Obsession of the written word !

       

 The defense minister Mr. A.K.Antony, like all common public is having a deep obsession with the written word. As per his report in Rajya Sabha, the Army Chief had not given the complaint in writing then, nor has he given it now. Still the Minister has now ordered CBI enquiry and CBI is scheduled to take a written statement from the Army Chief and the same will be considered as the written complaint in this case.

       There is a great disbelief in the common public that all important contracts and documents in the life of people, has to be in the written word. But it is not so. The greatest contract in any man’s life is “Marriage”, and remember how it is done ? You just have to say “I do” and you have committed yourself to the biggest commitment of your life. And may be you suffer the consequences of the same, later !

       The Biggest money transactions in money market are done verbally. The greatest auctions of arts, antiques or ( as recommended by our CAGs ) of 2-G or 3-G or coal blocks are all done verbally. Like, …the auctioneer shouts… “ 2 million one time, 2 million 2 times and 2 million 3 times…and now it is sold to….for…”

       When you are travelling in the most costly transport, say, a jumbo jet, the pilot’s decisions are all verbal and not written. It is another matter that all these are recorded by the black box for posterity. But decisions are all oral and not written.

       All the languages of the world strive, develop, expand or die away, all because of the situation of spoken word. If lot of people speak it, it thrives, lest it dies a quiet death. Even if heaps of written words exist in any language, but if there are no people to speak it, then it has to be declared as the dead language. Our Sanskrit has suffered the same destiny.

       Even legally there are many judgments which are delivered orally. As for resignations, they say legally even a verbal resignation is valid. With these standards, the defense minister holding his hand on the forehead, after the Army Chief, told him about the bribe offer of 14 crores, should be legitimately considered as his resignation. And we should relieve him forthwith !

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