As usual after waking up, I take the newspaper and browse through the front page. I hardly ever read the front page because it is filled with gross, nauseating and heart breaking negative news, which, if I read, will surely make my day worse!
But today a headline grabbed my attention.
Wrongfully arrested, diplomat's daughter sues NY for $1.5m
A certain Ms. Kritika Biswas, daughter of Debashish Biswas, vice counsel at the Indian consulate in New York, was arrested on false charges of sending obscene and threatening anti-Semitic hate mails to teachers of her school in December 2010.
For a change I read the whole story under the headline. You too can read it here.
Now most of the people who would read this story would be enraged that how could the administration arrest an innocent 18 year old girl? How could ‘they’ mistreat one of ‘us’? I’m sure Indian media would take this story and play it for a while and will surely give a racial undertone to it. Everybody will make a hue and cry about mistreatment of Indians by the Americans, etc., etc.
After reading the whole story, I didn’t feel enraged or think there was racial discrimination. I felt good about Ms. Biswas! No I’m not a sadist!
Ms. Kritika Biswas is in a country where she can actually sue the administration of a city for being mistreated. And if she is innocent, then I’m sure she will receive compensation, not necessary the entire $ 1.5 million. This compensation is for mental and physical stress undergone due to the unfortunate incident.
Now, picture the same scene in our glorious motherland, India. You don’t even need to picture it in your mind; this is the story of thousands of people in this country. But it is not reported in the papers. There are no cases filed against the administration. Because we, the people know that nothing will happen. THERE IS NO ACCOUNTABILITY in our system.
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| Accountability: The Indian Style... |
Ms. Biswas can appeal because she knows that she is in a land, where accountability is of the highest importance and where it is expected; it is something that we Indians can just dream of. A citizen there can sue the administration if he falls into an uncovered manhole and breaks his leg. But here, people have died and nothing has happened.
Aah! I want this for my city. But this wonderful city of Mumbai is nothing but a whore for the pimp-politicians who come every year, do some business through it and leave it bleeding for some other mother fucker to do business with it. And we Mumbaikars are its kids who helplessly watch this whore who provides for us. I think it is true for the entire country, not just Mumbai!
All of us are fed up potholes. The potholes are of all shapes and sizes, all depths, at all locations. They are so prominent that you can find them even on flyovers and highways. I even wrote a satirical post about it here.
What I’m going to enlighten you will blow your minds off. Do you know that a UK citizen can claim for damages if his car has suffered mechanical failures due to potholes? Do you know that UK pays out more than £ 50 million as compensation claims due to poor roads? Don’t believe me, check it out here.
It feels so great to read and know that these countries are accountable! As an Indian citizen, I do not want a lot from the government. I just want accountability. Simple! But the people of this country were enslaved for over 3 centuries and went scot-free on 15th August 1947. For over 3 centuries there was somebody else who was accountable to us. We went to ‘them’ with our problems. We forgot what it means to be accountable. We still do what we did in those three enslaving centuries, we blame each other and want somebody else to come and clear the mess.
The majorities of people choose to stay mute and try to make a living and do not pay heed to things like potholes even though it is the cause of their botched up cars, injured backs, stress, high blood pressure and rage. This majority stays silent because it is busy trying to make a living.
Amongst the miniscule minority who pays heed and are aware, who tries to change and does something to change, are unfortunately defeated by the system. They end up feeling sorry for their standard of life and sorry for their country and insulate themselves.
And then there are the smart ones who do not want to compromise! These people in search of nothing but good standard of life move out of this country to some place where they do not have to worry about petty issues. The media calls it brain drain. I call it ‘Accountability’s Gain’.
I feel, I do not know what to do. If there is someone who knows how to bring accountability in our system let me know. Maybe we can start something which can be a spark a revolution which will lead to this country’s latent metamorphosis.
Like any other of the few ordinary educated, informed and well read citizens, it pains me because I know that the grass indeed is greener on the other side.
