PARAGRAPH, WORDS AND MEANING
Clarity on the border :-
In the meanwhile, some of the expectations had rewritten themselves. The Joint Working Group — that had been clarifying the border areas with a view to leading up to exchange of maps on a mutually agreed scale on where the Line of Actual Control (LAC) lay in each others’ perception — had run itself into the ground. This was after sample maps were exchanged in the Middle Sector without having been able to progress to the Western and Eastern Sectors. There was a time when as many as four lines ran across the border areas: one where we perceived the LAC to be, one where the Chinese perceived the LAC to be, one where we perceived the Chinese perceived the line to be and one where the Chinese perceived where we thought our line lay. The last two lines were somewhat guess-worked from the military graffiti, tell-tale traces that our armies leave behind when they foray into the border areas asserting perceptional rights through patrols, the same way as animals mark territory. It is not even clear whether we have spoken of each other’s perception of the LAC for the last decade. This after China had till the middle of the 1980s seemed open to a process that would let India keep the areas in the East while they held on to those in the West. The fond hope was of an “LAC plus” solution. That changed as well. As did the pious intention to earnestly look for an early solution. Utterances of visiting Chinese premiers introduced new nuances into the diplomatic liturgy, emphasising the complexity of the issue, underlining the difficulty of its resolution, and, thereby, leaving it to future generations to grapple with. Instead of enlarging commonalities, what is being expanded instead are the divergences: whether it is China’s opposition to India’s entry into the Nuclear Suppliers Group, or its steadfast support to Pakistan’s mollycoddling of terrorist groups that are inimical to India, or its pointed message to encourage Bhutan to settle its boundary dispute with China in a way that would make the Indian Army’s presence in Doklam eventually redundant. Just look at the Chinese penetration of the area we consider to be our backyard: whether it is Sri Lanka, Nepal, and now the Maldives. Can Bhutan be far behind? To this day, even though a military hotline between the two army headquarters had been agreed upon years ago, it has not materialised. This is something that would be logical, even imperative, given that both countries have improved their border infrastructure in terms of roads and accessibility in such a way that increases the possibilities of troops chancing upon each other. Therefore, transgressions will increase in terms of frequency, duration, depth, and intensity. The aim should be to evolve a stronger mechanism to manage the border areas more effectively to ensure equilibrium. This must include a more robust code of military conduct, even though neither side has sought to alter border reality through use of force. It is time New Delhi put more effort into strengthening India’s presence in those areas where we are present, where we consider to be them as our border, and live with it rather than to wait for Beijing to alter reality again. It is easier to make provisions to better live with it than to squander energies resolving it. If we don’t let the boundary question detain us, we will be in a better position to enlarge the areas where we can more fruitfully, in the Asian Century, engage the Chinese in line with the bilateral intentions that envisaged the simultaneous rise of both China and India.
WORDS :-
Perception
Meaning: Intuitive understanding and insight.
Example: “‘He wouldn’t have accepted,’ said my mother with unusual perception”
Synonyms: Insight, Sharpness
Guess-worked
Meaning: The process of making a guess when you do not know all the facts.
Example: The projected sales figures are pure guesswork on our part.
Synonyms: Assumption, Imagination
Graffiti
Meaning: Words or drawings, especially humorous, rude, or political, on walls, doors, etc. in public places.
Example: The subway walls are covered with graffiti.
Tell-tale
Meaning: Revealing, indicating, or betraying something.
Example: “the telltale bulge of a concealed weapon”
Synonyms: Revealing, Revelatory
Asserting
Meaning: State a fact or belief confidently and forcefully.
Example: “the company asserts that the cuts will not affect development”
Synonyms: Declare, Maintain
33) Utterances
Meaning: The action of saying or expressing something aloud.
Example: “the simple utterance of a few platitudes”
Synonyms: Saying, Expression
Liturgy
Meaning: A form or formulary according to which public religious worship, especially Christian worship, is conducted.
Example: “the Church of England liturgy”
Synonyms: Ritual, Worship
Steadfast
Meaning: Resolutely or dutifully firm and unwavering.
Example: “steadfast loyalty”
Synonyms: Loyal, Faithful
Antonyms: Disloyal, Irresolute
Mollycoddling
Meaning: Treat (someone) in an indulgent or overprotective way.
Example: “I found school very difficult, and realized I’d been mollycoddled at home”
Synonyms: Pamper, Coddle
37) Transgressions
Meaning: An act that goes against a law, rule, or code of conduct; an offence.
Example: “I’ll be keeping an eye out for further transgressions”
Synonyms: Offence, Crime
Antonyms: Obedience
38) Squander
Meaning: Waste (something, especially money or time) in a reckless and foolish manner.
Example: “£100m of taxpayers’ money has been squandered on administering the tax”
Synonyms: Waste, Misspend
Antonyms: Manage, Save
39) Fruitfully
Meaning: Producing good results.
Example: It was a most fruitful discussion, with both sides agreeing to adopt a common policy.
Synonyms: Productive, Useful
Antonyms: Fruitless, Futile
40) Envisaged
Meaning: Contemplate or conceive of as a possibility or a desirable future event.
Example: “the Rome Treaty envisaged free movement across frontiers”
Synonyms: Foresee, Predict
