Maharashtra launches campaign urging people to say тАШVande MataramтАЩ on phone calls instead of тАШhelloтАЩ┬а
A Government Resolution said that тАШhelloтАЩ carried with it connotations of the Western culture and that the word did not have any specific meaning
A Government Resolution said that тАШhelloтАЩ carried with it connotations of the Western culture and that the word did not have any specific meaning
The Maharashtra government on Sunday launched an awareness campaign urging people to use the Indian greeting тАШVande MataramтАЩ while receiving phone calls instead of the English тАШhelloтАЩ.
The move comes a day after the State General Administration Department issued a Government Resolution (GR) making it mandatory for all employees working in government and government-funded institutions to use тАШVande MataramтАЩ instead of тАШhelloтАЩ while receiving telephone or mobile phone calls from citizens or government officials.
Launching the campaign, State Cultural Affairs Minister Sudhir Mungantiwar, speaking in Wardha district said, тАЬ `Vande MataramтАЩ means we are bowing before our mother. Hence, it is our appeal to the people to use this instead of тАШhelloтАЩ.тАЭ
Mr. Mungantiwar further said that it was all right if people chose to say тАШJai BhimтАЩ or тАШJai Shri RamтАЩ or even mention their parentsтАЩ names while answering a phone call.
тАЬAll forms are fine with us. We are trying to get people to avoid saying тАШhelloтАЩ while receiving a call. During the Independence movement, a slogan like тАШInquilab ZindabadтАЩ (long live the revolution) was banned by the British rulers,тАЭ he said.
The Minister said that even Mahatma Gandhi supported the chanting of┬атАШVande MataramтАЩ and had said so in a column published at the time.
On Saturday, the GR issued by the State government regarding the use of the `Vande MataramтАЩ greeting had also said that while тАЬit was not mandatory, the heads of departments in the government should encourage their staff to do so.тАЭ
It said that тАШhelloтАЩ carried with it connotations of the Western culture and that the word did not have any specific meaning.
тАЬThe word is just a formality which does not arouse any emotion. Greeting people by saying тАЬVande MataramтАЭ will create a feeling of affection,тАЭ the GR said, while advocating an awareness campaign to promote it.
