A few days ago the ‘ the ‘ Desi’ Pride of the Indian ’ got a jolt like a dozing Lion when a passing Jumbo stepped on its tail …
The reason?
The breaking of news of a ‘Breach of Protocol’ committed by an American Airline , while dealing with our Former President Dr. A.P.J.Abdul Kalam….
The papers were full of it as to how the former Prez was subjected to frisking by the staff of America’s Continental Airline while he was waiting for boarding a flight to the US of A…Not wanting to be a ‘second’ in the upholding of the country’s honour, the Politicians and the Press came out in droves with condemnation of the worst kind . They stood on their hind feet and bayed for the blood of the airline……
The VIPs ( read MPs and MLAs) also jumped into the fray with fire and ferver seldom shown by them in matters concerning saving of people from flood havocs and epidemics spread on a war footing …
They went into an over-drive, spewing out very high decibels and brought the ‘House’ and Assemblies to their knees while demanding dire action against the Airline… even to the extent of banning its very existence on the Indian soil. The Civil Aviation Minister promised ‘prompt’ action and ‘ promptly’ poked the Bureau of Civil Aviation in their rear to take ‘appropriate action’ to bring the airline ‘to book’. An FIR was ultimately slapped on the ‘erring’ airline with alacrity for the ‘breach of protocol’ on the 21st of July . After ‘hemming and hawing’ for a while the airline caved in before the ‘Might of the Indian Union’ and apologised to the Ex-Prez…
Now hear ye this….
The incident had occured nearly 4 months ago but the Rip van Winkles of our ‘Babudom’ woke up only now to register their protest . All for what?
The man who was involved in the matter went about his business as though the incident had never occured. As someone who believed strongly in the dictum that rules are made for obeying and not flouting (something alien to these guys ), he had accepted the airlines’ demand and complied with them fully without dissenting since security was involved . And what more , narry a word of complaint to the ‘Higher-Ups’ … …
Greatness shows! It sure does…
While doing all those protocol dissections what really happened was a case of ‘missing the woods while looking for the trees’… The all important fact that there was a lesson to be learned from the behaviour of Dr.Kalam ..and emulated.
These days the papers are full of incidents where some VIP or other refused to allow himself to be frisked just because he was an MP or some such ‘big wig’ who believes he is above the law. Even incidents of airline staff having been threatened and abused by these ‘johnnies’ are not uncommon in the Indian aviation circles. Despite the fact that ordinary mortals elected them from among themselves , after the elections these folks behave as though they are no more ‘mortals’ !
That perhaps explains the uproar stirred up by them against frisking … It is apparently to underline the fact that ‘ Us VIPS’ are ‘’ untouchables’ and are to be handled with kid gloves…A case of pure and simple ‘ego-syndrome’
Or have they got something to hide… ?
Who knows? Maybe …just maybe…
Click here…>>>a-political-kalamity
