The lack of a relevant term to describe social distancing in the local tribal dialects is making it difficult to send out the message loud and clear to the rural folks here, say Jharkhandis. Officials and scholars here have yet not been able to translate the term to Mundari, Santhali or even Nagpuri languages in order to have a greater impact on the locals, they say.
Sources said masses have accepted masks but when it comes to social distancing the masses just fail to understand its delicate and subtle point. For many this expression looks a word from blue heaven meant for the rich.
SP Palamu Ajay Linda sharing his one experience told this correspondent, “I was out in some remote area of the district Palamu to see the observance of the lock down when I spotted two women coming hand in hand.”
Linda said, “I signaled them to stop. They stopped. I asked them to maintain social distancing. They looked blank but when I asked them in the local dialect to maintain distance to stay safe and healthy, the impact was intense and abrupt as these two women who were sisters began to walk away from each other.”
This correspondent spoke to IG Human Rights Navin Kumar Singh to know if bigwigs of his police department have ever thought of translating this high sounding but extremely useful word social distancing in any other dialect specially of the tribal one to which IG HR said, “I was told by someone an equivalent of it has been found out in a tribal dialect.” However IG HR failed to recollect the exact equivalent of it in tribal dialect.
IG HR quite sincerely asked this correspondent to speak to PHQ spokesperson M L Meena ADG of police.
Baljeet Ram of Chainpur has this comment to make when the Pioneer asked him as to what he meant and understood by the term social distancing to which this ordinary folk said, “There is an intellectual tang attached to this word. Bara boudhik shabd hai. It would have been better had there been some translation of this word in Bhojpuri or Nagpuri as then it would have gone deep and well in the minds of the masses.” This man did not try to give any equivalent but said if one can coin Jan Dhan word then this social distancing too be given simple easy to understand word.
S K Singh a teacher said, “I tell to promote more and more voting the ECI asks its officials to ready song and dance in local dialect which draws many ears. The same can be done for this word social distancing in this time of our battle against coronavirus.”
A housewife refusing to be named referred to one time insurance advertisement wherein a Yamraj meets a small man telling him if he ‘slips away’ from the world then who to take care of his family.
This lady said everyone liked it and understood it quite easily. For the benefit of the Pioneer’s esteemed readers the role of the Yamraj was played by the famous Bollywood actor Akshay Kumar.
The state government should announce some reward for those who give exact equivalent of Social Distancing in local dialect opined many here, including lawyers.