The Hindi word for conversation is samvaad. It is a beautiful word. The word samvaad is composed of two parts - sam meaning same or equal, and vaad. The origin of the word vaad is interesting. In the colloquial sense, vaad simply means voice or noise or loudness. Therefore samvaad literally means the same level of loudness. This means in Hindi, a conversation cannot happen unless all parties are equally loud, or rather, have the equal voice. This simple word sows the seeds of democracy and dialogue in the spirit of the language itself. This is also the root of many shouting matches that we see as a natural part of being an argumentative Indian.
But let's dig a little deeper. The word vaad shares
its root with the word vedna which means an expression of pain. Both
these words in-turn share root with the word vadini which means the one
who expresses. In Hinduism, the Goddess Saraswati, the Gooddess of wisdom and
art, is often called veena-vadini, i.e. the one who expresses herself
with the music of the veena instrument. The purest meaning of the word vaad
is expression. And not just simple expression, an expression that carries
wisdom and beauty. Samvaad means dialogue, where all parties are equal,
informed, and the expression is tasteful. Unless these conditions are met, samvaad
cannot be said to have occurred.
Samvaad also requires sam, i.e. agreement of
base axioms. Without a foundation, there can be no dialogue. For samvaad,
there needs to be a common standing ground. A broad consensus. The ability to
acknowledge that even if there is a difference of opinion, there is no
difference of intent. Without that base point of meeting, it is not just a
difference of opinion, but a difference of ideology. A difference of opinion
can be reconciled, negotiated, and compromised-with in pursuit of common
objectives. However, a difference of ideology cannot be reconciled because the objectives
pursued are different. In such a scenario, samvaad is not achieved. What
is reached is matbhed. There is no reconciliation in matbhed.
Even in English, the word "conversation" carries a
similar depth. The word "conversation" itself has the same roots as
the word "convert". Conversation comes from the Latin words con
meaning together and versare meaning turn. The idea of a conversation
requires the ability to exchange and entertain ideas with an openness to change
one's own. If there is only imposition of one's own ideas, it is not a
"conversation" but a narration.
In both traditions, Indian and Western, the idea of
conversation points to more than words exchanged. It is about equality,
reciprocity, and the willingness to meet one another in the shared space of
understanding. To have a samvaad is not just to speak; it is to listen,
to allow expression to find balance, and to keep alive the spirit of democracy.
