Tamil to Kashmiri to Hindi: Nirmala's linguistic trail

February 1, 2020 will be remembered in India's parliamentary history for a really long time to come, when the Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman used as many as six languages while presenting the Union Budget.

As the market slumped and millions lost their jobs, Sitharaman spoke of 'blooming lotus', something which not only brought a whiff of Kashmir, but also has political undertones, given BJP's electoral symbol is 'lotus'.

As soon as she began reading out her budget speech, she quoted Kashmiri poet Pandit Dinanath Kaul Nadim, a Sahitya Academy Award winner. She recited from Kaul's poem Myon Vatan (My Motherland).

Emphasising on Shalimar Bagh, and Dal Lake in the valley, she uttered: "Saun Watan Gulzar Shalamaar Hyu, Dal Manz Pholvun Pamposh Hyu, Navjavanan hund,Vushun Khumaar Hyuv Myon Watan, Chaun Watan Saun Watan, Nundbon Watan."

She in fact, translated it in Hindi as: "Humara watan khilte hue Shalimar bagh jaise, humara watan Dal Lake mein khilte hue kamal jaisa, nau jawanon ke garam khoon jaisa, mera watan tera watan, humara watan, duniya ka sabse pyara watan... (Our nation is like Shalimar Bagh, our nation is like the lotus in the Dal Lake, our nation is like the energy of the youth, my nation your nation, our nation, the most adorable nation in the world."

She also spoke in Tamil, her mother tongue. Quoting Tamil poetess Avvaiyar's "Aathichoodi" that found place in the Minister's budget speech, as much as Kaul's couplet did, Sitharaman said: "Avvaiyar in just three words "Bhoomi Thiruthi Oon", compiled etall.

"Tend and till the land and eat". In her Aathichoodi, Avvaiyar in simple style-in just two or three words - had expressed the profound message.

Sitharaman had also quoted a verse from Thirukural written by another saint-poet Thiruvalluvar while praising the Prime Minister Narendra Modi government.

She said the five jewels of a good country are freedom from illness, wealth, agri-produce, happiness and protection which have been made possible under various schemes of the Modi government.

She also spoke in Sanskrit and recited: Prajamevutyarthan Satabhyabalimagrahat Sahasragunamutsrastua Madattahirasaravi"

It translates into "Surya, the Sun, collects vapour from little drops of water. So does the King. They give back copiously. They collect only for people's wellbeing." She was quoting Kalidas's "Raghuvamsam" to talk about taxes.

She also used a French term 'peste des petits ruminants', in between. "Our government intends to eliminate Foot and Mouth disease, brucellosis in cattle and also peste des petits ruminants(PPR) in sheep and goat by 2025," she said.

While the entire speech was presented in English, it was intermittently laced with few hindi interjections, too.

In total, the Finance minister used six languages during her 2 hour 42 minutes long budget speech.

At a time when the Indian economy is battling poor liquidity, market slump, Chinese goods flooding Indian market putting MSME sector under stress, an estimated 6.2 million job losses between 2011-12 and 2017-18, Sitharaman's flowery budget speech using six languages and quoting couplets was ironic.

( With inputs from IANS )