BJP sees red over ‘khushiyon ki Eid’, but Kharge's remark makes sense to linguists

• The Arabic word ‘eid’ literally means a festival

• Khushiyon ki Eid thus means a joyous festival

• Bigots and BJP spokespersons, however, see it differently

‘Why are Godi journalists and RW supporters outraged by Kharge's use of the phrase “khushiyon ki Eid” to describe Diwali while speaking to reporters?’ wondered Mohammed Zubair, predictably inviting a host of trolls to abuse him. ‘Calling Diwali “Eid of Happiness” is deliberate dilution; Eid means terrorism’; ‘Eid khushiyon ki Deepawali hai, kahenge kya Khargeji?’ were among the reactions, some of which were abusive.

The controversy stemmed from Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge's remarks while extending Diwali greetings over the weekend. 'I extend my best wishes to everyone for Diwali. Many people celebrate it as it is an Eid of Happiness," the Congress president said.

BJP national media co-in-charge and spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari reacted by accusing the Congress of choosing ‘vote-bank politics even on Diwali’, with the party president describing the festival as an ‘Eid of Happiness’. ‘Mr Kharge, what exactly is the problem with calling Diwali, the biggest festival of Hindus, by its own name?’ tweeted Gaurav Bhatia, one of the BJP's national spokespersons.

Linguists, however, say there was nothing inherently offensive about the phrase used by the Congress president. While they were not surprised by the interpretation offered by BJP spokespersons, they pointed out that the phrase merely meant a ‘festival of joy’. The Arabic word eid generally means a festival, feast or recurring celebration, they recalled. The Hindi word Diwali, on the other hand, is derived from the Sanskrit deepavali, which literally means a row of lamps.

However, while Eid has come to be associated with two specific Islamic festivals, Diwali has come to be identified with the Hindu festival of lights. The controversy, therefore, is neither about the meaning of ‘Eid’ nor about the meaning of the phrase ‘Eid of happiness’ when used to describe Diwali. It stems from the BJP's politics, which frowns upon everything that sounds even remotely Islamic. The phrase provided the party with a handle to whip up passions by insinuating that it was somehow a slur, deliberately used to mock the Hindu festival.

The debate would also have to take into account the fact that the word eid in Arabic, Persian and Urdu originally described the ‘nature’ of the occasion as joyous, while the word 'Diwali' described an essential part or symbol of the occasion — a row or festival of lamps. Linguists would therefore argue that Eid has a broader lexical meaning than Diwali. An Arabic speaker could use the word to describe even a ‘national festival’. Diwali, in contrast, is the proper name of one particular tradition or festival.

However, most people in South Asia have come to associate the word eid with the Muslim festivals of Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha. Similarly, Diwali has come to mean the Hindu festival celebrating the triumph of light over darkness. Traditionally, Hindus and Muslims have celebrated festivals together, and it is not uncommon to see Hindus attending iftaars and partaking of feasts hosted by Muslims. Similarly, Muslims celebrate Diwali with lamps and sweets, without necessarily observing the religious rituals associated with the occasion.

But trust the BJP and its followers to divide festivals and twist even the meanings of words. It is not uncommon to find Hindus using the greeting ‘Diwali mubarak’. The Arabic word mubarak is frequently used in expressions such as janamdin mubarak (happy birthday), shaadi mubarak (congratulations on your marriage), Eid mubarak (happy Eid) and Holi mubarak (happy Holi).

BJP spokesperson Tuhin Sinha, however, took the cake when he found yet another reason to criticise the phrase ‘Eid of happiness’. Muslims, he said, celebrate Eid only twice a year, but the Congress party wants to celebrate every Hindu festival as ‘khushiyon ki Eid’.

Make whatever sense you want to make of it.