History & Words: ‘Prevarication’ (21 September)
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Chaliye, shabdon ki iss journey par mere saath chaliye aur naye naye words explore karte hain! 😊
🔍 Word of the Day: Prevarication
Pronunciation: /prɪˌværɪˈkeɪʃən/ (pri-VA-ri-KAY-shun)
Definition: The act of speaking or acting in an evasive, misleading, or dishonest way—especially to avoid telling the truth directly.
🌍 Parichay (Introduction)
21 September 1972—Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos officially dated his Proclamation No. 1081, placing the country under martial law.
Marcos justified his actions by citing an alleged communist insurgency and a supposed threat to national security. But this narrative was steeped in prevarication—exaggerations, manipulations, and half-truths designed to justify absolute power.
Aaj ka shabd Prevarication darshata hai usi rajnaitik chal ko—jab sach ko mod diya jata hai, aur jhooth ko kanoon ka roop de diya jata hai.
🌱 Shabd ka Utpatti (Etymology)
Prevarication comes from Latin:
- “praevaricari” = to walk crookedly, to deviate
- “prae-” = before
- “varicare” = to straddle or walk crookedly
Toh prevarication ka arth hai: “tedhi baat karna”—yaani sach se bachna ya jhooth bolna.
📖 Mahatvapurn Shabdavali (Key Vocabulary)
- 🔑 Prevarication: Evasion of truth; misrepresentation for personal or political gain
- 🔑 Martial Law: Rule by military authority, often suspending civil rights
- 🔑 Proclamation No. 1081: The legal order Marcos used to enforce martial law
- 🔑 Propaganda: Biased or misleading information to support a political agenda
- 🔑 Authoritarianism: Concentration of power with limited democratic accountability
- 🔑 Censorship & Surveillance: Tools used during Marcos’s regime to silence dissent
🏛️ Itihasik Sandarbh (Historical Context)
By 1972, Marcos had served two presidential terms, but aspired to stay in power
On 21 September, he backdated a martial law declaration, later televised on 23 September, citing threats of rebellion and subversion
This narrative—riddled with prevarications—allowed him to:
- Arrest opposition leaders and journalists
- Suspend habeas corpus
- Control the press and judiciary
- Rule as dictator for the next 14 years
The proclamation marked the end of democracy and the beginning of a regime built on distortion.
⏳ Samayrekha (Timeline)
- 1965: Ferdinand Marcos elected President
- 1969: Marcos wins re-election, amid growing protests
- 21 September 1972: Martial Law declared via Proclamation 1081
- 1973: New constitution gives Marcos sweeping powers
- 1981: Martial Law formally lifted, but authoritarian rule continues
- 1986: Marcos ousted by the People Power Revolution
🌟 Is Din ka Mahatva (The Day’s Significance)
21 September ka arth hai:
- ✅ A moment when truth was twisted to build tyranny
- ✅ A case study in how fear can be manufactured to justify control
- ✅ A reminder that prevarication isn’t harmless—it reshapes lives and laws
- ✅ Ek din jab sach ka ghoomna desh ki disha ko hi palat gaya
Yeh din batata hai: Jab neta jhooth ko neeti bana lein, tab loktantra sirf naam bhar reh jaata hai.
💬 Prasiddh Ukti (Quote)
“There is no greater tyranny than that which is perpetrated under the shield of law and in the name of justice.”
— Montesquieu
(Matlab: Prevarication jab kanoon ki chaadar odh leti hai, tab tanashahi ko pehchanna mushkil ho jaata hai.)
🔮 Aaj Ka Matlab aur Chintan (Modern Usage & Reflection)
Aaj Prevarication ka use hota hai:
- ✅ Political language: Strategic vagueness or dishonesty
- ✅ Corporate communication: Avoiding accountability
- ✅ Everyday lies: Small evasions to dodge confrontation
- ✅ Propaganda & spin: Misleading narratives dressed as fact
Yeh shabd hume yaad dilata hai: Saty se bachne ki aadat kabhi kabhi ek poore rashtra ko andhkaar mein le ja sakti hai.
🏛️ Virast (Legacy)
- ✅ Marcos’s regime is now viewed as one of the darkest chapters in Philippine history
- ✅ Sparked a powerful nonviolent revolution that restored democracy
- ✅ Became a global example of how prevarication can corrode public institutions
- ✅ Led to the creation of freedom of information movements in the Philippines
🔍 Tulnatmak Vishleshan (Comparative Analysis)
Pehle: Prevarication referred to legal evasion or dodging direct answers
Baad me: Became synonymous with strategic lying and political manipulation
Aaj: Reflects intentional avoidance of truth across all sectors of influence
Yeh shift batata hai: Jab shabd ko mod diya jaye, toh sach aur jhooth ke beech ki rekha dhundhli ho jaati hai.
💡 Kya Aapko Pata Hai? (Did You Know?)
🎓 Antim Vichar (Conclusion)
‘Prevarication’ ek aisa shabd hai jo us chhupi hui chalaki aur jhoothi neeti ko vyakt karta hai jo loktantra ke darwaze band karti hai.
21 September 1972 ko Marcos ne sirf ek ghoshna nahi ki—usne desh ke vishwas par parda daal diya.
Aaj jab hum truth, transparency, aur tyranny ki baat karte hain—Prevarication reminds us:
“Democracy dies not only in darkness—but in the silence that follows a well-spoken lie.”
📚 Aage Padhne Ke Liye (Further Reading)
- 📖 Some Are Smarter Than Others – Ricardo Manapat
- 📖 The Conjugal Dictatorship – Primitivo Mijares
- 📖 Martial Law Diary of Ferdinand E. Marcos – Ferdinand E. Marcos (primary source)
- 📖 Dictatorship and Revolution – Aurora Javate de Dios et al.
- 📖 The Marcos Dynasty – Sterling Seagrave
