Mumbai: Within hours of Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde allotting portfolios to his cabinet colleagues on 14 August, BJP’s Sudhir Mungantiwar, the newly appointed culture minister, had made headlines.
He announced that Maharashtra government employees would henceforth answer phones with a “Vande Mataram” instead of a “hello”.
Mungantiwar’s idea was debated, discussed, and criticised by rivals, and by 1 October, even turned into a government resolution.
Almost a month down the line, the contentious announcement and government resolution seem to have died a natural death, with Thomas Edison’s “hello” still being the default greeting one hears on making calls to Mantralaya (state secretariat).
ThePrint called the official phone lines of at least seven Maharashtra government departments and learnt that while some employees were confused about how to embrace the change and break a lifetime habit, others were blissfully unaware of the 1 October resolution.
“I am not aware that such a rule is mandated for my department. Maybe it is only for the culture department,” a housing department employee told ThePrint.
Meanwhile, an employee from the education department, who did not wish to be named, said: “Yes, I heard about the new rule. But it will take time for the change to come in. I do ask my subordinates to use ‘Vande Mataram’ as greeting but because of habit, slip-ups to ‘hello’ do happen.”
In the departments of finance, revenue, urban development, public works, agriculture, as well as inside the chief minister’s office (CMO), the situation was not very different.
At the CMO, the operator who answered the phone said that the government resolution had not been issued from the department and that he had no idea whether it was mandatory or not.
When contacted, Mungantiwar told ThePrint that the resolution was just an appeal to people to use “Vande Mataram” as greeting.
“The word (‘hello’) has been in use for (more than) 100 years and it is not easy to change habit so quickly. But we are appealing and trying to promote ‘Vande Mataram’, and change will come slowly,” he added.
Also read: All male, 50-50 BJP-Sena power-sharing — what new Shinde-Fadnavis cabinet looks like
The contentious resolution
The general administration department had issued the 1 October government resolution following the state cabinet’s backing to Mungantiwar’s August announcement.
“This is the 75th year of Indian independence and to mark the achievement, all officers and employees in government offices will start telephonic conversations by saying ‘Vande Mataram’ and not ‘hello’,” Mungantiwar had said.
The resolution stated that in order to create awareness among people, employees should greet those who come to meet them by saying “Vande Mataram”.
“The word ‘hello’ is an imitation of western culture. The term ‘hello’, which has no meaning and evokes no affection, is merely used as a formality. ‘Vande Mataram’ would help create a conducive atmosphere and give positive energy,” read the resolution, which applies to government, semi-government, local bodies, government-aided schools, etc.
(Edited by Nida Fatima Siddiqui)
Also read: Meet Shinde’s doppelganger. He poses for pics, hears people’s problems & is now in the dock