THE HINDU Editorial Vocabulary - June 16, 2018 - Topic 1
Act of
intimidation: on Shujaat Bukhari murder
The death of Shujaat
Bukhari in a terrorist attack at close range in
Srinagar has taken away a journalist who held bold and independent opinions on
the conflict in Kashmir and how it should be resolved. In the choice of target
and the timing of the murder, the attack sends out a chilling message: that on the
eve of Id-ul-Fitr and in the closing days of the government’s Ramzan ceasefire
against militants, there are forces determined to gut the emerging consensus
for extending the cease-ops and preparing the ground for dialogue. Bukhari,
given the credibility he had painstakingly built with reportage that conveyed
the complex reality of life in the Valley, was a prominent advocate of the
ceasefire and the need to extend it.
Whichever terrorist group chose to kill
him would have been aware of the consequences of his death. This has been a
dark week in Jammu and Kashmir. Two security personnel with Bukhari were killed
in the attack in Srinagar’s Press Colony. On Thursday too, the body of
Aurangzeb, a jawan with the 44 Rashtriya Rifles who had been kidnapped while on
his way home for the Id holiday, was found in Pulwama district riddled with
bullets. In Bandipora, two militants and an Army jawan were killed. Days
earlier, terrorists killed two policemen in Pulwama. It is easy to spot the
insistence to pull Kashmir back into the cycle of violence that was sought to
be broken by the ceasefire. It is a challenge that the governments at the
Centre and the State, as well as the security forces, would have been prepared
for, and they must not allow these provocations to dim the case for a more
humane outreach. J&K Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti must not be rendered a
lonely voice for truce and dialogue.
Bukhari’s killing highlights the dangers that
reporters and editors face in the country — his death draws a direct line to
the attacks on countless journalists, including the murders last year of Gauri Lankesh in Karnataka and Santanu
Bhowmik in Tripura. Bukhari himself has been abducted
before, in 2006. He survived that ordeal, but had to work thereafter with
security cover, something no reporter would envy. That his guards died with him
on Thursday underlines the vulnerability of both those who are guarded and
those who guard. It also underscores the irreplaceable role of the journalist
in Kashmir, where daily lives are negotiated amid conflicting narratives,
ideologies and affinities. To reconcile these, the reporter needs to have in
his tool kit an open heart, the persistence to tease out stories and connect
all dots, no matter how they may disturb nationalist or separatist sentiments.
Without information, reconciliation is impossible. Over the decades, Bukhari
enlightened readers even as he mentored journalists as the editor and founder
of Rising Kashmir,and earlier as The Hindu’s correspondent.
Vocabulary
Attack: an
aggressive and violent action against a person or place.
Example: He
was killed in an attack on a checkpoint
Synonyms: assault, onslaught, offensive, strike, blitz, raid, charge, rush
Resolve: firm
determination to do something.
Example: She
received information that strengthened her resolve
Synonyms: decision, resolution, commitment
Ceasefire: a
temporary suspension of fighting, typically one during which peace talks take
place; a truce.
Example: War
with people who break their ceasefire agreements is the default position.
Credibility: the
quality of being trusted and believed in.
Example: The
government's loss of credibility
Synonyms: trustworthiness, reliability, dependability, integrity, reputation, status
Consequences: a
result or effect of an action or condition.
Example: Many
have been laid off from work as a consequence of the administration's policies
Synonyms: result, upshot, outcome, effect, repercussion, ramification, corollary
Provocation: action
or speech that makes someone annoyed or angry, especially deliberately.
Example: You
should remain calm and not respond to provocation
Synonyms: goading, prodding, egging
on, incitement, pressure, annoyance
Render: provide
or give a service, help, etc.
Example: Money
serves as a reward for services rendered
Synonyms: give, provide, supply, furnish, contribute, offer, proffer
Outreach: the
extent or length of reaching out.
Example: But
we should be worried about this, at least if we're to be measured by our impact
and outreach
Irreplaceable: impossible
to replace if lost or damaged.
Example: They
haven't got much out of it but it is all irreplaceable damage.
Synonyms: unique, invaluable, priceless, unrepeatable, incomparable
Reconcile: restore
friendly relations between.
Example: She
wanted to be reconciled with her father
Synonyms: settle
one's differences, make one's peace, make up, kiss and make up
Enlightened: having
or showing a rational, modern, and well-informed outlook.
Example: The
more enlightened employers offer better terms
Synonyms: informed, aware, sophisticated, advanced, developed
