History & Words: ‘Perfunctory’ (27 August)
Welcome to ‘History & Words’! 🌟 Main hoon Prashant, Wordpandit aur Learning Inc. Network ka founder. Yeh series language learning aur historical context ko connect karti hai, taaki vocabulary improve ho aur history ki understanding bhi deep ho.
Chaliye, shabdon ki iss journey par mere saath chaliye aur naye naye words explore karte hain! 😊
📚 Table of Contents
- 🔍 Word of the Day
- 🌍 Parichay (Introduction)
- 🌱 Shabd ka Utpatti (Etymology)
- 📖 Mahatvapurn Shabdavali (Key Vocabulary)
- 🏛️ Itihasik Sandarbh (Historical Context)
- ⏳ Samayrekha (Timeline)
- 🌟 Is Din ka Mahatva (The Day’s Significance)
- 💬 Prasiddh Ukti (Quote)
- 🔮 Aaj Ka Matlab aur Chintan (Modern Usage & Reflection)
- 🏛️ Virast (Legacy)
- 🔍 Tulnatmak Vishleshan (Comparative Analysis)
- 💡 Kya Aapko Pata Hai? (Did You Know?)
- 🎓 Antim Vichar (Conclusion)
- 📚 Aage Padhne Ke Liye (Further Reading)
🔍 Word of the Day: Perfunctory
Pronunciation: /pərˈfʌŋktəri/ (per-FUNK-tuh-ree)
Definition: Carried out with minimal effort or reflection; superficial or lacking sincerity and real intent.
🌍 Parichay (Introduction)
27 August 1928—in a grand diplomatic moment, fifteen nations gathered to sign the Kellogg-Briand Pact, agreeing to renounce war as an instrument of national policy.
The ceremony was elegant, the language noble, the signatures symbolic. But when the world stood at the brink again in the 1930s, the pact’s promises were revealed to be perfunctory—more performance than principle.
Aaj ka shabd Perfunctory darshata hai un sandhiyon ka sach—jo likhi toh gayi shanti ke naam par thi, lekin jiya gaya unka ulta tha.
🌱 Shabd ka Utpatti (Etymology)
Perfunctory comes from Latin:
- “perfunctorius” = done in a careless or superficial manner
- “per-” = through
- “fungi” = to perform or discharge (a duty)
Toh perfunctory ka arth hai: “done just to fulfill formality, without earnest effort.”
📖 Mahatvapurn Shabdavali (Key Vocabulary)
- 🔑 Perfunctory: Performed with little care, thought, or genuine commitment
- 🔑 Kellogg-Briand Pact: 1928 treaty attempting to outlaw war
- 🔑 Briand: French Foreign Minister Aristide Briand
- 🔑 Kellogg: U.S. Secretary of State Frank B. Kellogg
- 🔑 Non-Aggression Agreements: Pacts with weak enforcement mechanisms
- 🔑 Appeasement: Passive diplomatic policy used to avoid war—often unsuccessfully
🏛️ Itihasik Sandarbh (Historical Context)
After the devastation of World War I, world leaders sought to prevent future conflicts
The result was the Kellogg-Briand Pact, signed in Paris on 27 August 1928
– Initially signed by 15 nations, later joined by over 60
– It outlawed war as a national policy, but offered no enforcement
– When Japan invaded Manchuria (1931), and Germany rearmed (1935–1939), the pact failed to stop aggression
It became a classic example of perfunctory diplomacy—high ideals without hard consequences.
⏳ Samayrekha (Timeline)
- 1919: Treaty of Versailles signed
- 27 August 1928: Kellogg-Briand Pact signed in Paris
- 1931: Japan invades Manchuria—no consequences
- 1935–1936: Italy invades Ethiopia
- 1939: Germany invades Poland; WWII begins
- 1945: United Nations formed to replace ineffective peace efforts
🌟 Is Din ka Mahatva (The Day’s Significance)
27 August ka arth hai:
✅ A noble but ultimately hollow attempt at global peace
✅ A reminder that intentions without enforcement are fragile
✅ A symbol of perfunctory idealism that could not hold under pressure
✅ Ek din jab signature toh shanti ka tha, lekin sangharsh likha tha kismet mein
Yeh din batata hai: Shabd tab tak shaktishaali nahi hote, jab tak unka anusaran na kiya jaye.
💬 Prasiddh Ukti (Quote)
“This instrument is the expression of the moral sense of mankind.”
— U.S. Secretary of State Frank B. Kellogg, 1928
(Matlab: Moral sense zaroor tha, par mechanism nahi—aur yahi perfunctory ban gaya.)
🔮 Aaj Ka Matlab aur Chintan (Modern Usage & Reflection)
Aaj Perfunctory ka use hota hai:
✅ Ceremonial acts: Done out of obligation, not conviction
✅ Bureaucratic decisions: Rushed or hollow approval processes
✅ Social gestures: Polite but empty interactions
✅ Diplomacy & policy: Symbolic actions without follow-through
Yeh shabd hume yaad dilata hai: Jo sirf dikhawa ho, vo asthir hota hai—aur asli badlaav kabhi perfunctory nahi hota.
🏛️ Virast (Legacy)
✅ The Kellogg-Briand Pact still technically exists—but is largely symbolic
✅ It influenced later legal frameworks, including the UN Charter
✅ It’s cited in Nuremberg Trials as proof of illegal wars
✅ But also serves as a cautionary tale about diplomacy without accountability
🔍 Tulnatmak Vishleshan (Comparative Analysis)
Pehle: Perfunctory acts were seen as ritualistic but harmless
Baad me: Recognized as dangerous when disguising inaction
Aaj: Used to critique empty institutional gestures or public relations efforts
Yeh shift batata hai: Niyat bina kriya sirf kriyaaval hai—aur kriyaaval kabhi samasya nahi suljhata.
💡 Kya Aapko Pata Hai? (Did You Know?)
🎓 Antim Vichar (Conclusion)
‘Perfunctory’ ek aisa shabd hai jo kriya aur kartavya ke beech ki khaali jagah ko dikhata hai.
27 August 1928 ko duniya ne ek vaada kiya tha—lekin us vaade ke peeche irade nahi the.
Aaj jab hum peace, policy, aur practicality ki baat karte hain—Perfunctory reminds us:
“A signature without sincerity is ink without impact.”
📚 Aage Padhne Ke Liye (Further Reading)
- 📖 A Peace to End All Peace – David Fromkin
- 📖 The Illusion of Peace – Sally Marks
- 📖 The Sleepwalkers – Christopher Clark
- 📖 The Road to War – Richard Overy
- 📖 To End All Wars – Adam Hochschild
