Story #1: Giri is flagged down by cops for a traffic violation & levied a formal fine of INR 300 for speeding. Giri picks out his wallet & realizes he has only INR 10 in his pocket. He shows his wallet to the cops & explains his predicament – he has only INR 10 on him. The cops, in a hurry to handle the bunch of other offenders, pocketed the 10 bucks & let him go. Back on the road, Giri smiles to himself & pats his socks into which he moved all his money just before getting out of his vehicle to face the cops.
Story #2: Mala, the speed maniac, touches a 100 kmph on her way to office for an early morning meeting. Though she sights the police van with the speed gun, she speeds to 110 kmph – a personal best on this stretch. She is confident of her strategy – just in case the cops get interested in her speeding. On that day, they were & stopped her dutifully. In a practiced manner, Mala first finds the cop in-charge & notes down the name. Next she starts creating a scene, vowing never to pay single rupee fine & yelling about the bad quality of roads. While the cops try to get a handle of unusual feminine aggressiveness, she starts dropping a bunch of politician’s name & threats to call them. Within the next few minutes, Mala is back on the road with a satisfied smile.
These were stories narrated (proudly if I may add) by Giri & Mala to their co-workers – all well educated & highly paid professionals. Not only were there some adulatory nods, but more than one person made a mental note of the smart strategies used by these individuals.
Street smart & quick on the feet, these citizens used conniving means to beat the system for their own benefit. Much like the CWG 2010 sports administrator who almost got away (might yet) with procuring $180 per roll toilet paper with tax payers money? What moral right do Giri & Mala have to question corrupt politicians or government officials if they themselves use their ways? What can YOU do to stop this play of double standards?
