Dr. Kalam

Does American hubris know no bounds? Do they think no one else in the world matters at all? That if you’re not American, you’re lower than dust? The staff of the Continental airlines had the audacity to frisk Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam at the airport. One of the most respected scientists of our age and what’s more our past President! How dare they? Do they think he’s some terrorist or what? And when this matter came to light, they had the temerity to call it “routine procedure”, saying they had no special treatment for VIPs. I bet they would never pull this off on Bill Clinton! Try frisking Bush! A lot of expletives come to mind. Those smug b******s think they’re above it all. “routine procedure” my ass! Just shows how utterly lacking they are in basic decency. He’s a former Head of State for God’s sake! How the f*** can they do that?
The matter came up in parliament and an FIR has also been lodged. There were calls for cancelling the airlines license to operate in India. Normally I never see eye to eye with our ‘respected’ parliamentarians, but on this issue, even though the proposal seems a bit extreme, I support it wholeheartedly. It’s time the world came to realise that we are no longer pushovers. An extreme measure like what Dalmia did during the Tendulkar controversy in SA (the first time India flexed its financial muscle at the ICC) becomes, at times, necessary to make a point clear. Since that episode, the BCCI has got its due respect in world cricket, no matter how sad some of the old Brit and Aussie administrators and players feel about it; they didn’t feel quite so bad when they ruled the roost!
Something similar ought to be done in this situation too. Remember how shabbily Air France treated Indian passengers a couple of months ago? I’m sure some action against Continental will make international airlines sit up and take notice. Just idle talk of a ban has got the Continental people singing a different tune. Suddenly it is no longer “routine procedure” but a regrettable incident that they apologise for, though Dr. Kalam hasn’t yet received any apology.
Some papers are making the point that Dr. Kalam has not made a hue and cry about it, nor has he publicly objected to it and it’s only our politicians who’re feeling outraged. I say that even if Dr. Kalam, the gentleman that he is prefers to stay silent or doesn’t take umbrage at the incident, we as Indians should. It is not only a matter of frisking an individual; it’s an insult to our polity and our country. It reeks of double standards and sheer disdain on the part of the Continental airlines. We cannot as a nation let this matter lie. We are not second class citizens in this world, and indeed, no one should be considered so. Unfortunately this is a message that does not enter white skulls as easily and has to be oftentimes hammered home. Although I don’t hold out much hope of a proper sustained response in this from our politicians, I hope this is one time that I am mistaken.