Topic Of The Day:-“Age of repressed anger”
This is the age of ‘high voltage’ revolt, basically an expression of repressed anger. Much of this arises from an “embedded wisdom” that the system is being “manipulated” in favour of the rich, the powerful, and the big multinationals. This is something that is not confined to India alone. It is not uncommon, even in the U.S., to hear accusations against big business of creating an economy built on deals, employing exotic and risky financial instruments, separating those taking risk from those who would bear consequences, etc. Government regulatory agencies often tend to be overwhelmed by the phalanx of lawyers that the big multinationals can throw at them, challenging and delaying for years on end decisions, especially when they believe that the verdict would go against them. With several hundreds of workers now thrown out of work following the closure of the Sterlite factory, the danger is that they could become new nodes for instigating fresh rounds of violence. This is an aspect that will need to be closely watched. In Thoothukudi, the revolt was against Sterlite and its so-called disdain for the environment and the suffering of the locals. Far away in Bhangar, West Bengal, just a few miles away from Kolkata, for months villagers have been up in arms against a power grid project for which land had been acquired many years ago. The conditions may be different, but the opposition remains equally intense. In both instances, we see organisations genuinely interested in the welfare of the locals initially launching the agitations, which gradually tend to be taken over by extreme right-wing and left-wing organisations. The result remains the same: widespread disruption. It is possible that the initial peaceful nature of the protests lulled the authorities into believing that matters were well under control. What they failed to understand was the metastasising nature of the protests and signs of the growing revolt of an ‘underclass’ against the so-called ‘elite’. The police also do not seem to have taken into consideration the kind of impetus provided to agitational methodologies by the ‘digital wave’. Unfortunately, even now the authorities tend to be look at current agitations through simple equations. They remain prisoners to Newton’s Third Law. This is no longer a valid proposition. Physics today incorporates quantum mechanics which describes a micro-world of uncertainty and ambiguity. This is harder to measure. The same applies to the current world of agitations. Outdated ideas can no longer explain the complex nature of today’s agitations. This qualitative difference has not filtered down enough to effect changes in administrative policies and police methodologies. The latter consequently find themselves severely handicapped in handling agitations, especially those agitations sponsored by today’s newest ‘elite’, viz. the middle class.
MEANINGS AND WORDS
1) Turn the spotlight on
Meaning: To attract attention to something, usually to give information about something bad.
Example: The documentary turned the spotlight on the low wages paid to manual workers.
2) Judicature
Meaning: Judges collectively; the judiciary.
Example: “the constitutional principle that the legislature is separate from the judicature”
3) Taxonomy
Meaning: A scheme of classification.
Example: “a taxonomy of smells”
4) Multifaceted
Meaning: Having many different aspects or features.
Example: “his extraordinary and multifaceted career”
5) Embraces
Meaning: Accept (a belief, theory, or change) willingly.
Example: “besides traditional methods, artists are embracing new technology”
Synonyms: Accept, Adopt
Antonyms: Reject
6) Spewing
Meaning: Expel large quantities of (something) rapidly and forcibly.
Example: “buses were spewing out black clouds of exhaust”
Synonyms: Emit, Eject
7) Effluents
Meaning: Liquid waste or sewage discharged into a river or the sea.
Example: “industrial effluent”
Synonyms: Sewage, Outflow
8) Vista
Meaning: A possible future action or event that you can imagine.
Example: As leader, he opened up exciting vistas of global cooperation.
9) Incessant
Meaning: (of something regarded as unpleasant) continuing without pause or interruption.
Example: “the incessant beat of the music”
Synonyms: Ceaseless, Constant
Antonyms: Intermittent, Occasional
10) Reverting
Meaning: Return to (a previous state, practice, topic, etc.).
Example: “he reverted to his native language”
Synonyms: Return, Regress
11) Disputed
Meaning: Argue about (something).
Example: “the point has been much disputed”
Synonyms: Debate, Discuss
12) Inevitable
Meaning: Certain to happen; unavoidable.
Example: “war was inevitable”
Synonyms: Unavoidable, Inescapable
Antonyms: Avoidable, Uncertain
13) Eruption
Meaning: A sudden outbreak of something, typically something unwelcome or noisy.
Example: “a sudden eruption of street violence”
Synonyms: Outbreak, Upsurge
14) Simmering
Meaning: Show or feel barely suppressed anger or other strong emotion.
Example: “she was simmering with resentment”
Synonyms: Seethe, Rave
15) Tipping point
Meaning: The time at which a change or an effect cannot be stopped.
Example: The earth has already passed the tipping point in terms of global warming.
16) Transpired
Meaning: Occur; happen.
Example: “I’m going to find out exactly what transpired”
Synonyms: Happen, Occur
17) Agent pprovocateurs
Meaning: A person who intentionally encourages people to do something illegal so that they can be caught.
18) Chaos
Meaning: Complete disorder and confusion.
Example: “snow caused chaos in the region”
Synonyms: Disorder, Disarray
Antonyms: Order
19) Gestation
Meaning: The development of something over a period of time.
Example: “a thorough and painstaking work which was a long time in gestation”
Synonyms: Development, Formation
20) Adjudication
Meaning: The action or process of adjudicating.
Example: “the matter may have to go to court for adjudication”
Synonyms: Arbitration, Verdict
