Chintito

Attributes that make a Nation

Chintito

There are some prefixes, albeit universal, reserved (heaven knows why) for certain types of occupations and professions, especially by the media. Naughty people swear that it is to increase the number of words in a news item. That too is necessary. Then what about television? To which query, someone (equally naughty) responded that the attributives make the newscaster sound knowledgeable. To which statement, yet another impish being reminded us that scripts are never written by the good looking parrot.

While the world knows that given the competitiveness due to student-seat ratio students of any institution are 'talented' but a Bangla write-up never forgets to mention that they are medhabi, except of course when that very aptitude is sadly directed towards felony. The question is: is intelligence not required in any other occupation or profession?

That brings us to the qualification nirvik for sangbadik. Agreed that journalists by their honest and sincere efforts can often enrage powerful persons and groups to a situation when they suffer from insecurity; and in actuality some media personnel have indeed been victims of cowardly attacks. But, again the expression 'yellow for journalism did not fall from the sky. The question is: is courage not required in any other occupation or profession?

The armed forces is always termed patriotic, which delineation while being justified in several ways is in many ways insulting to others who sacrifice no less, or sometimes do more for the nation. On the contrary, occasionally the reputation of the military has been sullied by derailed officers and jawans taking part in a putsch. The War of Liberation remains a glorious illustration of the valour and deshoprem by all sections of the society, civil and military. The question is: is patriotism not nurtured in any other occupation or profession?

Almost any artiste or artiste will be defined by accolades such as venerable and admirable. True the creators and performers of arts give us immeasurable joy, but some can become borenyo after one song or recital or one exhibition. In truth a shilpi emerges after a lifetime of perseverance. The question is: are tributes and admiration not to be showered on those in any other occupation or profession?

Everyone involved in any occupation or profession has to be skilled and proficient to perform. But it is the sportspersons who have this word appended to them, whether on the field or when receiving an award or when strolling down a city street. The khelowar has to have ability and dexterity to carry the day, but the best of the kritee sportspersons have more often than not failed at the altar of international competition, and many are far from reaching it. The question is: is skill and proficiency not required in any other occupation or profession?

Then of course we have janapriyo (popular), ascribed to even those politicians whose jamanat has been or was almost forfeited in the past elections. In this digital day and time millions of posters can be and are being printed narrating the lonely desire of a rajnitibid candidate but blaming on print his/her choice on something which no one can see or count; it is called local people (read elekabashi). Mayoral candidates, and there is almost one in every locality, go one step further and take the responsibility of the entire janagan. While politicians have shaped for this nation among other milestones 1952, 1969 and 1971, several of those in politics today are totally responsible for all our ills and disgrace. We have to remind ourselves, and more so the perpetrators, that being in politics does not make a politician. The question is: are people involved in any other occupation or profession not popular?

In my 'learned' judgement (there you go), to survive through this global warming and economic hardship, to negotiate across the traffic and the carbon emission, to make a decent living amid stiff contests and soft bickering, one has to be talented, courageous, patriotic, admirable, and skilled in every sense of the word.

We seem not to require being 'popular', which only goes to show that we do not need the purchased commercial popularity craved by some politicians; dare I say we do not need those types of egocentric politicians. To reach the heights we want to touch as a nation, we need talented, courageous, patriotic, admirable, and skilled politicians.

 

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