The current world order is signalling the 'sin qua non' of getting a New Dictionary. Few commonly used nouns have evolved over time with complete makeover. Lets have a look a few of them :
1.COLOR-
The property possessed by an object to produce different sensations on the eye as a result of the way it reflects or emits light of a particular wavelength. This is the scientific definition of color which we might have learned in school days. But we hardly remember it when we grow up. For us this definition has revolutionized in various forms:
Color for Food -As we step out of our homes for delicacies, the very first thing that pops up in our minds is it's color code. Here green and red plays an important role. Who on this planet doesn't know that green stands for vegetarian and red stands for non vegetarian food?
The very famous Revolutions in India like Green Revolution by MS Swaminathan in agriculture sector (1970s) and White Revolution by Vergese Kurien in milk sector are other such examples.
Color for Emotions - Emotions are essential parts of our lives just like oxygen. They rule us,guide us and define us. Colors have an important role in expressing various emotions since ancient times. Kathakali,an ancient cultural Dance of Southern Indian State of Kerela relies on color and strong makeup to express mythological stories. Each color on a performer's face indicate different qualities:
- Green denotes godliness,
- white denotes spirituality,
- black denotes evil,
- red denotes turmoil and
- yellow denotes combination of godliness and turmoil.
Color for Gender- Gender and color although seems totally disconnected, go hand in hand. Birthday of a baby girl is celebrated in 'pink theme' while that of a baby boy in 'blue theme'. Infact what we believe today as a rule was completely opposite in west until 20th century. Surprisingly, pink was the color for boys and blue for girls!
In 1927, Time magazine wrote about the disappointment in Belgium at the birth of a girl
to the royal family, saying her cradle had been ‘optimistically decorated in pink, the color for
boys.’
Close to the end of World War I, The Ladies Home Journal advised new mothers that ‘the
generally accepted rule is pink for the boys, and blue for the girls. The reason is that pink, being
a more decided and stronger colour. -Seeing like a feminist
This highlights a contrasting issue of gender discrimination. Why girls were not considered stronger and bold ? Even today, after switching the colors, we use similar justifications in support of our belief. Pink refers to feminism since females are soft,calm and timid creatures while blue indicates strength and manliness. This gender stereotyping on the basis of colors is really puzzling. It indicates the lack of rationality and herd mentality in which people believe anything they are told without any judicious thinking, just because the mob believes into it.
Color for Racism- Remember the fair and lovely advertisement depicting a female who tries to get fairer and fairer . Later they even provided a shade meter to compare the color change everyday. Many fairness companies across the world sold this propaganda and taught females and even males (fair and handsome cream) that "fair is lovely" and "fair is handsome." But despite these unhealthy advertisements they still hold a strong place in the market. The reason behind their survival and popularity are "we the consumers." We as consumers are so obsessed with these colors that we start ignoring the essence of being a good human rather than being a fairer human. In many Indian homes,since the childhood girls are taught that their ultimate goal in life is 'marriage'. To reach this goal they must look fair and beautiful at any cost. Boys on contrary are taught to certainly marry a fair girl because a fair girl will bring prosperity to the house like her brightness.
HUL is about the drop the name "fair and lovely" from its product in wake of Black Lives Matter Movement.
The relation between racism and color doesn't ends here.
The Aryans (the Whites) considered themselves over and above the native dark Indians. Last year a school from Bihar came in limelight when a video surfaced where upper caste students refused to consume food along the Dalits considering them illegible and impure even after warnings from teachers.
The recent incident of George Floyd's Death and mass protest (BLACK LIVES MATTER AND I CAN'T BREATHE MOVEMENTS) against it including the destruction of Confederate statues in Southern American Province, raise several questions over our past. The American Civil War which had Slavery as its basic tenet exposed the true character of America. Slavery was completely based on the fact that the Black African people were born to serve the Superior Whites . This also explains the "White Man's Burden" Theory of British imperialism in Asian Nations like India.
"I have a dream that my four
little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by
the color of their skin but by the content of their character." -Martin Luther King Jr.
2.TRAINS
A train is a form of rail transport consisting of a series
of connected vehicles that generally run along a railroad track to transport
passengers or cargo. The word "train" comes from the Old French
trahiner, derived from the Latin trahere meaning "to pull" or
"to draw". -Wikipedia
This mode of transport has transformed our lives ever since its invention in 1804 when the first Steam Engine rolled across South Wales. It was invented by Richard Threvithick and its speed was less than 10 km per hour. Today we are taking about its high-tech version "Hyperloop" with a speed of 496 km per hr. The definition of train has also changed with time and situation.
Train for Discrimination - The connection of Train and Discrimination cannot be understood without the mention of a well known tale from Modern Indian History.
In May 1893, while Gandhi was on his way to Pretoria, a
white man objected to Gandhi's presence in a first-class carriage, and he was
ordered to move to the van compartment at the end of the train. Gandhi, who had
a first-class ticket, refused, and was thrown off the train at
Pietermaritzburg. His client had given him no warning of the humiliating
conditions under which Indians lived in South Africa. Shivering through the
winter night in the waiting room of the station, Gandhi made the momentous
decision to stay on in South Africa and fight the racial discrimination against
Indians there.
Since then such humiliating treatment became frequent in imperialist colonies. During the British Raj in India trains on one hand served as a means to transport raw materials and finished goods, on the other hand it was symbol of authority over poor Indians.Today the division of rail compartments into General, Sleeper and AC coaches are a similar depiction of Financial Supremacy. This indicates a clear Economic Gap prevailing the Society.
Train for Life- Famous stories of Train and Life has unfortunately always been disappointing. The public transport that came to uplift humanity from pain of distance, separation, accessibility, affordability for every class of society must have been a role model amidst all the medium of transport. But the truth tells a different picture. Partition of India and Pakistan witnessed horrifying scenes of September 1947:
Trains carrying refugees between the two new nations arrived
full of corpses; their passengers had been killed by mobs en route. These were
called “blood trains”: “All too often they crossed the border in funereal
silence, blood seeping from under their carriage doors,” - “Midnight’s Furies: The Deadly Legacy of India’s Partition.” by Nisid Hajari
Although the stage has changed in 21st century but at many instances the costliest and most precious life seems cheaper and unworthy. In 2018-19, Railways recorded 16 death, 28 deaths in
2017-2018 and 195 deaths during 2016-2017. In the present pandemic scenario where the train has transported millions of migrant to their native homes has simultaneously been a source to transport the dead.
"UP migrants body was found in Shramik Train Toilet, may have been there for days". -Times of India
3.NUMBERS
A number is a mathematical means to count and measure. Numbers are the first thing that is taught to children when they start learning. Recall the old rhyme which you learnt in childhood to learn numbers-
"one two buckle my shoes,
three four shut the door......"
But as a child grows up, its significance changes and most common association of a number in adulthood becomes with the money. Keeping aside this common reference,numbers mean a lot more.
Numbers for luck- Numerology is a branch of science that deals with relationship between events of life and numbers. This correlation is visible in Greek mythology where they specify good and bad numbers.
Pythagoreanism, a cult of ancient Greece, believed that numbers
were the basis of the entire universe, which ran on numerical harmony. The
Pythagoreans’ ideas were a mixture of prescience (the numerical features of
musical sounds) and mysticism (3 is male, 4 is female, and 10 is the most
perfect number)
Millions of people are afraid of number 13 and its reason is still an unsolved mystery.This is visible even on commercial basis like hotels, planes and racing cars by skipping no 13.
Number for Pollution - Number codes are commonly used to specify the intensity of pollution like the Air Quality Index in India. But what became popular was the use of ODD-EVEN formula in Delhi to curb the pollution of the Worlds Most Polluted Capital. Although it didn't gain much success yet was considered an innovative idea.
Number for Sex determination - Gender biasing has always been in picture in most of the patriarchal societies across the world. But this correlation was still unknown until recently,when a Marathi preacher solved this mystery.
"If intercourse with a woman is done on even date, a
male child is born and if intercourse is done on an odd date, a girl child is
born. If intercourse is done at an inauspicious time, the child that is born
would bring a bad name to the family. If the timing (of intercourse) is missed,
the quality of output (child) will be sub-standard," he was heard saying
in a video that had gone viral.
A case has been registered against popular Marathi ''kirtankar'' (preacher) in Maharashtra over his alleged remarks on the timing of intercourse and the gender of child.
All these credentials bring complete disenchantment in mind. It seems as if whatever we knew till now is an illusion. An illusion about not knowing the deeper issues of the world or an illusion of knowing everything and still being ignorant to it. This fluxional behaviour of words will continue to take different shapes in future and time thereoff. We can only hope that future adds optimistic flavours to the present. As one thing that will never be lost is "change."
"Change is the only thing that will remain constant."
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