SUBHASH CHANDRA AGRAWAL
President Pranab Mukerji deserves all compliments for showing path to politicians and some ones in judicial/legal system of this great nation when he desired deletion of colonial words like ‘His Excellency’ and ‘Honourable’ from invitation-cards for the occasion where he was to be the Chief Guest. This should be a lesson for our political leaders who expect disgraceful feet-touching even from commoners much older in age. It is a bitter fact that those heirs of erstwhile princely rulers who are now in politics, still desire themselves to be called Maharaja and Nawab even though princely states do not exist anymore, and all privileges of former princely rulers have been abolished.
Unfortunately even concerned government-departments ignored naming a road after former princely ruler of Gwalior when a road in New Delhi was named as ‘Shrimant Madhavrao Scindia Marg’ without realising ‘Shrimant’ was a colonial reference. Union government should take all necessary steps to issue necessary directive against feet-touching of leaders, and calling anyone with colonial references like Maharaja, Nawab, His Excellency, His Lordship, My Lord etc.
Same holds good unfortunately in Indian judiciary when colonial practice of calling judges as ‘My Lords’ still continues even after 65 years of independence, despite the fact that some trend-setting judges have tried to stop the menace by especially mentioning in cause-lists not to use such colonial references. Even Supreme Court registry stopped using colonial reference like ‘His Lordship’ in its communications only after its attention was drawn towards such colonial reference. Chief Justice of India should issue necessary directives so that colonial references like ‘My Lord’, ‘His Lordship’ may attract some heavy fine. Every law-abiding citizen of this country is as ‘Honourable’ as any dignitary. As such even ‘Honourable’ reference should be avoided for selected dignitaries, like has been set an ideal by none other than President of India.
