“You frisking me, you freak. Don’t you know who am I?”

Every second person you meet in India thinks he/she is VIP. Every tom dick and Harry present in any gully, muhalla or nukkad of our country expects special treatment. Haven’t we all cringed a thousand times hearing that awful sentence, “Don’t you know who I am?” The obvious response to that is “No”. Instead, the louder the person bellows, the lower some minion bows. It has something to do with our feudalistic mindset and outdated class consciousness. This sickening attitude is so ingrained in our psyche, that it isn’t uncommon to observe a 10 yr. old brad strutting around an airport with papaji’s peons dancing around the kid. It’s the old “Bade baap ka aulaad” syndrome….and it is alive and thriving in the 21^st century.

The recent uproar over an ancient incident (come on, it took place in April, not last week) makes one believe all the political huffing and puffing surrounding the ‘unpardonable’ act is nothing but opportunism parading as patriotism. And to think the elderly guy (our own ex-prezzie) who was subjected to the ‘demeaning’ frisk, went along minus any protest or fuss! That is called true class, and real VVIP conduct.

It’s the insecurity or the fear of losing their celebrity status which is making the ‘leaders’ shout. Politicians from abroad visiting India are exempted from these routine checkups. No doubt they are world figures but absolving them from formalities is a nauseating reminder of how we crawl in presence of imported dignitaries. But hey- they are political appointees doing their Job. Nothing more, nothing less. It is our chamcha attitude whenever there is a celebrity around. But I am equally certain had they been subjected to the same procedures as APJ Kalam, had they been boarding an AIR India flight, they would have gone along without any murmur, accepting that each country has the right to enforce its own security measures in today’s critical times. It is us who exempt them.

We need to understand why the bowing and scrapping goes on in the first place. It is time we scrap these arbitrary exemptions and make it one rule for all, regardless of status or position. This may start with several ruffled egos to start with, but soon everybody will fall in line seeing zero options.

It is these privileged statures who over the years have systematically stripped and ruined the one time worlds top five carriers (AIR India). Successive governments have taken advantage of technical loop holes to assert themselves, loot money, favour rivals, neglect genuine concerns, safe in the knowledge that no action will be taken against anyone. “Corruption rules”. The days of legends like JRD running the show are long over. Innovative thinking like getting air hostesses in sarees, the stature of maharaja is difficult to imagine these days. Steps like bartering of most profitable roots, selling of best international properties have created this havoc. No-body is answerable any more. And the people at the receiving end of all the new fangled cost cutting measures are mostly hapless, loyal employees who have served the airline for more than 30 yrs or more.

The probable solution they are thinking of now is restructuring, bail out packages and may more. But the last hope of rescuing the airline according to me is another Tata. Privatization of the airline is the only possible solution it seems. It should be handed back to the group who conceived it. Ratan Tata is genuinely capable. But what is needed is a miracle to keep Air India aloft. Perhaps Ratans the man-another true blue VVIP like Dr.Kalam, who would never object to being frisked-even while boarding an Air India flight!