Wednesday 14 December 2016

From 'vikalang' To 'Divyang': A Pleasant Change Of Terms


I spotted this notice at the ticket booking counter of the Ghatkopar station recently. Apparently similar notices have been put up at many other stations.

For those who are wondering what the highlighted word (in the picture above) is: it's 'Divyang'. 'Divyang' means someone who has a blessed (divya) limb or body part (ang). In this case, it is used to imply "someone with special needs".

Why did I like this notice enough to click a picture? Simple: because the earlier notice, which this one replaced, stated 'vikalang', a somewhat unpalatable term for people who are constantly fighting to overcome hardships caused by a less-than-perfectly-functioning limb. The idea to replace 'vikalang' with 'Divyang' came from the #PM, and will gradually be implemented everywhere. I had been wondering about why #NaMo and #AmitabhBachchan were using 'Divyang' in their talks and tweets for some time; now I know. This is indeed a nice gesture. Impressed.

P.S.: small complaint - can "orthopedically handicapped" also be replaced everywhere with "people with special needs"? That would be great (and of course, an upgrade of facilities to go with it, not just a change in phraseology).

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