Yes, hon'ble minister

One (of the many) of the things that does get my gall up is the fact that elected representatives in India, such as MPs and the like are addressed by the prefix 'Honourable', usually shortened in print to Hon'ble. I cannot reconcile as to why this is. It is obviously some sort of colonial hangover madness, akin to lawyers being dressed in ridiculous outfits. Can you imagine having to wear that silly black outfit in a place like Madras in the heat of summer? No wonder they start beating up all and sundry!

Definitely, there's nothing honorable in India about being a member of Parliament. Many have criminal backgrounds. In spite of being fully aware that the cost of running the Lok Sabha for 1 minute is enough money to feed a family of 4 in rural India for half a year, few choose to attend Parliament. Bills get signed into law with hardly any deliberation or debate. Especially when it comes to rewarding themselves. Taxpayers like you and I are now paying for the air travel of such 'honorable' folks and their entire extended medical family. Outraged? Read about it here.

The Indian code prohibits any sort of titles bestowed by a foreign power. Hence, we do not see any Indian citizens being knighted and the like. While this is admirable in the fact that we do not want to seem to be under the colonial thumb by lending credence to their silly titles, why adopt a half-hearted approach and provide such elected representatives a title?

And of course, lest I forget, this does extend to members of the legislative assembly as well.