Treading on thin ice

Why do we boast when our achievements are limited? Why do we opt for the hyperbolic when the comparative would be more appropriate?

When I use a word,” Humpty Dumpty said, in rather a scornful tone, “it means just what I choose it to mean — neither more nor less.” “The question is,” said Alice, “whether you can make words mean so many different things.” “The question is,” said Humpty Dumpty, “which is to be master — that’s all.”

In our system the masters are clearly politicians. Last Monday, Power Minister R K Singh tweeted: “We have electrified all the villages”. The Prime Minister was more precise and careful. He claimed: “Every single village of India now has access to electricity”. Unfortunately, neither was actually right.

Under a definition in place since October 1997, if a village has a distribution transformer and power lines in place as well as electricity provided to public places like schools, panchayat offices and dispensaries including just 10 per cent of its households it’s deemed to be electrified. But in states like Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh and Assam nearly 50 per cent of the rural households have no power. So to consider such villages “electrified” is clearly Humpty Dumptian.

It’s even questionable whether they have “access to electricity”. According to the Oxford dictionary, the appropriate meaning of the word access is the “right or opportunity to use”. But do households which remain in the dark have either the right or opportunity? Only theoretically because whilst the necessary infrastructure is missing the truthful answer is: Definitely not as yet and maybe not for a long time to come.

Arun Kumar, joint secretary in the power ministry, has told The Hindu: “As of today in India, the rural household electrification is about 83 per cent.” However, newspapers claim that up to 25 per cent of households are still in the dark. This could be probably as many as 41 million households.

But that is still not the full picture. Even rural households with power are unlikely to have it 24x7 and the voltage probably both fluctuates and, for long stretches, is abysmally weak. At best this is electrification-light!

So what exactly has the government achieved and is it justified in being so self-congratulatory about it? The best you can say is that every village in India has an electricity pole and a few institutions and dwellings receive light. But even that may not be fully accurate if Dilip Gupta’s tweet is to be believed. “No. Not every village yet,” he protested. “Over the years my native place has been expecting electricity every year but it hasn’t arrived yet.” I don’t know how many others are in the same position but the larger the number the more hollow the government’s boast.

However, let’s accept that the preponderant majority of our villages now have an electricity pole. They’re, therefore, on the grid. That is an achievement and it does deserve applause. But that’s very different to the claim all our villages have been electrified. If 41 million households are still without light it means 200 million people remain in the dark. I wonder how they view the power minister’s boast or, even, the Prime Minister’s version that they have “access to electricity”. I doubt if it’s cheered them up.

So why do we boast when our achievements are more limited? Why do we opt for the hyperbolic when the comparative would be more appropriate? In fact, why can’t we simply state what we have done and not make it seem grander than it is? After all, vainglorious exaggeration first invites disbelief and then leads to derision.

Now, I know all governments claim more than they have achieved. That’s politics. But you can get away with it if you are only talking about electoral mandates or, even, economic performance. They’re subject to interpretation. But when it comes to things people can see and feel for themselves, like education or potable water, electricity or jobs the truth will always catch out an ill-advised boast.

Finally, in his interviews the power minister has promised that every single house will have electricity by March next year. If he delivers he might even win the elections for his party. But if he fails the wrath he incurs could be unforgivable. More dangerous than braggadocio is to deliberately raise expectations you cannot fulfill.