OUR V.I.P.'s-an embarassment .

LAUGH OR CRY AT OUR V.I.P’S ?

It was a bad day for United Airlines at an airport at Denver. There was only one receptionist to issue boarding cards to the dozens of travelers thronging the counters.

In walked a pompous man, brushed his way through the waiting agitated people, thumped the receptionist’s table and demanded that he be immediately issued a ticket and ‘a first class one at that’.The receptionist was unfazed.

‘I will try my best to give you a first class ticket but please join the queue’ she replied.

Not content with not being given V.I.P treatment the pompous man shouted in a way reminiscent of an Indian V.I.P

‘Do you know who I am?’

The receptionist calmly spoke into the PA system ‘This gentleman wishes to know who he is .Can someone assist him please?”’

The crowd laughed to the great embarrassment of the pompous man.

‘ **** you’ he shouted.

‘Even for that you will have to join the line’ she said, still calm.

I narrate this episode in the context of an Indian M.P apparently coming late to board an Air India flight after the gates had been closed. The pilot refused to take off . An argument ensued. The M.P was upset and threatened to report the pilot to the Privileges committee of the Rajya Sabha. The pilot protested his innocence. I am sure the great M.P will have his own version of the incident but what I read in the website is as shown in the following link http://www.ibnlive.com/news/pilots-association-wants-kerala-mp-to-apologise/62979-3.html

The truth will never be out since an honorable M. P is involved and the media and ordinary people are helpless against these august people. I can also predict that no matter who is at fault the pilot will have to pay the price , he will be suspended for ‘misbehavior’ and even demoted to Pavan hans where he will fly helicopters even though he has been to Seattle or France and has been trained to fly the latest jets.

Contrast this with the way in which no matter how rich or powerful or successful you are in the US you are treated the way everyone is treated. Even Bill Gates is subjected to security checks whenever he comes to Congress for submitting his testimony . I wish we did not do a hodge podge of things. Amartya Sen remarked that India has learnt the worst aspects of socialism and capitalism .We have not learnt the way capitalism generates competition ,rewards the best and encourages dynamism . On the other hand were have not learnt even from Cuba which has a fine education and medicare system.

\We have learnt the way the privileged people in a communist country [also called ‘oligarchs’] enjoy privileges denied to the vast masses , and the greed that is the feature of unbridled capitalism.

K.R.RAVI

USA