In January 2019 two members of the National Statistical Commission resigned. They were the acting chairperson, P.C. Mohanan, and J.V. Meenakshi. They disagreed with the government over the delay in releasing a new survey of employment.
The Ministry of Statistics replied: “These concerns were not expressed by the members in any of the meetings of the Commission in the last few months.”
In September 2019 an anonymous group that signed itself “ethical employees” wrote to the board of Infosys. “Parekh and Roy have been resorting to unethical practices for many quarters,” it said of the chief executive, Salil Parekh, and the chief financial officer, Nilanjan Roy. “We are asked not to share large deal information with auditors,” the letter said. “CFO is compliant and he prevents us from showing in board presentations large deal issues.”
In January 2020 the board’s audit committee reported that it had found “no evidence of any financial impropriety or executive misconduct.”
On August 7, 2020, Air India Express Flight 1344 skidded off the end of the tabletop runway at Kozhikode. The crew had aborted two earlier landing attempts because of heavy rain and tailwind. Both pilots and 19 passengers died. The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau published its final report in September 2021. It found that the first officer “did not offer the required corrective inputs and displayed a meek and unassertive demeanour.”
The report pointed to “the prevailing cockpit gradient in Air India Express leading to poor Crew Resource Management.” It also described “The stiff and closed work environment, where hierarchy and seniority work to the detriment of the airline.”
Maunam sammati lakshanam. Silence is a sign of consent. Writing in The Telegraph in 2023, Upala Sen quoted the saying: “There is that saying in Sanskrit, maunam sammati lakshanam. Meaning, silence conveys consent/support.”
She then argued that in many situations the saying does not hold.
In one of the Akbar and Birbal tales, a poor Brahmin stands all night in a freezing pond to win a reward from the emperor. Akbar refuses to pay. A light in the palace, a mile away, kept the man warm, he says.
Birbal does not argue. He sends word that he will come to court once his khichdi is cooked. Days pass. When Akbar goes to see him, the fire is far away from the pot. Akbar sees his mistake and pays the Brahmin.
Dabi zubaan se: with a pressed-down tongue. The Rekhta dictionary defines it as speaking in a low voice, in a muffled voice, timidly.
Munh pe aur, peeth peeche aur: one thing to the face, another behind the back. Rekhta glosses it as a friend outwardly and an enemy inwardly. Peeth peeche badshah ko bhi bura kehte hain: behind his back, people speak ill even of the emperor.
Bichauliya: the one in the middle. Rekhta gives mediator, arbitrator, go-between and middleman. Its Hindi entry adds the person who arranges a marriage or an engagement.
Kurippu arindhu kaalam karudhi verupila vendupa vetpach chollal. Read the signs, consider the moment, and say what is needed in a way that does not displease. This is couplet 696 of the Thirukkural, the classical Tamil book of ethics, in its chapter on conduct in the presence of kings. One English version reads: “Knowing the signs, waiting for fitting time, with courteous care, / Things not displeasing, needful things, declare.”
On May 22, 2010, Air India Express Flight 812 crashed while landing at Mangalore. The Court of Inquiry found that the captain continued an unstable approach “despite three calls from the First Officer (H S Ahluwalia) to ‘go around’.” The first call was a question: “Go around?” The last was: “Go around captain…We don’t have runway left.”
The first officer did not take over the controls. The report noted “ambiguity in various instructions empowering the ‘copilot’ to initiate a ‘go around’.”
On June 20, 2017, Anil Kumble resigned as head coach of the Indian cricket team. In his statement he wrote: “I was informed for the first time yesterday by the BCCI that the Captain had reservations with my ‘style’.” The captain was Virat Kohli.
Kumble concluded that “the partnership was untenable.” He listed what he had tried to bring: “Professionalism, discipline, commitment, honesty, complementary skills and diverse views.”
In India a side-to-side movement of the head often answers a question. Wikipedia’s article on the head bobble says that “most frequently it means yes, or is used to indicate understanding.” It can also take the place of a thank-you.
The meaning depends on context. “An unenthusiastic head bobble can be a polite way of declining something without saying no directly.”