So, the political artists under the collective called ‘Opposition’ are also getting smart like the government when it comes to coming up with smart acronyms. Focus groups must have spent considerable time and brainpower to come up with the new acronymous name INDIA standing for Indian National Developmental, Inclusive Alliance, something that some of the more acrimonious types may find galling. You don’t have to be a Scrabble scallywag, though, to realise that the acronym was thought up first and then there were many a huddle to figure out what it should mean. In a sense, this makes the ruling NDA, BJP in particular, anti-INDIA.
Acronyms are one of the joys of language. Like the Bauhaus Wassily Chair designed by Marcel Breuer in the 1920s, they serve function and aesthetics with equal aplomb. Especially nifty are the ones where the arranged letters also send out a tonal flavour that becomes evident once the acronym is ‘opened out’ like an accordion. Such as the fictional intelligence agency in the 1960s TV series, The Man From UNCLE, which blooms into United Network Command for Law and Enforcement, all the while giving off an avuncular feeling of safety. The idea of INDIA isn’t bad at all. Maybe it’s time for the other side to change its name from NDA to BHARAT – Being Hindustani And Respecting All Types.
