During one of the sessions of the Jaipur Literature Fest in Jaipur, Oxford Dictionaries announced ‘Aadhaar’ as the first Hindi word of the year for 2017. As soon as the announcement was made, it created a lot of buzz among the online social media users. Almost instantly, Twitterati began poking fun on the ‘Aadhaar’ and the same joke of Oxford dictionary linking to Aadhaar was repeated several times on Twitter.
Here are some funny, rib-tickling tweets on Aadhaar being announced as the Hindi Word of the Year:
#Oxford Dictionary linked itself with #Aadhar @UIDAI https://t.co/EFmrHN4SW6
— Jai Malviya (@jaimalviya) January 28, 2018
So by making ‘aadhar’ the word of the year , Oxford dictionary also linked it self from adhar before 31st march and avoided disqualification from online and offline bookstores ! Wise ! pic.twitter.com/3FKVateB2n
— sumit (@sumitsaurabh) January 28, 2018
So Oxford Dictionary has been linked by #Aadhar now.
Another point in its favour when #SupremeCourt hears the petition challenging Aadhar… https://t.co/hJiYgblfRj— sandeepvarma (@sandeepvarma15) January 27, 2018
It’s funny when even Oxford links the “Aadhaar” to the dictionary! #aadhaar #thenewoxfordword
— Maitri DAND (@crazy_maitri) January 28, 2018
Government of India mandated Oxford to link Aadhar by 31 Jan otherwise their sale will be prohibited. See the impact https://t.co/6Tb9SQ44QO
— Amit Jain (@Amit_J) January 28, 2018
When 121cr heads have to link AADHAR everywhere then it’s obvious!
— Dr.Pankaj Hande (@drpankajh) January 27, 2018
Although the word ‘Aadhaar’ has been a part of Hindi vocabulary since ages, it gained a new meaning in 2010 with the introduction of Aadhaar cards. However, in the recent past, the word has been discussed numerous times, mainly due to the annoyance people have been going through as the government has been repeatedly telling citizens to link their Aadhaar to all accounts. Probably this was the reason that it was chosen as the ‘Hindi Word of the Year’, as it attracted a lot of attention.
According to the press statement from Oxford University Press, the word reflects the ethos, mood or the preoccupations of the previous year. Other words shortlisted were ‘Notebandi’, ‘Swachh’, ‘Vikaas’, ‘Yoga’, and ‘Bahubali’. These words showcase the social, cultural, political and economic trends and events that have been a part of the year. Notably, most of these words have been popularized as a part of the government’s policies and agendas.