So many organizations have asked us for our Aadhar number, and so many of us have refused to give it to them that the word has now feathered a cap of Oxford Dictionaries and become the first Hindi Word of the Year.
Last November, Oxford Dictionaries revealed that for the first time in history they would announce the Hindi Word of the Year for the year 2017, setting the lexical torch ablaze.
Everyone is talking about and analyzing why the word made it to the top – the unique identity system in place in India, the widespread and vehement debate about its use, linking and security measures and likes. However, let us look for the spirit of the word and its meaning.
We have an Aadhar card, but how many people can ‘depend’ on us? We have the number linked to our bank accounts and policies, but how many in need are actually ‘supported’ by us? And I am not only talking about financial needs, but social and emotional as well. We have the Aadhar for our identity, but how many of us put humanity at the ‘foundation’ of that identity?
The steps and the name itself of this unique identity scheme have given the word a new dimension. The announcement by the Oxford Dictionaries has given it a new wing. But have we yet reached the stage of comprehending the truest essence of the word and the quality it represents?
One day, I would like to see ‘humanity’ as Word of the Year, not because it would be used too much, but practiced.