.
I am not sure how intentional the insertion of the tenor and words was in the 2024 budget speech, but the effect has been quite palpable and largely in the desirable direction. For an unacceptably long time, the challenges of development have been problematised along the lines of caste and religion and, hence, became easy fodder for political arbitrage. India and Indians remained on the fringe, counting the cows of other economies; in a mere few decades, many economies surpassed India.
Finally, it looks like lessons have been learned, and lexicons marshalled have started to reflect that.
Take, for instance, the proper use of the word caste away from the Guna-based framework of Varnas:
“As our Prime Minister firmly believes, we need to focus on four major castes. They are, ‘Garib’ (Poor), ‘Mahilayen’ (Women), ‘Yuva’ (Youth) and ‘Annadata’ (Farmer). Their needs, their aspirations, and their welfare are our highest priority. The country progresses when they progress. All four require and receive government support in their quest to better their lives. Their empowerment and well-being will drive the country forward.”
Or, how about clever and subtle insinuation towards the limitations of the canonical measure of the national income:
“Besides delivering on high growth in terms of Gross Domestic Product, the Government is equally focused on a more comprehensive ‘GDP’, i.e., ’Governance, Development and Performance’.”
Without caving into the narrative built around the low female labour participation for Indian women, the budget speech talks about the steps taken to improve their participation:
“Thirty crore Mudra Yojana loans have been given to women entrepreneurs. Female enrolment in higher education has gone up by twenty-eight per cent in ten years. In STEM courses, girls and women constitute forty-three per cent of enrolment – one of the highest in the world.”
Similar efforts have been applied to the debate around youth unemployment.
“PM Mudra Yojana has sanctioned 43 crore loans aggregating to ` 22.5 lakh crore for entrepreneurial aspirations of our youth. Besides that, Fund of Funds, Start Up India, and Start Up Credit Guarantee schemes are assisting our youth. They are also becoming ‘rozgardata’.”
Seeing a more upbeat and optimistic tenor of the budge speech using different lexicons is beautiful. India understood the power of Aksharas (words) before other societies–but never marshalled such power to subjugate or weaken other societies; but, it also understood the limitations of the Aksharas (words). It’s about time that India started to neutralise words that were weaponised against it for centuries!
[….TO BE CONTINUED]
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Disclaimer: Nothing I have written here is set in stone. I am putting these ideas to start a conversation and bring people to discuss and debate the issues captured here. Give me feedback, and it will help me learn. I will keep updating this article.
The word Caste should not be used. Varna Dharma does not translate to caste. Please check the following what the British coined and what we had during Buddha's time and before.
1. “We pigeon holed everyone by caste and if we could not find a true caste for them, labelled them with the name of hereditary occupation. We deplore the caste system and its effect on social and economic problems, but we are largely responsible for the system we deplore. M L Middleton, I.C.S. Superintendent of the Government of India, in the census 1911 Report for Punjab and Delhi (Vol 15, Part I, p 343).” (cited in Puri, 2006). Use of the word caste is a vital part of political machinations and its convoluted use by the media is to mislead people.
2. This one is from Buddhist resources: When Buddha was passing through the streets of Magadha, the king asked him that you look like royalty but are clad as a beggar, who are you? He answered that his given name is Siddharath, his jaati is Shakya, his gotra is Gautam. But now he is nothing and nothing belongs to him?
3. Did the king ask him about his caste? Did he name his caste?
4. Why are we not able to erase it from our thought process and attitude? Because most people either out of ignorance and mostly out of need of this as propaganda tool try not to see the difference between sense, common sense and NONSENSE
Also check the Sankalpa mantra- varna is not mentioned
Nice article! Interesting observation.
In fact, one could do a PhD in Modi's Hindi speeches as he is very well versed in using and introducing lexicons rooted in Indic philosophy and culture. Even his unscripted speeches have generous use of such statements and phrases that have a direct link to shastras and Indic philosophy.
Many may think it is gimmicky or carefully scripted work . However I tend to believe that this is a direct and spontaneous result of when one internalizes the philosophy over a period of time.