Quomodocunquize: Tharoor takes dig at Railways Ministry with head-scratcher
New Delhi, May 22: Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on Sunday took a dig at the Ministry of Railways with a difficult-to-pronounce head-scratcher "quomodocunquize."
The man of many words, who is known for throwing in rarely-used English words into Twitter lexicon, helpfully shared the meaning too.
"To make money by any means possible," the meaning posted by the Congress leader read.
In a tweet, Tharoor said, "Obscure Words Deptt: Must the Indian Railways quomodocunquize?"
He tagged the Ministry of Railways, using the hashtag 'SeniorCitizensConcession'.
The concession, which was put on hold from March 2020 after the coronavirus pandemic hit the country, has remained suspended, with senior officials indicating it might not be retained.
While train services remained suspended through most of 2020 and parts of 2021, the demand for the concessions began surfacing as services normalised.
In another tweet, Tharoor posted another rarely used expression "play possum" to take a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
"Unfamiliar Expressions Deptt: 'play possum': definitions: (1) pretend to be asleep or unconscious (as an opossum does to avoid attack) (2) feign ignorance," he tweeted.
"USAGE: Why does our PM play possum when heinous atrocities are committed by his worst supporters?" he said.
This is not the first time the author-politician-wordsmith has sent Twitterati scurrying for their dictionaries to confirm whether such words and expressions indeed exist.
Last month, he had posted another head-scratcher quockerwodger.
"A quockerwodger was a type of wooden puppet. In politics, a quockerwodger was a politician acting on the instructions of an influential third party, rather than properly representing their constituents," he had said.
Before that, Tharoor took a dig at the BJP with the word 'allodoxaphobia', which he explained was an irrational fear of opinions.
Also, the Congress MP had engaged in friendly banter with TRS working president KT Rama Rao over COVID-19 medicine names and threw in the obscure 'floccinaucinihilipilification'.
Oxford dictionary describes 'floccinaucinihilipilification' as the action or habit of estimating something as worthless.
In the past as well he has stumped people with words such as 'farrago' and 'troglodyte'.
While 'farrago' means a confused mixture, 'troglodyte' means a person regarded as being deliberately ignorant or old-fashioned.
Obscure Words Deptt:
— Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) May 22, 2022
Must the Indian Railways quomodocunquize? @RailMinIndia #SeniorCitizensConcession#IndianRailway pic.twitter.com/CAsGDaDKAf
Unfamiliar Expressions Deptt:
— Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) May 22, 2022
"play possum":
definitions: (1) pretend to be asleep or unconscious (as an opossum does to avoid attack) (2) feign ignorance
USAGE: Why does our PM play possum when heinous atrocities are committed by his worst supporters? pic.twitter.com/qRWngJ8c3r
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Maharashtra secures historic sword of Raghuji Bhosale in London auction
LONDON/MUMBAI: The Maharashtra government has acquired the sword of Raghuji Bhosale, founder of the Nagpur Bhosale dynasty and a distinguished commander in the Maratha army under Chhatrapati Shahu Maharaj, after winning it in an auction in London.
Cultural Affairs Minister Ashish Shelar formally took possession of the weapon on Monday. It is scheduled to arrive in Mumbai on 18 August, where it will be received with ceremonial honours, as reported by The Indian Express.
News of the sword’s availability surfaced on 28 April this year. Minister Shelar consulted Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, after which the government began preparations to participate in the auction.
A group of Marathi-speaking residents in London gathered to witness the handover. Hemant Dalvi, Deputy Director of the Archaeology Department, accompanied the minister during the formalities.
The sword is an 18th-century Maratha Firangi. It has a straight, single-edged European blade with a gold-inlaid Mulheri hilt and near the hilt is the European manufacturer’s name, while the spine bears a gold-inlaid Devanagari inscription reading “Shreemant Raghoji Bhosale Senasahib Subha Firang,” confirming its connection to Raghuji Bhosale. The hilt’s gold koftgari work and the green cloth-wrapped rounded pommel add to its rarity as Maratha weapons of the period typically lacked elaborate ornamentation or inscriptions.
Raghuji Bhosale I, ruled from Nagpur between 1695 and 1755. He expanded Maratha influence into Bengal, Odisha, Chanda, Chhattisgarh, Sambalpur and parts of southern India. His military campaigns, included victories over the Nawabs of Bengal, Cuddapah and Kurnool. The Nagpur kingdom was also known for its rich deposits of iron and copper, used for weapons and trade.
While few historians believe that the sword left India in the early 19th century, as part of the war booty taken by the British East India Company after their victory over the Bhosales at the Battle of Sitabuldi in 1817, others say it was taken later as a diplomatic gift.
The sword will be escorted from Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport to PL Deshpande Kala Academy in Dadar by a ceremonial bike rally upon its arrival in Mumbai next week. A cultural programme titled Gad Garjana will be held the same day in the presence of state dignitaries.
Minister Shelar described the acquisition as an important moment for Maharashtra’s heritage and extended his thanks to the Chief Minister, Deputy CM Eknath Shinde, and Deputy CM Ajit Pawar for their support in securing the artefact.
