Topic Of The Day:-“Biggest nation, smallest voice”
In this flurry of diplomatic activity, it would be natural to ask why India has been so soft-footed and silent in comparison. As the subcontinent’s biggest nation, neighbour to both Bangladesh and Myanmar, as well as the country most likely to be affected if the numbers of Rohingya refugees continue to grow, India in fact should be showing the most initiative in this crisis. Instead, through a series of blunders that began with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s own visit to Myanmar, India has allowed its voice to be muffled. Even as hundreds of thousands were fleeing violence at home, Mr. Modi refused to refer to the Rohingya in his press statements in Naypyidaw in early September. Nor did India refer to anything other than the terror strike by the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army while discussing the violence in Rakhine. It wasn’t until two days later, and after some prodding from Ms. Hasina, that the Indian foreign office even issued a statement of concern over the refugee crisis that had reached alarming proportions, something the U.S. has now called a clear case of “ethnic cleansing”. Moreover, in Bali, India refused to endorse a 50-nation parliamentarian conference’s declaration because it referenced the Rohingya. Every other South Asian country, including Buddhist-majority Bhutan and Sri Lanka, endorsed the Bali declaration. Later in September, the government began to dispatch humanitarian aid in an operation rather grandly named “Operation Insaniyat (Humanity)”, but was only one of several countries including the U.S., Turkey, Azerbaijan, Malaysia and others to do so. The government’s consignment to Myanmar of a mere 3,000 “family bags” last week also slipped notice given the large numbers of those displaced inside Rakhine and in desperate need of assistance. The Indian effort, coupled with Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj’s visit to Bangladesh, where she didn’t even spare time for a trip to the camps, stands out not just in stark contrast to other nations, but to India’s own record. In every way, the Rohingya crisis is mammoth, with around a million men, women and children in Bangladesh and Myanmar living perilously. India, which has a tradition of rushing humanitarian aid and medical assistance, doctors and volunteers to other nations — for example, after the 2004 tsunami, the 2008 Cyclone Nargis that hit Myanmar, and the 2015 Nepal earthquake — has been seen to visibly hold back during the Rohingya crisis.
MEANINGS AND WORDS
1) Reconciliation
Meaning: The restoration of friendly relations.
Example: His reconciliation with your uncle.
Synonyms: Reunion, Conciliation
Antonyms: Estrangement, Feud
2) Fled
Meaning: Run away from a place or situation of danger.
Example: To escape the fighting, his family fled from their village.
Synonyms: Run, Bolt
3) Gruesome
Meaning: Causing repulsion or horror; grisly.
Example: The most gruesome murder.
Synonyms: Grisly, Ghastly
Antonyms: Pleasant
4) Repatriation
Meaning: The return of someone to their own country.
Example: The voluntary repatriation of refugees.
5) Flurry
Meaning: A number of things arriving or happening suddenly and during the same period.
Example: A flurry of editorials hostile to the government.
Synonyms: Spate, Wave
Antonyms: Dearth, Trickle
6) Blunders
Meaning: A serious mistake, usually caused by not taking care or thinking.
Example: He said that the tax was a major political blunder.
7) Muffled
Meaning: Make (a sound) quieter or less distinct.
Example: His voice was muffled.
Synonyms: Deaden, Dull
Antonyms: Loud, Clear
8) Prodding
Meaning: Stimulate or persuade (someone who is reluctant or slow) to do something.
Example: They attempted to prod the central bank into cutting interest rates.
Synonyms: Spur, Stir
9) Endorse
Meaning: Declare one’s public approval or support of.
Example: The report was endorsed by the college.
10) Dispatch
Meaning: Deal with (a task or opponent) quickly and efficiently.
Example: The Welsh team were dispatched comfortably by the opposition.
Synonyms: Conclude, Settle
11) Grandly
Meaning: In a proud, impressive, or ambitious manner.
Example: The purchase of the painting was grandly announced.
12) Consignment
Meaning: A batch of goods destined for or delivered to someone.
Example: A consignment of drugs.
Synonyms: Delivery, Load
13) Desperate
Meaning: Feeling or showing a hopeless sense that a situation is so bad as to be impossible to deal with.
Example: A desperate sadness enveloped Ruth.
Synonyms: Hopeless, Pessimistic
Antonyms: Cheerful, Composed
14) Stands out
Meaning: Be easily noticeable.
Example: He was one of those men who stood out in a crowd.
15) Perilously
Meaning: In a way that is full of danger or risk.
Example: Houses perched perilously on craggy outposts.
