Some advertisements go beyond being eye-catching, they stay in one's mind and leave an impact that lasts - though, equally, a large number of advertisements are outrageously irritating too.
The Tata Tea advertisements - election campaigning, for one - and now, the most recent campaign against bribery (with the tag line "Ab khilana bandh, pilana shuru") is another lovely gem. Tonnes and tonnes of papers have been published on corruption, bribery etc. Transparency International routinely comes out with their annual reports rating/ranking countries from the least corrupt (rank 1) to the most corrupt (rank xyz) and most Indians would not be surprised to know that we always end up at the wrong end of the scale. We all know how corrupt the "SYSTEM" is and, most often, WE take a "holier than thou" approach, don't we?
Set me thinking, this Tata Tea ad.... I'm 45 years old now. Till 2002 November I can honestly say I'd never bribed any one (nor taken a bribe!). Yes, there had been occasions when a bit of speed money would have helped to move my various files/applications - getting my dad's death certificate, legal heir certificate, my mother's family pension papers passed, a telephone connection, gas connection etc. I'd always fought my way through, sticking to the adamant stand that I will not bribe...
In November 2002, for the first time in my life I came to STAY in Mumbai as a resident - the city of opportunity, the city of hope - and within a few months (between December 2002 and February 2003, to be exact - I have the record in my diary) I had "encounters" with Mumbai's traffic police on no less than 7 occasions. Traffic violations ranging from parking in No Parking zones, using the cell phone while driving, jumping red lights, lane cutting, not wearing a seat belt, my co-passenger in the front seat not wearing a seat belt... The first of these was a clean, straight forward event, I had to track where my car had been towed to, paid the full official fine and drove off.. no hassles.
The "using cell phone" incident happened at Peddar Road, coming back to the suburbs from town. It was 4 in the afternoon and I was flagged down by a cop on a bike who puled me over. Asked for my driver's licence which I handed over. He told me the fine was Rs.100/- which I offered to pay telling him to write out the challan. That's when I hit my first hurdle - he informed me that he was not authorised to collect the fine but only to confiscate my licence and issue a challan. I was to collect the licence the next day at Tardeo police station. I found this strange but still stayed firm - NO BRIBE, I was guilty, I would pay the fine. Which I did, 2 days later when my work involved a trip to a client close to Mahalaxmi.. no big deal.
And so it continued, time after time, fines totaling almost Rs.1,200/- in 3 months for a variety of offences... till the BIG day. I was somewhere near Borivli, not a place that I usually visit, no clients there. I had "jumped a red light" that was virtually invisible, I had blindly followed a BEST bus (are they exempted from observing signals?) and was flagged down by a havaldar. And then the argument started - I tried telling him that the signal was not red, that I followed the bus, etc. No avail.. he asked me for my licence. By now, I am familiar with the "hints" and the "eye-winking" that follows this. The idea of having to drive back to Borivli to collect my licence, to spend more than 3 hours and the fuels, to pay a Rs.100/- fine...... somehow, it didn't seem worth the trouble. A "wink-wink" and a "nudge-nudge" and a quick haggling, "settled" the matter for Rs.20/- and came away, licence intact but conscience damaged/dented a bit....
It's a bit like losing one's virginity? That first time led to a few more, then it became routine, the final stage being reached when the act of handing over one's driving licence became a practised art of keeping a Rs.20/- note inside the palm...
A month back I met someone who shared with me a similar experience/anecdote. He told me how he was flagged down at Mulund, refusing to pay a fine for he was convinced he was not guilty, he decided to protest in his own manner. He stood his ground, parked his car by the road-side and kept taking photos of the cops with his cell-camera each time they tried to take a bribe from other motorists!! The cops threatened him, grumbled, muttered and finally let him free after about 30 minutes.... I don't know whether this story is true or embellished a bit but it struck a chord...
....... and then the Tata Tea ad. And, tomorrow is Mahatma's birthday.....
ab khilana bandh, pilana bhi bandh..... if I have to pay a fine, I will.... instead of driving all the way to Borivli, I shall wait ten days and collect my licence from Worli HQ....
Fine is fine, no more bribe!
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