On 13 November 2012, Omnishambles was named Word of the Year by the Oxford English Dictionary. Omnishambles is a neologism i.e. a newly coined word which is in the process of gaining sociopolitical acceptance; and it can be defined as an all-prevailing disorder or chaos; or a situation that has been comprehensively mismanaged, characterized by a string of blunders and miscalculations. As a part of its annual exercise, Oxford University Press (OUP) tracks how the English language is changing and chooses a word that best reflects the mood of the year. And Omnishambles very aptly defines the year 2012.
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First used in 2009 in The Thick of it – a BBC television political satire, where one character angrily calls another ‘omnishambles’. The term gained popularity in 2012 when it was again used in British Parliament by Opposition politicians to criticize various government actions, calling the budget as Omnishambles budget. But it got international attention in July 2012, when Mitt Romney used it in regards to London’s preparations of Olympics games, a day before the opening ceremony.
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It has been due to its adoption as a political catchphrase, as well as for its potential for “linguistic productivity” that the term was selected out of the short-listed words
But I wonder why the OUP is not looking towards India, where is can find a great number of examples for the usage of this word.
Indian Political System: Omnishambles
Indian Governance: Omnishambles
Development Works: Omnishambles
Economic Reforms: Omnishambles
Education System: Omnishambles
Medical Services: Omnishambles
Traffic System: Omnishambles
Environment Management: Omnishambles
Almost every aspect you talk about, it is Omnishambles.
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But why OUP selected this word which had been so limited in its use so far? There is another word which might not have been ‘used’ openly, but it has spread its roots almost in the whole world, more particularly in Asian countries.
And the word is ‘Dynastyocracy’!
Don’t we find Dynastyocracy prevailing in countries like India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and many others? We have been witness to big political families spreading their tentacles generation after generation, putting all the monarchies of our history-books into shade. Whether it is Gandhi family or Bhutto family, leaders are ejected from inside the family mansions, like home-grown mushrooms sprouting. (I do find some shades of Razia Sultan in Benazir Bhutto’s struggle with her brothers for political supremacy.)
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Not only at the national level, but we are victims of this malaiase even at lower levels. India is teeming with self-styled political dynasties like the Abdullas in JK, Badals in Punjab, Yadavs in UP. When a political leader dies, the son (or wife or Daughter?) becomes a natural heir to the seat thus vacated – Scindia, Pilot to name a few. Whether these proxy-leaders are able to prove their worth, is a question that comes later.
So I think the next time OUP goes through this annual exercise, it must have a wider perspective of things, not ignoring a big nation like India. We might have a number of such catchphrases up our sleeves.
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Narinder Jit Kaur is a retired Associate Professor from Patiala,who taught English Literature for 31 Years in various Government Colleges of Punjab. A writer and a translator, she has five books of translations, from Punjabi to English, to her credit Including Voices In The Back Courtyard(Rupa & Co.) -An Anthology Of Short-Stories By Punjabi Women Writers. She writes articles, poems and short-stories in English, Punjabi and Hindi. You can read more from her on narinderjit.com