In the recent my eardrums have been hit
with a versatile word ‘Policy’ quite frequently. And then this word timed me
back. On a sleepy dusk sitting in my chair I paced back into my sprouting days
when to look at the beautiful curvy edges of blossoming roses specs were not
required at all. When I used to like sprouts in breakfast and then blamed them
for early sprouting my cheeks with beard. I was just 14.
One evening an uncle came to my home and
chatted with my father. He asked me ‘Rahul. What’s your age?’ and I replied 14.
He started his business with my age, and
in that 10 minutes chat he made me grown up to 40 from 14. ‘Bhai saab, this is
the best policy for Rahul at this age, when he will be at 40 he will get so
much money... this much you have to pay yearly premium and blab blab.’
‘Uncle I know this policy’ I said. He gave
me a flustered look.
‘You are talking about best policy, no.
I have learnt it in my school. My teacher had told when I was child. They say ‘honesty
is the best policy’.’ I uttered with utmost sincerity and gravely.
He grinned and my father purchased the
best policy for me. Later I realised it was nothing to do with honesty but just
a LIC agent’s business where honesty seems poorly peeping out of his equivocal
explanations and lucrative figures.
Now I heard this word frequently in the
last fifteen days. Whatever doubt I wanted to get clarified, they gave one word
answer same as one writes in for ‘answer in one word type question’ in exams. Do
I look like exam paper?
I think just like few other words it’s
also fading off its true meaning. I find this word slipping to the same league
the word democracy has slipped or the word secular has drowned so deep that it doesn’t
look like secular. I don’t want to see the word Policy redefined itself the way
as the word democracy has been defined by corruption, murder, molestation,
bribe, rape, robbery, and bullshit as salient feature of its definition. Or the
word secular which itself has become non-secular and has ample appeal to
provoke two communities in India. Media and politicians make astute profit by
use of this word. Or likewise, the pair Hindu-Muslim stands for antonym to each
other in present scenario which should be synonym words on the account of
their individual definition.
The word ‘Policy’ has been changing its
meaning as I grew up from childhood to till date through my adolescent days.
Whenever I went to them to be answered
of my ‘WHYs’ and ‘HOWs’, I got diplomatic answers smeared or gilded with this
word and amiable smile. Conversation goes like this:
“Ma’am HOW you are calculating this much
amount?”
“It’s written in the POLICY. And I have
to abide by this.”
“But ma’am in case of ABC you calculated
like this.”
“Yeah, that time we had different POLICY
and now we have different. This POLICY has been operated from head corporate office.
I can do nothing.”
“But it’s just one month to ABC case.”
“But POLICY also got change in the
recent.”
“Ma’am can you mail me this POLICY. I
want to get clarified.”
“No, this is confidential.”
What
confidential! Sometimes bullshit also is veiled behind the glossy curtains.
“What confidential it may contain?”
“No, it’s company POLICY. Everything cannot
be revealed. There are certain codes you would not understand.”
Oh!
You doubt on my comprehension ability. Maybe I would not get understood. Since
childhood I could not comprehend even this word alone. Now how I could
understand more complicated thing – a policy laced with codes.
She was not the only with polished-in-policy
tongue but all whoever I talked my doubts. Stop using this word to confuse the
people and please let it remain with its helpful nature- facilitating of people.
I have come to know that ‘Use of the word policy is the best policy
to polish off.’
Let the words be what they are meant
for. Stop forcing them to be redefined.
***
