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    1. [INDIA-BRITISH-RAJ] Indian Officialese
    2. Arvind Kolhatkar
    3. Dear Listers, When I sent in a posting on this topic yesterday I did not remember the following real gem that I myself have come across. A little backgrounder for it. In the infamous days of the 'Emergency' declared by Indira Gandhi and the mindless campaign of Family Planning run by her second (and infamous) son Sanjay, I was the officer in charge of the Administration unit of a large office in Delhi. A directive and a prescribed form came down to us in which all Government employees were required to submit information about the size their families and whether they were using any method of Family Planning. In response to the question "What method of Family Planning do you use" some employees had replied "Does not arise" (meaning the question does not arise in their cases as they might be unmarried or without spouses! Somewhat like N.A. - Not Applicable - a usual answer to many questions.) Indian villagers, like villagers everywhere, have their native wit. Under Sanjay's direction, a drive for vasectomy was being vigorously administered, sometimes wrongfully, and the villagers were very unhappy with it. To express their dismay, they had coined the slogan "Indira Hatao, Indriya Bachao" (Drive out Indira, Save your Organ.) Arvind Kolhatkar, Toronto, June 13, 2010.

    06/13/2010 10:35:07