Topic Of The Day:-“Another dateline”
Ayodhya, December 6, 1992 is a dateline, a hate-line, a fate-line. Babri Masjid, the 16th century mosque was built spitefully, it is said, on the exact spot in Ayodhya, where Rama was born. In fact, the pious say, a temple stood where the mosque came up. The mosque had, over the years, become a contested site, a Hindu v Muslim akhara. And on that day, Hindu muscle power asserted itself. Watched by unwitting, unsure or captive seniors of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), and with a police force unable or unwilling to intervene, 1,50,000 delirious Hindu kar sevaks brought the mosque down. In the rubble lay all hope for Hindu-Muslim concord. In it lay shattered Muslim trust in India’s secular future. And in it lay tattered, the Constitution’s guarantees about the freedom of religious belief. The broken stones said more: Here rises, at long last, they proclaimed, Veer Savarkar’s dream of a Hindu Rashtra. India partitioned was now India polarised. Savarkar’s spirit must have felt more than fulfilled.
MEANINGS AND WORDS
1) Trekked
Meaning: To walk a long distance, usually over land such as hills, mountains, or forests; travel constantly from place to place.
Example: We spent the day trekking through forests and over mountains.
Synonyms: Travel, Migration
2) Scorching
Meaning: (of criticism) harsh; severe.
Example: “he faced scorching criticism”
Synonyms: Fierce, Savage
Antonyms: Mild
3) Unwavering
Meaning: Not wavering; steady or resolute.
Example: “she fixed him with an unwavering stare”
Synonyms: Steady, Fixed
Antonyms: Unsteady
4) Pluralism
Meaning: The existence of different types of people, who have different beliefs and opinions, within the same society.
Example: After years of state control, the country is now moving towards political/religious/cultural pluralism.
5) Cataclysm
Meaning: A sudden violent political or social upheaval.
Example: “the cataclysm of the First World War”
Synonyms: Disaster, Calamity
Antonyms: Salvation, Godsend
6) Traumatic
Meaning: Deeply disturbing or distressing.
Example: “she was going through a traumatic divorce”
Synonyms: Disturbing, Shocking
Antonyms: Soothing, Successful
7) Assassination
Meaning: The action of assassinating someone.
Example: “the assassination of President Kennedy”
Synonyms: Slaughter, Extermination
8) Portrait
Meaning: A painting, drawing, photograph, or engraving of a person, especially one depicting only the face or head and shoulders.
Example: “a portrait of George III”
Synonyms: Picture, Sketch
9) Rubble
Meaning: Waste or rough fragments of stone, brick, concrete, etc., especially as the debris from the demolition of buildings.
Example: “two buildings collapsed, trapping scores of people in the rubble”
Synonyms: Debris, Remains
10) Valorised
Meaning: Give or ascribe value or validity to.
Example: “the culture valorizes the individual”
11) Vandalism
Meaning: Action involving deliberate destruction of or damage to public or private property.
Example: “an act of mindless vandalism”
12) Triptych
Meaning: A set of three associated artistic, literary, or musical works intended to be appreciated together. (Here, murder, vandalism and celebration)
Example: “a triptych on the theme of the holocaust”
13) Allegiance
Meaning: Loyalty or commitment to a superior or to a group or cause.
Example: “those wishing to receive citizenship must swear allegiance to the republic”
Synonyms: Loyalty, Faithfulness
Antonyms: Disloyalty, Treachey
14) Traumatised
Meaning: Subject to lasting shock as a result of a disturbing experience or physical injury.
Example: “the children were traumatized by separation from their families”
15) Spitefully
Meaning: Wanting to annoy, upset, or hurt another person, especially in a small way, because you feel angry towards them.
Example: That was a spiteful thing to say!
16) Pious
Meaning: Devoutly religious.
Example: “a deeply pious woman”
Synonyms: Religious, Devout
Antonyms: Impious, Irreligious
17) Unwitting
Meaning: Not done on purpose; unintentional.
Example: “we are anxious to rectify the unwitting mistakes made in the past”
Synonyms: Unintentional, Involuntary
Antonyms: Deliberate, Conscious
18) Delirious
Meaning: In a state of wild excitement or ecstasy.
Example: “there was a great roar from the delirious crowd”
Synonyms: Ecstatic, Overjoyed
Antonyms: Disappointment, Depressed
19) Shattered
Meaning: Damage or destroy (something abstract).
Example: “the crisis will shatter their confidence”
Synonyms: Destroy, Wreck
20) Tattered
Meaning: Old and torn; in poor condition.
Example: “an old woman in tattered clothes”
