The S Word

The S Word seems to be a favorite of the government of India. It started off in May 2014 with Sevak, SAARC and Shah, and then came Swacch, Skill up, Start up and Stand up, following which, the government became Smart city bred, raised the Service tax and imposed more than one Sess!

A corruption free two years led to changing expectations. People became comfortable with Sacche Din and no longer ask for Acche Din. A real transformation!.  But there is a fly in the ointment... There are other S words that are churning up the political discourse - Shout, Shoot, Suspend, Terrorist Strike, Suspect, and the much debated Sedition!

The S word was taboo until now, and the likes of the Film Certification board, often called the Censor board, rather than the Sensor board it should be (another S word that remains unused), had banned it from drawing rooms. It does seem however, that they are at loggerheads with the Government over the use of the word - Its banned in films but liberally used in political discourse.

Why does the Government like the S Word so much? The S word is Special. It has the right curvature, to suit Indian Aesthetics and the right kind of Phonetics which make for good vocal delivery - no lip curling - and therefore good television. It also adds flair to the Slogan, attracting people to policies that maximize its usage, much like the original S word perhaps!

What is unique is that these Government sponsored S words, have nothing to do with the original sin or subsequent Chinese remakes.  These are original and coined exclusively for a transforming India, and much appreciated in the 40 Countries where they have been mentioned on Prime ministerial visits over the last couple of years, even drawing appreciation from the UN. They even seem to have acted as a mood enhancer in the case of the moody Moody!

However, all these S words have not so far pushed India up the Happiness Index (117 out of 158 Countries) which in effect means that India remains high on the Sadness index. It on account of this, that the opposition has been critical of the Sound and fury.  But, hope lies eternal, that with all the S words flying around, we will get there, and Soon!

One S Word the Government seems keen on avoiding though, is the word Shining. As the Saying goes, once bitten, twice Shy!