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Disintegration On National Integration Desideratum

Discussion in 'Snippets of Life (Non-Fiction)' started by Thyagarajan, May 8, 2018.

  1. Thyagarajan

    Thyagarajan IL Hall of Fame

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    :hello: Disintegration on National Integration Desideratum :hello:


    The conclve was packed with ripe officers and veterans. I was one among Sixteen management trainees (MTs) at the fag end of our training programme. While they were seemingly stiff and worried about their delivery and results, I was enjoying the beauty of the landscape of the city through the large glass-window on the eighth floor and the picturesque canopy of tall gulmohar trees that lined up the Parliament Street.

    Each one of the MTs, selected from non-Hindi speaking belts of the Nation, had to speak in Hindi at least for five minutes, on a given topic. Hindi was Chinese to all the participating MTs.

    For preparation and practice, some of them had jotted down a few lines with help from their cronies. A few others had copied verbatim from selected texts read out by somebody, in their Tamil or and English alphabet. Later, they mugged up this speech to deliver at the chosen hour.

    Hours before commencement of the event, the MTs were rehearsing their speech, criss-crossing the lobbied-hall. I, however, sat in a corner, immersed in the last chapter of Future Shock, a fictional work authored by Alwin Toffler who had prophesied in the 1970s that the next war would be fought over oil.

    As I did not seem to be ready, my bosom - batchmates wondered as to what was in store for me; some sincerely believed I would get adverse remarks and or my training or probation period as they would call it - would be extended.

    Finally, it was reckoning time. Our trainee officer stood erect holding the mike and was softly calling the trainees one by one to the podium and introducing them to the audience, briefly mentioning his/her bio-data and they gave their five - minutes - speech.

    Before my turn, Mr ML Ramkrishna from Tamil Nadu had delivered IN STRONG Tamil accented chaste-Hindi, speech about the necessity of integration in maths as well as in the Nation. When he concluded the speech, deafening applause from the audience followed.

    After thanking MLR, our trainee officer Banerjee devoid of energy however spoke energetically commending former’s sincere effort and then softly announced my name into the mike, gesturing me to come on to the stage.

    From aside room, donning the Khadi cap, clad in an immaculate divided dhoti over my trousers and silk saffron kurta , I climbed up the dais and walked up to the podium with a regal gait.

    As I approached the stage, my training officer and others welcomed me Joining their hands with peals of laughter.

    Holding the mike, My trainee officer smilingly yet crisply stated my bio data and about previous stints I had, he rang the calling bell, gesturing me to commence “the speech”.

    Keeping in view the minimum time limit of five minutes, I began my speech in baritone thus, mimicking Amitabh, in apt articulation and long in dragging voice inflection: “n-a-m-a-s-t-h-e. bahilog and behanji, hamara bada Bharat desh may ithna rajya hotha hai; aaur har ek rajya may har ek basha hotha hai. Jammu Kashmir may Kashmiri, Delhi may Hindi, Bihar may Bihari, Bengal may Bengali, Orissa may Oriya, Maharashtra may Marathi, Andhra may Telugu, Tamil Nadu may Tamil, Kerala may Malayalam, Karnataka may Kannada ...”

    Spectators and including my pals - MTs, couldn’t arrest their rib-tickling laughter; few were laughing loudly in instalments and even wiping rivulets of tears running on their cheeks; my rest of speech got drowned in the chaotic comedy.

    Yet, I continued almost mentioning all the then 26/27 states and was about to state “Dieu - Daman - Andaman - Nicobar” the union territories. By this time, the trainee officer rang the bell, disrupting my speech and I then had to conclude in a tearing hurry.

    In whispering tone I uttered : “this is my anektha may ektha, aur ektha may anektha (this is my unity in diversity).Sathya meva jeyathe. Bharat Matha ki Jai and Jai Hind!”

    The trainee officer hopped on to the stage and summed up my speech thus: “He came like a thunder and went like a drizzle.”

    Later, after being posted in Bombay in 1978, I had a couple of enjoyable promotions and hospitable local deputations and an innings that lasted almost three decades.
    Now, I am happily superannuated.


     
    Last edited: May 8, 2018
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  2. GeetaKashyap

    GeetaKashyap IL Hall of Fame

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    :) Very nice, Sir. For some, picking up new languages and their unique accents comes easy , while most others manage to speak the languages with a strong hint of their mother tongues! This can be very funny or embarrassing depending on the time and place. The tele serial, Zabaan sambhalke, has immortalised this struggle in a rib-tickling way.

    With so much of your experience in the Hindi belt you must be speaking Hindi like a professional!
     
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  3. Iravati

    Iravati Platinum IL'ite

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    Thyagu,

    You came, you saw, you conquered, then you added a non-Cesarean stage affect, and you disappeared.

    I am glad you are back! Good to have you back because I enjoy reading your anecdotes.

    I am not proficient in Hindi so I dare only to twitter and never thunder away in Hindi. Hindi being a gendered language, I get confused to organize the genders of inanimate things and vegetables in my mind. That 'ki" and 'ka' verbling.

    You have appropriated only Indian states and union territories in your speech but that SM Krishna, External Affairs Minster of India in 2010, fluttered his ancestral affinity farther by even commanding the Portuguese under his wings. What did he do? He read the wrong speech at UN, that of a Portuguese representative which was misplaced on his table, and embraced the Portuguese into his territorial fold.


    'Guess, who' was the reaction of his fellow statesman Hardeep Puri who quickly realized the mix-up and attended to it by hurriedly swapping with the right Hindustani speech before untold colonial damage was shifted.

    Marking one's speech with that hearty and traditional welcome as you did with runny thin or stodgy thick accents would thwart such muddled occurrences.

    As usual, as anticipated, as ever, your guileless humor is very endearing.
     
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  4. Thyagarajan

    Thyagarajan IL Hall of Fame

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    Thanks. Sum and substance you had gone into and reminding of tv serial Zaban Samalakhe are thought provoking indeed. I had opportunity To watch a decade ago.
     
  5. Thyagarajan

    Thyagarajan IL Hall of Fame

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    :hello: @madras2018 @messedup
    Thanks from bottom of my heart for tapping LIKE button; the pleasure would have been doubled or more had comments healthy or otherwise added here.
    Regards.
    God Bless Us All Always.
     
  6. madras2018

    madras2018 Platinum IL'ite

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    Is this your real life experience ? It was an interesting read that gave me a giggle.
     
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  7. Thyagarajan

    Thyagarajan IL Hall of Fame

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    :hello: I felt Veni vidi vici - only the moment I saw and studied your above quoted heart-felt, comments albeit dissected for better effects. I loved your mentioning of the immortal faux pas at UN assembly by then HM Krishna garu !

    You are one of the few of IL’ites of refreshing robust critic - professional at that - and also wonderful critique to many regular contributors.

    Your comments are always double welcome here as they are cocsistently been motivating, exhorting, exhilarating and at times devastating and accelerating too.

    Regards.
     
  8. Thyagarajan

    Thyagarajan IL Hall of Fame

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    :hello:It is - my sister.
    Thanks.
    Regards.
    God Bless.
     
  9. shyamala1234

    shyamala1234 Platinum IL'ite

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  10. Thyagarajan

    Thyagarajan IL Hall of Fame

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    :hello:Pleasure is mine. Welcome and thanks that you liked it.
    Regards
     

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