I still remember that evening – The Gate way of India in Mumbai was fully crowded. People from all around the world was gathered to see the historical place. Cops were scrutinising everyone.
I was roaming out there with my friends. Everyone was enjoying the beautiful sight. After sometime we left the place and came to main road. Many cops were there for protection. Too many people and taxis were there. Everything seemed fine.
Suddenly a cop came running from other side of the road. He was roaring to everyone to stay away from the road. We were not able to understand anything but followed his instructions and we stepped on the footpath. He was yelling at everyone to move their taxis and rickshaws away from the road. But why was he doing all this?
Because one of the VIPs of our country was going to pass from that road. So everyone stepped back on the footpath. All vehicles moved aside to make room for the VIP’s car. But one taxi was still there on the road. May be that taxi driver wasn’t aware of the VIP’s arrival; so he hadn’t moved his taxi and was still carrying passengers.
However the taxi was well aside of the road and the VIP could have passed easily from there with his bunch of cars. But that cop didn’t think so. He rushed towards the taxi. He was out of his mind and looked at driver as if he has committed a crime and he slapped him and shouted at him with abusive words and took his taxi aside of the road. After that, the VIP passed from that place.
Why did this happen? Why taxi driver couldn’t resist about this incident? Why did he allow the cop to do this with him?
The answer is because he was just a taxi driver; he was not any VIP (Very Important Person) or VVIP (Very Very Important Person) of our country. Who was that VIP? Any politician, businessman or a film star? Whoever he was; but because of him one common man got slapped. There is a possibility that the VIP doesn’t even know about this incident. And that taxi driver wasn’t slapped because of the VIP but he was slapped because of the mindset of Indians. He was VIP; neither the king of India nor the colonial ruler of our country.
The point is that, he was a VIP, he surely needed security but someone should not get insulted without any mistake. Nobody noticed that incident; nobody even cares about this. But think, if some politician or a celebrity would have got slapped; the indecent would have became a national issue or the talk of the town and the person who slapped would have became a criminal. India is the country of VIPs. Become a VIP or you will get slapped.
Become a VIP or you will get slapped.