Words and views

In 1982, one of the finest English judges, Lord Denning (Alfred  Thompson  Denning), submitted his resignation as ‘Master of the Rolls’, the third senior-most judge in England.

He was in that chair for twenty years and could have continued till his death.

He was a judge for 38 years, and many lawyers consider him the ‘greatest judge of the century’. Many of his verdicts resulted in changes in the ‘British Common Law’.  What prompted his resignation was his remarks in a book in which he seems to have suggested that “some members of the Black community were unsuitable to serve as juries,  and that immigrant groups may have had different moral standards from native English”.

The views made the Black lawyers complain to the Lord Chancellor, and he was also criticised in the Press. A distinguished career thus ended in an unnecessary blemish. His remarks also put a question mark on his years of learning and writing work!

In December 2014, Peter Hollingworth, a senior immigration judge in England, had to tender his resignation after he allegedly made racist comments against an Indian origin woman with the surname Patel. She had filed a case of harassment and was not present in the Court.

When the Judge asked for her, the prosecutor informed that she was not in Court. To this, the Judge stated “She can’t be doing anything important… with a name like Patel she can only be working in a corner shop…”. When she learnt of his comments, she complained about the matter to the senior judge.

There was no legal binding on the judges to tender resignation, but they resigned to uphold the ‘values of the society’ and for the long-term good of their Nation.

It is famously said the ‘ Laws do not make people virtuous’! Just one moment of casualness, one remark made their entire career questionable! It is a common saying that ‘Choti choti baton se badi badi baton ka pata chalta hai’  ( small talks make big revelations! )

In March this year, the finance minister of Uttarakhand, Premchand Agarwal, had to resign as minister following his insensitive remarks in the assembly in February.

During a debate, he had stated that the Uttarakhand state was not created only for the ‘Pahadis’ ( hill people). The speaker intervened and stated that such divisive remarks should not be made and that all the people of Uttarakhand were one.

However, there was an outrage in public, and he was also reprimanded by his party and finally was left with no option but to tender his resignation. Thus, his ‘words and views’ led to his political fall.

Each word creates an image, and we respond to that image. Poetic and creative words register soothing and reassuring images, and we return to those images and artists frequently, but violent and aggressive words are provoking and create oppressive images. Sometimes societies fall victim to such images, and thus conflict and antagonism arise.

The power of ‘words’ is well established! Words do not vanish; they resound, rebound and return. Sometimes with fondness, sometimes with regret!

‘Words and views’ have life beyond the moment. The famous Hollywood actor Al Pacino states that ‘words can make you fly’ and that ‘words made flesh’.

In his memoir titled ‘Sonny Boy’, he writes, “But when I read from the book of Psalms in a big, booming voice –‘ He that walketh uprightly, and worketh righteously, and speaketh the truth in his heart’ – I could feel how powerful the words were. Because the words can make you fly. They can come to life. Like my friend Charlie used to say, the word made flesh, to borrow another biblical phrase. That’s what I thought acting was , just saying beautiful words and trying to entertain people with them”

The power of the ‘Word’ is stated in Hindu Vedantic philosophy which states that ‘Shabda Brahman’, meaning that the world is word.

In the book titled ‘Om Gayatri and Sandhya’ published by Ram Krishna Math,  Swami Mukhyananda writes “ Now the ‘a’ ‘u’ ‘m’, known as Matras ( phonetic constituents) of Om, are symbolic not only of the beginning, middle and end of all the words, and of the entities and concepts represented by them, but of all the worlds ( Lokas) as well for purpose of meditation. They represent the three planes of Bhuh, Bhuvah and Svah and the corresponding microcosmic states. Hence, Om is also characterised as Sabda-Brahman( Sound Brahman or Brahman in the form of Sound or the word )”.

To hear good, and to see good is emphasised in ‘Vedic Swasti Vachan’ ( chanting for well being and prosperity) :

‘Om Bhadram Karnnebhih Shrnnuyaama Devaah |

Bhadram Pashyema-Akssabhir-Yajatraah |

Sthirair-Anggais-Tussttuvaamsas-Tanuubhih |

Vyashema Deva-Hitam Yad-Aayuh |’

[O Devas, May we hear with our ears what is auspicious,

O (Devas who are) worthy of worship, may we see with our eyes what is auspicious,

With (sense) organs steady and body praying (due to hearing and seeing the auspicious) …

… May we attain the lifespan allotted by the Devas (thus finding fulfilment in our lives].

Freedom of Speech is the cornerstone of a Democracy, but it is not unbridled, as it has responsibility and accountability linked to it.

Accountability to the people.

The Judges resigned because they were aware of the ethos of their Nation and perhaps could understand the grave lapse which the ‘People’ would not tolerate. However, many public figures in responsible positions utter irresponsible and insensitive statements they knowing that the people may tolerate them or perhaps they know that our people are too engrossed to meet their economic sustenance and may therefore ignore such aberrations.

But our Democracy will remain flawed till such time as our citizens in the higher positions are not mature and refined in their ‘ Words and Views’.