Devyani Khobragade is a poster child for everything that is wrong with India's quota based reservation system, a feudal and corrupt bureaucracy and a society that is at large still mired in a feudal outlook.
The Khobragade mess is a teachable moment for all, including the US. It is time the US took a hard look at what passes for its 'arrest procedures'. Modern imaging equipment provides enough clues without resorting to a humiliating strip search or an even more denigrating cavity search (the latter was not done to Devyani). Let alone Devyani, anybody who is found innocent later in trial, would have lived through an emotionally scarring experience. This does not behoove a great country.
Those outside the US need to learn that, for every incident they google and dredge up to show leniency by US law, there are ten more that show the impartial nature of US law. Sitting President Bill Clinton had to answer highly invasive questions regarding 'peculiarities' concerning his private parts during the Paula Jones trial. Senators, rock stars, governors, congressmen, film stars have all felt the sharp end of law in US. This is true of most Western countries. Bestselling author and MP Jeffrey Archer underwent imprisonment in UK. More often than not the common Western citizen loves to see justice being delivered to the high and mighty. Many had pointed to the incident in Kenya when a US diplomat caused a car accident killing a man and was later evacuated with no punishment. Check the comments by Americans under those articles. Almost everyone had commented that this was unfair and the man should stand trial.
US has lot of idiosyncrasies in implementing the law. US attorneys and judges have lot of latitude. There is constant discussion in US over frivolous lawsuits, extortion, harassment by overzealous prosecutors, extremely punitive punishments over trivial offenses and of course race as a factor. No country is free of any blemish. The US has its warts in the justice system. An overzealous attorney accused a group of Duke university students of having raped a black stripper. The entire case fell apart later. And, yes the same happened to the French diplomat too. All that said the US justice system, especially compared to India, delivers for most. Conservative commentator George Will wrote a blistering column on how prosecutors coerce drug offenders to plead guilty (see references). Also when a US attorney general decides to prosecute a case not even the President can stop him/her.
Lot of Indians reacted with disgust against Khobragade but demurred about the strip search. What pained me most was how many reacted indignantly with questions like "is the US holy?", "is the maid a CIA agent?" and the worst being "the maid was given lodging and food. Does she need American wages above that?"
Who is Khobragade? Daughter of an IAS officer she grew up in the lap of luxury and, as her father himself stated, never faced any discrimination on account of her being Dalit. To be blunt she only reaped the benefits of being a Dalit just like K.R.Narayanan's daughter did. India's perverted reservation system (not to be confused with the lesser oppressive American style affirmative action) considers Khobragade as eligible for education and job opportunities on account of her caste. Reports say she owns 11 properties including a flat in the scam tainted Aadarsh flats. Asked why she did not declare prior government allotted home her father indignantly replied that it was not their duty to do so.
It is disgusting to see her fellow bureaucrats rush to her defense with op-eds in Indian and international papers. One bureaucrat said that it is a fact that that all consular officials lied in their visa papers about salaries to the domestic help and he proceeded to ask with anger "by approving such visa is not the US complicit". Another diplomat wrote that now every domestic help will feel emboldened to complain to US authorities just to get a green card and pursue 'dollar dreams'. Yet another diplomat, Prabhu Dayal, who was formerly accused of ill treating his maid in the same consulate took to an oped to rehash his case and cast aspersions on the maid.
I was extremely pained to see questions asking why does a maid need $9 just because she is working in NYC since her lodging and meals were taken care of. Why does Khobragade or any Indian diplomat need US salaries? After all, they too live in the same consulate. This feigned outrage in India against the treatment meted to Devyani is nothing but the preening middle class asking "how dare a maid take one of our own to court and have her arrested". This is nothing to do with protecting India's honor. Rather it is bourgeoise India reacting with feudal impulses against a maid. There have been other instances when Indians have been arrested, sometimes wrongly too, and not a single squeak was heard from India.
Many seem to ignore that Devyani used every lever of power to crush the maid. As any middle class employer of India would do Devyani too registered a case of theft against the maid, in India, not in NYC where the purported theft took place. An Indian court gagged the maid from pursuing a legal option in US where the grievance, underpayment, was taking place. Above all, the maid's 'official passport', not Indian passport, was cancelled and a non-bailable arrest warrant issued against her. Non-bailable warrant. For what? And a case was registered against the maid's husband too? For what. I am beyond myself for any iota of sympathy for Devyani or the purported outrage to her modesty. Devyani met her match in Preet Bharara. If Bharara did not exist Devyani, in Bollywood film style, would have stamped into the ground the maid and her family. This is not empty conjecture. It is what Devyani set out to do.
A pompous Yale graduate, liberal and leftist, Suchitra Vijayan penned a column for Rediff bemoaning that Devyani's great work on behalf of the downtrodden is now tarnished. Suchitra says that Devyani, 'a doctor, Dalit and a woman in a male dominated career' will not do just 'lip service' but does 'things that are important'. Yet this Ivy League graduate could not point to a single original idea or project of Devyani beyond empty, inane, platitudes like 'paying forward' and 'creating opportunities'.
That India is ruled by the bureaucrats is evident in this mess. The bureaucracy has closed ranks and is shamelessly trying to protect one of their own. They are even brazen about the fact that they are entitled to 'domestic help' though clearly they cannot afford one in a country where most people, including citizens, do not need a 'domestic help'. The suggested remedies by all these bureaucrats include every idea under the sun except paying appropriately or better still doing away with this colonial era entitlement.
We can trust these officials to come up with ideas that adhere to the law but are void of any scruples or morals. An idea floated suggests that the Indian government, not the official, sign the contracts with the maids thereby presenting a conundrum to any overzealous US attorney over arresting a country or a nonentity like the government. India's GDP is $2 Trillion and Indians love to boast of their possible status of overtaking GDP and yet they want to pay a maid $3 per hour. Shame.
The barrage of op-eds and manufactured outrage on behalf of the perpetrator only shows that the voiceless continue to be voiceless in India. How many Indian papers and TV channels interviewed those who are being sent abroad as 'domestic help'? The foreign minister asks with barely controlled rage that the worst that Devyani can be accused of is underpaying and if so does that is it a big deal. Khurshid was not seen with so much anger when Muslims were butchered in Muzarfarpur. And yes, in some parts of the world, not paying an employee properly is considered criminal.
I've been asked if my interest and anger on this issue is because it gives me yet another chance to scold India. Absolutely no. When I first heard the news I ignored it as yet another Indian trying to act Indian in USA. But then it erupted like Vesuvius. Many, many times I've seen indigent Indian employees in restaurants shyly say "sir please give the tips as cash. If you put it on card it does not come to us". Indians are loathe to tip after eating for $100 so I've seen waiters ask "sir please don't forget a tip". At some places waiters cheerlessly say "we don't get any part of the tip". I've been through the H1B grinding mill. I know personally how Indian employers cheat. Paying an employee on time, paying fairly, treating an employee with respect etc are completely alien to most, not all, Indians.
One day a plumber came to my home to do some repair work. He walked around the home, sat comfortably on the sofa, complimented my daughter and talked to me as an equal human being. I thought would an Indian plumber do the same in India? In India it is common for a small child to call an aged domestic help disrespectfully by name and in singular. Children are employed to babysit children.
Many Indians hated the movie Slumdog Millionaire. Time magazine elicited a response from a middle class car driving girl and a rickshaw driver. The girl was irritated about the movie saying "this is what I see everyday should I see it in the theater too". The rickshaw man said "at last a movie that speaks of people like us". Indians were less livid about the fact that children are maimed and forced into beggary than about a cinematic exaggeration of a child jumping into a pit of excreta.
It is the middle class that is fueling the rise of Narendra Modi. Everyone breathlessly speaks of how factories are opened in Gujarat, how roads are laid pronto, how permits can be got easily but I've not heard a single Modi supporter speak of why Gujarat's primary education lags or why no big universities or research centers or primary health centers or state of the art hospitals were opened. Those do not matter to the middle class who have convents and nursing homes to go to.
Supporters of reservation system would have been livid at my calling Devyani as poster child for everything thats wrong with the system. Consider this. The maid's child and Devyani's child are entitled to the same quota. Guess who has a higher chances of enjoying the fruits of the quota? Convent education, US school going Devyani child or a maid's child? Reservation system undoubtedly helped a few generations but it has become a behemoth today that is hogged by the aptly labeled 'creamy layer'. Today's Hindu carries an article about how schools meant for Adi-Dravida children are dilapidated, to put it mildly, lack teachers, lack classrooms and function in something that resembles a building where even dogs would think twice before resting on a hot day. Politicians use reservation system as a soft option to lure vote banks while ignoring the more vital concrete steps.
There are many lessons to be learnt for all. India and Indians need the most learning to do. I hope they spare a moment to learn.
References:
1. Suchitra Vijayan's column in Rediff http://www.rediff.com/news/report/in-a-world-where-women-only-pay-lip-service-to-womens-rights-devyani-is-an-exception/20131223.htm
2. Non-bailable warrant against the maid Sangeeta Richard http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2013-12-18/india/45336280_1_maid-delhi-court-issues-delhi-hc
3. Entreprenur's 'Letter to an Indian nanny in New York' http://www.indianexpress.com/news/letter-to-an-indian-nanny-in-new-york/1210913/0?SocialMedia
4. Former diplomat Prabhu Dayal's oped http://www.dailymail.co.uk/indiahome/indianews/article-2528046/Fear-loathing-New-York-Former-diplomat-Prabhu-Dayal-reveals-Indian-envoys-US-fall-victim-maids-pursuing-American-dreams.html
5. Prabhu Dayal case reported in CBS http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2011/06/21/housekeeper-sues-indian-diplomat-prabhu-dayal-in-nyc-over-wages/
6. Over 50% of Adi-Dravida schools lack basic facilities - The Hindu http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/tamil-nadu/over-50-of-adi-dravidar-schools-lack-basic-facilities/article5500422.ece?homepage=true
The Khobragade mess is a teachable moment for all, including the US. It is time the US took a hard look at what passes for its 'arrest procedures'. Modern imaging equipment provides enough clues without resorting to a humiliating strip search or an even more denigrating cavity search (the latter was not done to Devyani). Let alone Devyani, anybody who is found innocent later in trial, would have lived through an emotionally scarring experience. This does not behoove a great country.
Those outside the US need to learn that, for every incident they google and dredge up to show leniency by US law, there are ten more that show the impartial nature of US law. Sitting President Bill Clinton had to answer highly invasive questions regarding 'peculiarities' concerning his private parts during the Paula Jones trial. Senators, rock stars, governors, congressmen, film stars have all felt the sharp end of law in US. This is true of most Western countries. Bestselling author and MP Jeffrey Archer underwent imprisonment in UK. More often than not the common Western citizen loves to see justice being delivered to the high and mighty. Many had pointed to the incident in Kenya when a US diplomat caused a car accident killing a man and was later evacuated with no punishment. Check the comments by Americans under those articles. Almost everyone had commented that this was unfair and the man should stand trial.
US has lot of idiosyncrasies in implementing the law. US attorneys and judges have lot of latitude. There is constant discussion in US over frivolous lawsuits, extortion, harassment by overzealous prosecutors, extremely punitive punishments over trivial offenses and of course race as a factor. No country is free of any blemish. The US has its warts in the justice system. An overzealous attorney accused a group of Duke university students of having raped a black stripper. The entire case fell apart later. And, yes the same happened to the French diplomat too. All that said the US justice system, especially compared to India, delivers for most. Conservative commentator George Will wrote a blistering column on how prosecutors coerce drug offenders to plead guilty (see references). Also when a US attorney general decides to prosecute a case not even the President can stop him/her.
Lot of Indians reacted with disgust against Khobragade but demurred about the strip search. What pained me most was how many reacted indignantly with questions like "is the US holy?", "is the maid a CIA agent?" and the worst being "the maid was given lodging and food. Does she need American wages above that?"
Who is Khobragade? Daughter of an IAS officer she grew up in the lap of luxury and, as her father himself stated, never faced any discrimination on account of her being Dalit. To be blunt she only reaped the benefits of being a Dalit just like K.R.Narayanan's daughter did. India's perverted reservation system (not to be confused with the lesser oppressive American style affirmative action) considers Khobragade as eligible for education and job opportunities on account of her caste. Reports say she owns 11 properties including a flat in the scam tainted Aadarsh flats. Asked why she did not declare prior government allotted home her father indignantly replied that it was not their duty to do so.
It is disgusting to see her fellow bureaucrats rush to her defense with op-eds in Indian and international papers. One bureaucrat said that it is a fact that that all consular officials lied in their visa papers about salaries to the domestic help and he proceeded to ask with anger "by approving such visa is not the US complicit". Another diplomat wrote that now every domestic help will feel emboldened to complain to US authorities just to get a green card and pursue 'dollar dreams'. Yet another diplomat, Prabhu Dayal, who was formerly accused of ill treating his maid in the same consulate took to an oped to rehash his case and cast aspersions on the maid.
I was extremely pained to see questions asking why does a maid need $9 just because she is working in NYC since her lodging and meals were taken care of. Why does Khobragade or any Indian diplomat need US salaries? After all, they too live in the same consulate. This feigned outrage in India against the treatment meted to Devyani is nothing but the preening middle class asking "how dare a maid take one of our own to court and have her arrested". This is nothing to do with protecting India's honor. Rather it is bourgeoise India reacting with feudal impulses against a maid. There have been other instances when Indians have been arrested, sometimes wrongly too, and not a single squeak was heard from India.
Many seem to ignore that Devyani used every lever of power to crush the maid. As any middle class employer of India would do Devyani too registered a case of theft against the maid, in India, not in NYC where the purported theft took place. An Indian court gagged the maid from pursuing a legal option in US where the grievance, underpayment, was taking place. Above all, the maid's 'official passport', not Indian passport, was cancelled and a non-bailable arrest warrant issued against her. Non-bailable warrant. For what? And a case was registered against the maid's husband too? For what. I am beyond myself for any iota of sympathy for Devyani or the purported outrage to her modesty. Devyani met her match in Preet Bharara. If Bharara did not exist Devyani, in Bollywood film style, would have stamped into the ground the maid and her family. This is not empty conjecture. It is what Devyani set out to do.
A pompous Yale graduate, liberal and leftist, Suchitra Vijayan penned a column for Rediff bemoaning that Devyani's great work on behalf of the downtrodden is now tarnished. Suchitra says that Devyani, 'a doctor, Dalit and a woman in a male dominated career' will not do just 'lip service' but does 'things that are important'. Yet this Ivy League graduate could not point to a single original idea or project of Devyani beyond empty, inane, platitudes like 'paying forward' and 'creating opportunities'.
That India is ruled by the bureaucrats is evident in this mess. The bureaucracy has closed ranks and is shamelessly trying to protect one of their own. They are even brazen about the fact that they are entitled to 'domestic help' though clearly they cannot afford one in a country where most people, including citizens, do not need a 'domestic help'. The suggested remedies by all these bureaucrats include every idea under the sun except paying appropriately or better still doing away with this colonial era entitlement.
We can trust these officials to come up with ideas that adhere to the law but are void of any scruples or morals. An idea floated suggests that the Indian government, not the official, sign the contracts with the maids thereby presenting a conundrum to any overzealous US attorney over arresting a country or a nonentity like the government. India's GDP is $2 Trillion and Indians love to boast of their possible status of overtaking GDP and yet they want to pay a maid $3 per hour. Shame.
The barrage of op-eds and manufactured outrage on behalf of the perpetrator only shows that the voiceless continue to be voiceless in India. How many Indian papers and TV channels interviewed those who are being sent abroad as 'domestic help'? The foreign minister asks with barely controlled rage that the worst that Devyani can be accused of is underpaying and if so does that is it a big deal. Khurshid was not seen with so much anger when Muslims were butchered in Muzarfarpur. And yes, in some parts of the world, not paying an employee properly is considered criminal.
I've been asked if my interest and anger on this issue is because it gives me yet another chance to scold India. Absolutely no. When I first heard the news I ignored it as yet another Indian trying to act Indian in USA. But then it erupted like Vesuvius. Many, many times I've seen indigent Indian employees in restaurants shyly say "sir please give the tips as cash. If you put it on card it does not come to us". Indians are loathe to tip after eating for $100 so I've seen waiters ask "sir please don't forget a tip". At some places waiters cheerlessly say "we don't get any part of the tip". I've been through the H1B grinding mill. I know personally how Indian employers cheat. Paying an employee on time, paying fairly, treating an employee with respect etc are completely alien to most, not all, Indians.
One day a plumber came to my home to do some repair work. He walked around the home, sat comfortably on the sofa, complimented my daughter and talked to me as an equal human being. I thought would an Indian plumber do the same in India? In India it is common for a small child to call an aged domestic help disrespectfully by name and in singular. Children are employed to babysit children.
Many Indians hated the movie Slumdog Millionaire. Time magazine elicited a response from a middle class car driving girl and a rickshaw driver. The girl was irritated about the movie saying "this is what I see everyday should I see it in the theater too". The rickshaw man said "at last a movie that speaks of people like us". Indians were less livid about the fact that children are maimed and forced into beggary than about a cinematic exaggeration of a child jumping into a pit of excreta.
It is the middle class that is fueling the rise of Narendra Modi. Everyone breathlessly speaks of how factories are opened in Gujarat, how roads are laid pronto, how permits can be got easily but I've not heard a single Modi supporter speak of why Gujarat's primary education lags or why no big universities or research centers or primary health centers or state of the art hospitals were opened. Those do not matter to the middle class who have convents and nursing homes to go to.
Supporters of reservation system would have been livid at my calling Devyani as poster child for everything thats wrong with the system. Consider this. The maid's child and Devyani's child are entitled to the same quota. Guess who has a higher chances of enjoying the fruits of the quota? Convent education, US school going Devyani child or a maid's child? Reservation system undoubtedly helped a few generations but it has become a behemoth today that is hogged by the aptly labeled 'creamy layer'. Today's Hindu carries an article about how schools meant for Adi-Dravida children are dilapidated, to put it mildly, lack teachers, lack classrooms and function in something that resembles a building where even dogs would think twice before resting on a hot day. Politicians use reservation system as a soft option to lure vote banks while ignoring the more vital concrete steps.
There are many lessons to be learnt for all. India and Indians need the most learning to do. I hope they spare a moment to learn.
References:
1. Suchitra Vijayan's column in Rediff http://www.rediff.com/news/report/in-a-world-where-women-only-pay-lip-service-to-womens-rights-devyani-is-an-exception/20131223.htm
2. Non-bailable warrant against the maid Sangeeta Richard http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2013-12-18/india/45336280_1_maid-delhi-court-issues-delhi-hc
3. Entreprenur's 'Letter to an Indian nanny in New York' http://www.indianexpress.com/news/letter-to-an-indian-nanny-in-new-york/1210913/0?SocialMedia
4. Former diplomat Prabhu Dayal's oped http://www.dailymail.co.uk/indiahome/indianews/article-2528046/Fear-loathing-New-York-Former-diplomat-Prabhu-Dayal-reveals-Indian-envoys-US-fall-victim-maids-pursuing-American-dreams.html
5. Prabhu Dayal case reported in CBS http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2011/06/21/housekeeper-sues-indian-diplomat-prabhu-dayal-in-nyc-over-wages/
6. Over 50% of Adi-Dravida schools lack basic facilities - The Hindu http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/tamil-nadu/over-50-of-adi-dravidar-schools-lack-basic-facilities/article5500422.ece?homepage=true
excellent article. should actually create anguish and concern in sensitive minds. regarding reforming reservation system, i, as a supporter of the existing reservation system, have been advocating the easiest and most rational method to reove the creamy layer from repaing the benfits all the time. We need to introduce prirority eleigibility within the reservation for first generation leaerners of every community entitled to reservation. second generation and third generationlearners will get the opportunity only after the quota is filled with first generation learners and if some places still remain vacant.
ReplyDeletegnani
gnanisankaran@gmail.com
Primary education is like a festival fervor and very dangerous. We always ask the child whether it likes corporal punishment and Governments allow it to call 911 if someone is beating the child up. Why don't we ask the kids whether they want to go to school? Forcing them to go school is no better than forcing them to go church, mosque or temple(sic) ( the fanaticism implied in the ordering). Just find out if a child wants to go to school or wants to call 911 instead !!
ReplyDeleteThe comments on pitfalls of reservation policy is too harsh as there exists unfilled vacant seats and seats or carry forward for decades due to lack of suitable candidates from reserved communities.
ReplyDeleteMore than 90% seats in jobs are blue collared jobs of technitians,kalasis,constables,teachers,clerks etc and no creamy layer opt for this job
The creamy layer takes a small percentage of the jobs in the officer category and there still exists a large number of unfilled seats in the officer category and to deny even the few who fill those seats is unfair.Certain states like TN innovative methods of additional marks if parents are nongraduates and schooling in rural govt schools but the courts struck it down.Introduction of the above mentioned methods will give the servants daughter added advantage over the daughter of IFS
well said
ReplyDeleteThe US legal system like every other legal system in the world punishes small crimes and ignores the largest crimes, which are usually endorsed by society. So Clinton gets probed for sexual abuse but not starving Iraqis by policy. Modi gets called "merchant of death" but not Rajiv Gandhi, Obama, Putin, the Khalifah of Ottoman Empire, Mao or Stalin or Castro - all guilty of far greater crimes. The world ranted against Bush for his crimes but not Obama for persisting with the same policies. Something deeper than Devyani is going on here, like in the Delhi rape case, which is not showing up in mainstream media.
ReplyDeleteWell said!
DeleteA thought provoking article but by dragging Modi the writer has proved where his/her sympathies actually lie.For the record ,the rise of Modi is due to the relentles corruption,daily scams,ever increasing inflation,policy paralysis etc of which the whole country is fed up by now.Support for Modi extends right from the upper echleons of the society to the humble chaiwallah and fruitseller on the street.Support for him is not confined to the middleclass as portrayed above.
DeleteLet us not mix up things here. Makes no sense to find justification for wrongful acts of US Govt by bringing in Reservation system. Devyani is not the only one benefiting from it. And she did not violate the laws by benefiting from them. Moreover, now it is becoming apparent that the maid did get minimum wages. On the other hand we have millions of minimum wage workers in US working at Macdonalds and Walmarts who end up living on Govt - food stamps, Medicaid..... The maid never needed that - because she was much more than minimum wages in terms of boarding, housing etc. We Indians seem to be finding some fault with ourselves and would accept all guilt. Have some pride damn it!
ReplyDeleteThe fact is she lied. She may or may not pay the maid. The point is if you have rule you follow it since you are in that country. Don't lie to by pass rules . then don't take the maid at the first place. Also reservation is a very good topic brought up here!! Truly shows what such leeches who feed on the system so easily by virtue of caste and think that they can take the law easily. Unfortunately not in the USA ... Good . the fact she had to flee only seals the deal. Thieves they are!
DeleteLots of incorrect facts.
ReplyDeleteFirst. Reservation system and your gripes with it are irrelevant to the case at hand.
Second, while she didn't undergo what they call cavity SEARCH (probing of cavities), she did indeed undergo the normal strip search which involved VISUAL INSPECTION of the cavities. For that spreading of the labia is required. That is what she - understandably - called cavity search, although technically it is not.
The US propaganda machine is using that technicality to pretend there was NO cavity search.
Next point. The maid looks well fed and clothed and was housed, given insurance and many other perks, besides salary. Her passport and documents were not confiscated. There was no abuse.
And Ms, DK is the one who made the complaint of absconding and extortion.
She correctly made it in the Indian court because the maid was an Indian gvt employee and her visa technically ended the moment she stopped working for DK
There is a more democratic attitude to workers in the US only at one level. In actual fact, at higher levels, the US has a very strong caste system.
Finally, Indian social problems are India's internal concern. US has enough of its own. If it cared about poor people, it would allow poor people to immigrate here on their own but it doesn't. It's investor visa requires a million dollars.
There have been a dozen case of US diplomats committing rape and murder and being shielded by immunity, so the arguments pro US are all hog-wash.
I think the incident was a deliberate provocation to break off ties, while looking like the injured party.
US is now moving onto the next stage of its foreign policy, which is to bring Jihadis to Kashmir, get the Kjriwal trojan horse to back secession and set each country at the other's neck.
Finally, I see some facts after going through a highly opinionated fact-lacking article by another one of our proud Indian-bashing 'Indians'. The author very conveniently skipped over the facts that put to light the US' true shameful acts. Very inconsiderate and irresponsible of the author.
DeleteLila she broke the law. she lied on a visa. on the visa it explicitly says any falsehoods is criminal. She is innocent till proven guilty here. however, it does not look good on her actions. I have noticed Indians sometimes have issues self criticizing. There is always a conspiracy or a victim. When i was over there I was totally angered at the way children do manual labor in the streets for construction in plain site and no one stands up for 4 to 17 year old kids working during school hours.
DeleteYou clearly do not know anything about the us justice system. THe state department bent over backwards to broker a dela to make the issue go away. The us wants nothing but stronger relationships with india. India is better off in the us friend then in the iran friend camp. also there are more mutual interest against the Islamism and jihadi then not teaming together. there is no hidden agenda. there is no master plan here. india fighniting with anyone is not in the us interests. A stable region is in us interest.
@ Lila
DeleteShe was accused of breaking the law and a case registered. We may have got her back by changing the rules in the middle of the same. Also the fact is that she was not employed by the government but by DK unlike what is stated here. Also the accusation of breaking the law was for the time when the visa was applied for and not when the maid stopped working for her. Let's not confuse timelines. Criminality is a fact even if her visa was not valid later.
Looking well fed or slept does not mean that the law was not broken.
On reservation and the mention here - it is her father who opened all this up and not anyone else who spoken about how he and is "Honest family" etc etc etc.
The case is of Visa fraud and non payment of minimum wages and not about US criminality or social situations as you mention.
Hi Good Post....arrived at this page by accident and ended up staying for an hour..good to know there are other like minded Indian immigrants around...btw I'm in D.C.
ReplyDeletegreat article. I am indian living in delhi and could not agree with you more. I am appalled by the reaction of everyone here in India. Interestingly, no one even wanted to know the maid's side of the story. To most people who read english newspapers, she is just a 'thing'. Non existing.
ReplyDeleteI am just back from my first trip to the West ( Germany) and the only reason I could see for India's mess is its hierarchy based society. If we do not respect the individuality, we would not be able to solve our problems.
Congratulations on your thoughts.
This is a good and thoughtful article. However, we do need to compartmentalize issues.
ReplyDelete1) Devayani an her family's incredible corruption and collection of illegal wealth appears quite clear from their assets, but this part is not relevant to the case.
2) The issue of discrimination and dalit in India is finally clarified somewhat but is also irrelevant.
3) Why does the USA even provide visas to domestic workers when so many can be locally engaged?
4) If the statement regarding Kashmiri Jihadis has any merit at all, it will be a Frankenstein that will hurt America like the Taliban. I hope we are not that short sighted.
5) I would like to see Preet Bharara successfully prosecute some local high profile criminals for a change. He is going after people who are not part of the US affluenza even if they are influential. Look at how leniently a terrible rape and near murder case was handled here "http://www.foxnews.com/us/2014/01/10/case-mo-man-accused-rape-ends-with-child-endangerment-conviction-after-lack/" with the mother fired and the family hounded out of their region.
Regarding Preet Bharara, he has investigated some high-profile criminals:
Delete- On January 7, 2014; Bharara announced that his office and JPMorgan had reached a deferred prosecution agreement that called for JPMorgan to forfeit $1.7 billion--the largest forfeiture ever demanded from a bank in American history--to settle charges that it and its predecessors violated the Bank Secrecy Act by failing to alert authorities about Madoff's actions.
- During his tenure, Bharara has charged several current and former elected officials in public corruption cases, including Senator Vincent Leibell, Senator Hiram Monserrate, NYC Councilman Larry Seabrook, and Yonkers City Councilwoman Sandy Annabi. Bharara’s office uncovered an alleged corruption ring involving New York State Senator Carl Kruger. In April 2012, Kruger was sentenced to seven years in prison. In February 2011, Bharara announced the indictment of five consultants working on New York City’s electronic payroll and timekeeping project, CityTime, for misappropriating more than $80 million from the project.
now since dk is back in india, for all practical purposes, 'fleeing from prosecution in the us', technically whatever you might call it, but this being the fact, will she now be prosecuted for her role in the adarsh scam? no friends, she will not. since this government goes to all lengths to support a corrupt, whether true or accused. now in case of dk, she deserves to be protected much more than many, since her father has been a bureaucrat, like herself, so, her right to protection against corruption and protection against prosecution is two times. so, friends, she will NOT be prosecuted in the US , and she will NOT be prosecuted in India, courtesy the official babudom! hail Indian power!
DeleteWhat had reservation system to do with this case at hand. What facts do you have that all benefits are enjoyed by creamy layer ?
ReplyDeletePrior to this article bringing in the reservation syste, Devayanis' father himself mentioned that a Dalit woman is being targeted in the US. He took up this matter to Mayawati who raised the "dalit" point in the Parliament. The reservation system, unfortunately has failed miserably in India and is a prime cause in the current Devayani fiasco.
DeleteI couldn't agree more. Just as the case broke and most of us in the US were condemning it, shockingly my Indian counterparts (I have been a journalist in India) on a Facebook thread were talking of conspiracy theories, dreaming of retaliatory measures and worst, offering that disgusting classist argument that food and rent free living in Manhattan is the best a "maid" can have. One prominent TV news anchor actually did the math to show her take home savings in INR. Not surprisingly he is the son of a former diplomat who had held the same counselor position in New York City and most likely enjoyed a cut-rate nanny himself. So when you read op-eds written by IFS officers, you need to understand they are jumping to Khobragade's defense because they are all guilty of the same act. Reporters and news editors too don't reveal their political affiliations and biases. Many a times media professionals end up acting as mere mouthpieces for their "highly placed" sources.
ReplyDeleteAlso, when Western media reports say the people of India are angry, it isn't quite true. The man on the street isn't angry, rather relieved that the US did not succumb to pressure and drop criminal charges against the errant foreign service officer. See comments under news articles to gauge the sentiment of masses.
I have lived, studied and worked in both India and the US to come to the painful realization that most Indians do not believe and cannot comprehend the fundamental equality of all human beings. Anand Giridhardas had nailed it in his book, India Calling as he noted that Indians like to suck up to those they believe are above them and screw those below.
The problem with the "indian system" is the Indian. It works on patronage and rank. You have to bow down before people who are more powerful than you. Look at the politicians bow down before Soniag, Mayavati, Jayalitha etc. The same guys like the common man to fall at their feet.
ReplyDeleteIn case of DK her main claim to glory is that she is a SC with a powerful EX IAS oficer who has links with all the top cong politicians of Maharashrta.
Why is your expose silent on the father of DKs children. He is a true blue american. I hope they are living together as a family.
regards
My blood boils at the audacity of these corrupt bureaucrats and their ilk. The corrupt shameless diplomat has twisted even IFS rules to get privilege and deprive a deserving candidate. She also has a flat in Adarsh Society illegally. And her father the corrupt Uttam Kobragade has the audacity to call media biased for raising the Adarsh society issue.
ReplyDeleteThis crooked father daughter duo should have been put in jail long ago. Instead the spoiled brat Devyani gets a posh posting as consular general. There she lies and does Visa fraud and the Gov. has to react crazy to save her skin, just because daddy khobragade is influential.
Who the f**k you think you are - Mr corrupt Khobragade and Miss Scam tainted Khobragade? Is India your private property and its citizens your private slaves you bloody shameless duo?
Really nice article. Quite an unbiased view into the whole situation that has been twisted in so many ways by media. I was trying to see the name of the author of this blog post. Can someone tell me who wrote this?
ReplyDeleteAn extremely well written post. Congratulations. Devyani appears to be a habitual liar. She lied on the Adarsh affidavit and she lied on the US visa application. If, as she claims is not guilty of any crimes in the US, why did she need to cloak of diplomatic immunity? By US law, the Govt has the onus of proving guilt; not vice versa. Middle class Indians in India and the US treat menial labor like dirt. That is a fact. In response to a previous comment that questioned the facts of the blog, it should be noted that the only cavity examined was her mouth. Devyani is now despairing about how she is going to live without her kids. What did she do when she was posted in Pakistan? What did she plan on doing once her tenure in NYC ended? Her self-serving email to her colleagues is a joke; it referred to the fear she felt for her own security and the "siege" the IFS fund itself in. If the IFS was under "siege" in the US, why didn't every career IFS officer pack up and leave? I am sure several of them are quivering in their shoes since this isn't the only case of a domestic worked being underpaid. I have sponsored over 10 H1 visas over the years for people from India, the UK and Canada and the one thing you do not do is fuck with the US Govt. You walk in to any Indian jewelry store on Devon Avenue in Chicago and the first thing they tell you is if you pay cash, you won't be charged sales tax, which in the City of Chicago is 9.25%; pretty significant when it comes to a jewelry purchase. Absolutely shameless. It isn't uncommon to see the parents of Indian store owners waking in to the store with bags filled with pirated Bollywood movies that they just got done duplicating at home. Even senior Indian citizens need something to do in the US. Mt father spent 27 honest years in the IAS and resigned from the service when he couldn't handle the corruption anymore. For those of you that have criticized the author of this blog here's 2 suggestions: (a) If you live in the US pack your shit and go back to wherever you came from, and (b) if you live in India don't think about migrating to the US, because you don't know shit about life in this country.
ReplyDeleteWhy so proud of Indian-bashing? Have you ever interacted with Americans or any other nationalities to proudly blame only the Indians? Selling houses and cars in black, big money laundering and under-the-table transactions by the bigshots in the US is as common over here. And mind you, the most popular torrenting and free (pirated) video/music download sites are not Indian, but FYI operated from the US and other western nations. Your mindset is set to spot the penny-stealing and miss out on the big bill thefts.
DeleteVery nice and to the point post. Whatever happened may have been unfortunate and wrong at many levels... and the reactions were at best childish... She has brought a bad name for India!!
ReplyDeleteReally !? You mean the creamy layer does not have to go through insults of being a lower caste, what about the higher brahmin caste class mate asking me "How come you are white and beautiful, because of I have people of lower caste are dark and ugly ? " You live in an alternate world wherein caste system does not apply to the high paid and creamy layer. How many lower caste people do you see holding positions of MD's or VC's or CEO's in private sector ? Can you name 1 or 2 ? I think not. You can deny as much as you want about caste system, reservations only helps the creamy layer, it still hasnt penetrated so much of the private sector that it just shows how misinformed and moronic you are think that it does not matter any more. And for god sakes, how does she being dalit affect this case, next one might say shahrukh khan is an attention seeker, because he is muslim ! It is hideous and outright stupid to think it matters that she is dalit.
ReplyDeleteWasnt it DKs father who raised the caste issue by asking the people to shun their casteist mindset and back his daughter? His political aspersions and inkling are all too wellknown. He just wants too encash Dalit card for poltical mileage... elections being round the corner has only helped to vitiate the matters. Diplomatic tit for tats or equitable treatment to foreign diplomats are all acceptable to me but take this case to its logical end.
Deletegood article, and it make us think before judging this incident ...but it is Muzaffar Nagar not muzaffarpur where Muslims were butchered. which is mentioned in your article
ReplyDeleteI don't know who so ever is the Author of this article he or she has conveniently tried to mix 2 different cases just to prove that Uncle Sam is always right. Well first of all let me clarify that Devyavi may be the most corrupt and a clear beneficiary of India's rotten reservation system but while in US she was representing more than a billion Indians. Her corruption is India's internal matter and we don't need US jurisdiction over that. Fact of the matter is that this was a deep rooted conspiracy of US to protect may be one of its CIA spy that suneeta Richards or else why even her family was down to US by US embassy despite an absconding trial going on in Indian court. The law abiding nature of US is world known as they are hypocrites who just have double standards . You can find 100 cases on net where US did not arrest even a single Russian or Chinese diplomat fearing the reciprocating reaction . See this link for example http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2013-12-05/news/sns-rt-us-usa-russia-healthfraud-20131205_1_u-s-state-department-healthcare-fraud-diplomats
ReplyDeleteSame Mr Bharara has requested Russian govt for waiver of diplomatic immunity of even families before arrest while he did not think even once when He arrested Indian Diplomat . Devyani may be most corrupt but that's India's internal matter not Bharara's. Infact In response to a U.S. law enacted in December 2012 that bars Russians seen as human rights abusers from entering the United States, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed off that same month on a similar law barring some Americans, including some U.S. Justice Department officials, from Russia. Bharara is among those banned from Russia. Thats why US doesnt dare to touch them . Secondly he flew family of the maid to US. If he is so concerned about human rights violation in India and so keen of providing asylum to poor Indians , I can send him a list of lakhs of Indians he can also call them to US. The problem with Indians living in US is that instead of their motherland they prefer showing loyalty to Uncle Sam.
Exactly! The author is one of those wannabes. I lived mostly outside India, but I try to put jerks like these right where I can.
DeleteDK did not pay another indian her dues!! why fight for one but throw the other under the bus? is it just because she is a diplomat!!
DeleteVery bad and misguiding attempt at making the US look better in the entire mess. The singular point that needs to be of relevance in the case is that the Indian diplomat has immunity hence no arrest, no strip search period. The outrage among Indian public was not because the diplomat was from a certain background it was because the diplomat was a lady and she was strip searched,.imagine the scandal it would have caused if a US diplomat was strip searched. The author is very mischievous is bringing caste and reservation system into the discussion, clearly that isn't the point reason for the current mess or for the public outrage.
ReplyDeleteIn India a service charge of 10% is included, so tip should not be paid ... why should cusotmers pay double
ReplyDeleteand why is tip necessary, because US does it
Exactly.. someone tell the author that the US is probably the only country where I see tips being asked for like beggars (on TOP of the service charge!!), and never have I once experienced an Indian waiter/waitress or taxi driver or any Indian here behave like that.
Deleteall of those who r happy with what this idiot( To be blunt ) has posted think while u read his article.
ReplyDeleteeven a person out of his/her mind can tell that he has nothing to do with the maid sangeeta.
1. corruption is not related to being upper caste or dalit, why involve caste?
2. ask this partially mad person that didn't he/she ever lied to reaped benefits for himself?.
3. what happened there is nothin to do with her father, why involve him?
4. who r u sitting somewhere and talkin about india?
5. reservation??? those who talk abt reservation search on internet tat why it was given and evn search for atrocities goin on them here.
i m not speakin for devyani here. i m here to tell tat the writer of this article is talkin arbitrarily.
so ppl likin his article plz think
Exactly my thoughts.. !! Plus the blogger is not well read, belongs to an upper class of the society, who always had the best of facilities, education (third or fourth generation in the family) and also, had friends belonging to the same caste. All get together, and bitch about the reservation system because they have never wanted to go and see the reason for this reservation. Also reerences about Narendra Modi, shows what credibility the blogger holds! Also, Slumdog Millionaire is NOT something to be proud of. Seriously, this is a typical upper class hindu who is tired of the mess in our country and still doesnt have the balls to get about a change.. or leave the country.. Useless disgusted by the immature thoughts..
Deletereservation and devayani case are entirely different things.The problem occurs when person's character is bad. The author of this article may be an unreserved category person.
ReplyDeleteA very poorly written and structured article.The author of the article fails to make any connection between reservation and caste system. The author brings out unrelated points about devyani. Many facts are incorrect and most importantly the author lacks a national outlook.
ReplyDeleteSo do most of the people who concur with the article.
What does it take to have a national outlook ? The old adage of MY COUNTRY, RIGHT OR WRONG no longer holds good today. We need a morally correct outlook,period. When you are a guest in a country, abide by the rules. How can we argue with an argument as simple as that ??
DeleteWhoa, I don't know where this author is coming from and where s/he is going. This entire verbal diarrhea serves no sense and the gallimaufry of opinions is largely bound to create confusion by unnecessarily including too many layers to the case. When I read about this case, the only thing that struck me was how the cops (law and order system) could incarcerate anyone and begin strip/cavity search and other humiliating procedures even before any verdict has been reached by the jury during the trial. Devyani committed a crime and it would have been proved in court. We can sit here and pour our thoughts in a blog and other bullcrap social networking sites; however, quite a few of us would be aware of the intricacies of judicial system that exist in each nation. Let the trial begin, let she be given the right to plea for bail, and if her bail plea is rejected, let her be imprisoned and let her go through all the procedures of usual incarceration that every offender has to go through. Jumping the gun especially for this offense (which is yet to be proved in court) wasn't expected and necessary in a rational highly-advanced society as the US.
ReplyDelete-NS
everyone is searched if you are arrested. its for the safety of the people in jail as well as the police. It is very common and may not happen in india but happens in the states to everyone regardless of status.
DeleteI am glad that I chanced upon the article. Devyani issue has certainly affected a majority of Indians, more so, about the righteousness of the case and how are we placed vis-à-vis the issues involved. The author has impartially handled the incident and helped to position our stand. However, being away from India, the author might have missed out on some of the ground realities. The middle-class or for that matter, to cite the reference of Modi supporters by the author, it can be safely said the people are still mired in either meeting their needs or, if the needs have been met, in safeguarding the extant status from the volatilities of the social uncertainties and insecurities.
ReplyDeleteHowever, coming back to the core issue, I’m intrigued by comments on the mixing of issues. Shouldn’t we look into the causes that led to the imbroglio? The following questions keep knocking my mind:
• Why at all the government should encourage the enslaving process through the provision of visa for the servant and the related allowances?
• What makes the upwardly mobile Indians to view domestic chores with disdain and eschew those as befitting for a poorly paid maid only?
• In a country like US, where dignity of labour is treated with high regard, why can’t Indian officials adopt the practices of the new country and treat the servant, if at all necessary, as an equal and help project a good image of India?
• If native officials, with similar or more responsibilities, don’t require servants and take pride in doing personal work, shouldn’t Indian government select and groom progressive-minded Indian officials, who are free of feudal and bourgeois mindset?
Further, the case was like washing one’s dirty linen in public. As more and more people joined the bandwagon to defend the nation’s prestige against so-called US high-handedness, the more skeleton started tumbling out of the closet, the dis-proportionate and controversial assets and the creamy layer and the benefits of reservation to a limited few, being the case in point.
Resorting to quid-pro-quo measures of expelling a few US Consulate official or removing the security barriers around consulate, might end-up as short-term and inadequate measures and at best, massage our hurt-ego. The need of the hour is to revamp the entire bureaucratic setup and develop a culture of service. Obviously, that is a long-drawn process and can happen with an attitudinal change, a tough task, given the cultural history of the country.
There is no denying the fact that the Indian practice of drawing menial support from maids indeed generates employment for a sizeable number. However, before the blitzkrieg of ever-evolving murkier and shadowy incidents beamed by the visual media overtake the memory of the Devyani case, shouldn’t we introspect ourselves for a while to think what prevents us from bestowing love and care to these serving hands with gratitude and dignity?
Excellent article!
ReplyDeleteplease change Muzaffarpur to Muzaffarnagar.
Corruption is not limited to any particular caste. The fact that DK violated US laws is the issue here. She got the right treatment she deserves. Adios DK.
ReplyDeleteLiked the article. Completely sensible !!!
ReplyDeleteWhile I do agree that the wages may be lesser than US standards she was being paid 30,000 a month in India that was given directly to her family which they have agreed.That is probably three times the salary given to an Indian servant. There also is the aspect of salaries given to Indian workers in the US embassy ( which is technically US ground)where US workers are given minimum wages where a driver work 72 hour weeks and are paid 18000. Maybe this is just a case of another Indian wanting to emigrate to the US and uses this chance. Her family was "evacuated" from India two days before Devyani was arrested.
ReplyDeleteThere are several layers to this and one needs to take all of them into account as they cant be peeled and dissected separately. The uneven privileges given to US diplomats in India as compared to that given to Indian diplomats in the US. The salary is an aspect and touches a sensitive chord among the Indian diaspora in the US...as this disparity in salaries is the very reason that they have shifted to the golden west.
non sense read your comment again and you will feel ashamed on your though process! the maid needs to be paid based on the law of the country she is employed in. Are you expecting the maid to say at home 24/7 not go out for a movie even? if so how can she manage to do t in the wages paid in Indian standards..
Deleteif that is the case NO indian diplomat should be paid in $ for staying in the us DK gets paid 4000 dollars a month more than some employees in US. I doubt any of her INDIAN counters make the same amount on paper!! let her also take home the same amount that her indian counter part is paid and in Indian rupees in India!!
Too much has been squeezed into a single piece so may end up confusing the issue.It is undeniable that most rich & powerful Indians ferry abroad domestic maids/nurses from India to avoid hiring help at US rates.It is equally true that many such helps learn about higher wages over there and try to immigrate legally or otherwise. Devyani resorted to same practice & GOI colluded by agreeing to sign a contract, which had no validity in US. GOI also preferred to do everything to get Devyani back safely ignoring the interests of the maid. It is equally tru that India's reservation system, originally meant only for a decade, has assumed the characteristics of a serious discrimination in reverse & benefiting the likes of Devyani. However, the conduct of Preet Bharera, and India-born Sikh & US State Department also smacked of extra zealousness in 'evacuating' the maid's family from India by issuing them travel papers & even buying tickets exempted from tax for them before arresting Devyani. The net result is that US efforts to check visa fraud by Devyani were thwarted as not just the maid but also her family immigrated to US legally!
ReplyDeleteBrilliant...Loved to see the very fact that there is someone who has guts to speak out his mind open when the whole country is flooding with emotions imposed by politicians and Bureaucrats :)
ReplyDeleteIt was really a nice article and I always felt the same way when I read the news for the first time. As the news narrates the same story so differently that one gets biased on his opinion. We should also think of the other side of the coin.
Thank u so much.
Excellent article and well written thoughts. I am really feeling angry about Devyani and her actions. After all a law is law and i believe no one should be spared out of it.
ReplyDeleteWe Indians have a habit of not treating our own people with respect. Hats off to Sangeeta Richards for showing DK as the hypocrite that she is. Shame on our bureaucrats for the blind support yo DK
ReplyDeleteThis incident shows the USA attitude towards India or any other developing nation. By arresting DK, they showed that maid is more important than consulate. Write should also take reference about the incident when semi immune USA official arrested by Pakistan and the action USA took to get its staff free who was charged for murder. Whatever false DK did, Indian govt should do something about that ...and not USA.
ReplyDeleteIf you are Indian, am severely displeased with the way you have turned out to be. Glad that you stayed back and not come to india. you take so much pride in deriding everything Indian. Tell me something, given all your lofty ideals, have you educated one child besides your own, may be helped old ppl other than your own, constructed a hospital, may be for the downtrodden not in India but in your country? Have you visited Gujarat to make bad comments about the place? I do not support Devyani, i hate what she stands for, the reservation system. I dislike several things about India, but so is the case with all countries.Do not lose your roots. if you want the plumber to sit on your sofa, help yourself. but that's not what india is not about and other countries are about. People like you are shining examples of how what the britishers started out to do, break pride in indians and make them hate themselves, has been uber-successful. I sympathize with you.
ReplyDeleteseems more like rant against reservations and jealous cry against a successful dalit ... poorly structured article in any case
ReplyDeleteAgreeing to everything in the article, on the contrary, why isn't the cost of food and lodging given to the maid being considered while calculating the total wage. I am sure it will amount to much higher than the minimum wage, and technically there shouldn't be any law violation and hence there shouldn't be any case against Devyani on those grounds...
ReplyDeleteDude.....are you against reservation system or against bureacrats or against indian culture or narendra modi or india as a whole......Its seem that you are a frustated little weasel who hates his mediocre underachiever life and is jealous of everybody who are doing good for themselves. If you are genuinely concerned about issues then stop crying like a little girl on this silly little blog which hardly anybody knows exist and do something concrete....Loser...
ReplyDeleteAthenauem, a very well-crafted article indeed. My lawyer mother treats maids awfully. She is a retired civil service officer. Mother Teresa is her icon. Twice in the past when I had reported to the police, they dismissed my claims and branded me a son with lunatic tendencies. My mother is a very powerful woman and a ‘psychedelic’ orator. Our sense of national dignity is hit not when someone represents the country the wrong way but when this 'Indian psychology of my mother' is threatened. What we lack in India is the basic respect to someone from the lower socio-economic class. In the NYC incident, two women, both citizens of India, one privileged & the other underprivileged, one highly educated & the other less educated, one surrounded by top bureaucrats & the other by low income members, one with full support of her country's government & the other without any support are in the centre of bilateral relations of the two largest democracies. The Indian Constitution promises equality to both while the US system recognizes both as two equal members of the human race. Only the angry Indians are undermining what had happened with Sangeeta Richards. This irony exposes a serious hollowness of thought & absence of rationality. The sense of hierarchy comes from the religion. The psychology of suppression (of facts) and oppression (of the vulnerable) also come from the religion. Not endeavoring to scratch beneath the surface? Well, from religion again, must be from idolatry.
ReplyDeleteThis is a very good (and different) view of the situation. We would like to (re) publish this in the blogs section of our Magazine PrabashiPost.com, with your permission. Kindly let us know through the contact page. thanks & rgds.
ReplyDeleteShe may be one of many corrupt bureaucrats but that's the different aspect of the story. The fact that the maid's family members were evacuated from India just two days before Devyani was arrested smells fishy. I wish she had taken steps in advance and did not concede the things to deteriorate to this extent. I read somewhere that her arrest and the goofups created by Indian government will have far reaching impact on Indo-US relations.
ReplyDeleteThat was an exceedingly well written article and a good counter view of the state of affairs. The part that I felt did not have anything to do with the issue is that she is a Dalit. Despite having reservation, she might have put in equal amount of hard work as any other aspirant for her civil services. Yes she did reap the benefits of reservation, but that is not the cause of the corruption she was part of. There are a number of bureaucrats from the general category who own disproportionate assets. Please do not classify corruption based on caste. If you say she was a corrupt bureaucrat, she is one. Don't label her as a corrupt Dalit bureaucrat. Like in the upper castes there are quiet a few honest bureaucrats among the lower castes. Do not taint the image of any caste, we are already divided. Yes the reservations haven't been reaching the right people but this not the subject of discussion. It is our inability accept certain harsh realities.
ReplyDeleteJai Hind
Well written article..
ReplyDeleteA great article. I have lived in different parts of India and am currently in the UK. I cannot agree more with your views expressed in this article.
ReplyDeleteInteresting comments on what I thought was a well written yet slightly lop sided article. Devyani most certainly has a lot of discredits to her (may she and the likes of her get what they deserve), but using the DK case to draw an Indians Vs US comparison is really unfair. People from across the globe employ maids wherever they can afford them (with exceptions where some people who can afford them choose on principle not to do so). Why paint most Indians to be like the Khobragades and point out that Anericans are very different - the wars on terror, the Union Carbide - Bhopal gas tragedy compensation, the insensitivity of Americans & US systems to their own citizens with lesser means (lack of public transportation, inaccessible healthcare to the poor, high % of poverty for the world's richest nation etc - see Mike Moore's documentaries)....
ReplyDeleteMany of the comments on the reservation system are valid. Everyone agrees that the creamy layer should not continue to get benefits.
Also comments about the attitude of a large number of Indians towards their maids (underpaying them, denying them respect & dignity) unfortunately are true.
Crap article!!! you have mixed all your topics and incorrect facts in totality.......you are right in a few points under each topic and sumarise all of the fact to take the general direction you have pushed the conversation....pathetic.....scatter brain .. Khorbade - Reservation System - Modi and the biggest of all I am guessing you are in line for a green card and are supporting the america propaganda .... dare an america diplomat be called to the police station let alone get arrested....the foreign minister will be stripped and flogged in public in india
ReplyDeleteYou seem to be an agent for the US govt. or trying to get there the way sangeeta richards did. Do not try to justify what US did in the name of mixing issues & challenges in India. The fact remains that the USA is alienating itself from the whole world and will be left alone justifying its presence in the times to come. No doubt it is one of the most hated countries in the world and will continue to remain so if it doesn't change and stop playing its dirty tricks of treating the whole world with contempt. Snowden showed some aspects of it recently and many more will come out. US should focus more on its own internal issues of economy & sorting out its gun culture, porn culture, environmental degradation etc. rather than trying to divert the attention of the world by doing such stupid acts.
ReplyDeletewhy is this looser relating the topic with dalit.....dalit never complaints on there situations instead works very hard and earn there leaving ...infact dalits are happy that someone from there caste is representing orelse those positions remains vacant saying no one is qualified for the post..stop complaining start working.
ReplyDelete"Yet another Indian trying to act Indian in USA."
ReplyDeleteWe are happy to get rid of DK.
Never come again to our land-US.
"Beaurocracy Class" in India is apart from "Political Dynasty" and "Dynasties of Cinema".
India and US also have to learn many lessons from this.
Why did the American ambassador fly out the maid's family before the American attack on Ms. Khobragade? The ambassador and his spouse a pair of Texass have been very sick about India on social media, there are two issues, one is Khobragade's antecedents and the other is US aggression, don't mix them. Glad India gave them a bloody nose, and ought of keep doing so.
ReplyDeleteSuch a well written article.....
ReplyDeleteHHa haa haaa....what a sad article. It is strange that true achievers - INDIAN or AMERICAN or from MARS never write such outrageous emotional negative stuff. weird ! it is only insignificant mediocre intellectuals who upload videos and write this kinda stuff....hahahha it is truly funny ! My sympathies with you mate ;-) you display sign of high sub-conscious frustration...
ReplyDeleteThank God we saved our face at the world by accepting the big brothers's request to call her back, I sincerely doubt Indian Govt why we have not spoken to the victim who is also an Indian before stand behind Devayani
ReplyDeleteGreat Article.I am not surprised to see the negative comments though.It is not the first time Indians confuse patriotism with right/wrong. If Devyani had lived in India and illstreated her maid then all support would have been for the maid.
ReplyDeleteIndians have this long standing problem of tying emotions with actions and in this deciding unbiasedly what is right vs wrong.
The reason why Devyani's misuse of reservation based on cast,past corruption etc are stated is that these facts say something about the person in question which is that she is a habitual law breaker/habitually misuses the law.So the probability that she lied in her maid's visa papers is very high.
And I am glad that the justice system even if from outside India taught someone like her a good lesson . Associating the strip search with culture/humiliation etc makes India look prehistoric.Devyani lived a very very western life , so people who blame US for insulting indian Cultural values should also question MsKhobragade's choice of lifestyle.
(And Yes I live in the US)
Utter bull**** , if she has done anything wrong to her maid , any Indian or most from the third world countries would do it. All this reservation rant is just appealing to your bais.
ReplyDelete"Height of Empire State building is 344 Liters" .. This article makes sense only if my statement makes any sense.
ReplyDelete"Height of Empire state Building is 344 Litres" this article makes sense only if the above statement does.
ReplyDeleteI don't see connection
Such a crap article, get a life there is no flow to your views you are just loathing since she is from a backward community .Clearing upsc in top 100 to get IFS is no small achievement and the post cannot be gained by someone whose father is an IAS try not to hoodwink innocent users who don't know what really IFS is. Yes she committed mistake and has to undergo the course of law. Don't try to mix things for your personal gain and put a blot on somebodies name..
ReplyDeleteLarge part of the Article is irrelevant. Also, I was looking for this under the references, but never found - "Conservative commentator George Will wrote a blistering column on how prosecutors coerce drug offenders to plead guilty (see references)".
ReplyDeleteI could not find a single original in your article either...this is exactly what any 'successful' product of our great education system would say...you spent some time on this article and I am sorry to say that I cannot spare that much time to reply to many of your mistakes here...but you could at least improve the abrupt ending to have a semblance of sanity, purpose or lesson in this article...keep trying :), and with a more open mind next time when you deal with sensitive and far-reaching ideas
ReplyDeleteyou mean to say all the illegal activities, crimes, rapes, corruption, physical and mental abuse happening with the poor and week are happening because of low caste people in administration because they got reservation and are in authority. And so far in India no non-reservation candidates and upper caste people have never indulged in criminal activities and wrong doings. You guys are just too much you see... get a therapy dude you seriously need one.
ReplyDeletestove icpinnhttp://www.justice.gov/usao/nys/pressreleases/January14/KhobragadeIndictment.php
ReplyDeleteHere is the actual indictment documents …the case may never see the light of day if DK never comes back to fight those charges….
Great article, many facts people ignore. But I do have a critique. One of the very thing thats wrong with the society is also one of the very high lights part of your article.
ReplyDeleteThe fact that, after reading numerous articles about this issue, your article was the first to focus on Devyani being a dalit is one of the most important thing that is wrong with Indian society.
I can understand your frustration with reservation system, but the very fact that regardless of how a person is successful in their careers beyond the admission point has no value the moment a person finds out they got there using a reservation.
Matter of fact is that, 40% of all educated people have reservations, yet none of them have a voice, because they fear being judged. Judged based on their origins, judged because they are from the lower strata, judged because they used their reservation.
I myself am a dalit and used the reservation system to get a head start to my life, which is way ahead of what my roots are. Beyond my reservation based education, I have excelled in my career and have a proven track record with a top research job, in one of the world most innovative companies, working hand in hand with people of all races and never felt judged, yet many of my indian friends instantly judge me the moment they know of my origins. As if, I do not deserve this recognition just because I used my reservation to get a head start to my career. Is'nt this feudal thinking?
A lot of people think the reservation system should be abolished, but I think that would only encourage feudalism.
However, I do acknowledge that it is rather unfair when some one gets an unfair advantage on an even ground. In this sense the reservation system is flawed. It was designed to redistribute growth and narrow the differences between the upper and lower castes, but is only fueling a divide.
What I think is the solution is a total abolition of caste system, add a right against discrimination & right to equality to our fundamental rights and modify the criteria for reservation to truly encourage the under-developed masses.
Such a fundamental right should also protect discrimination based on your job position, and encourages equal treatment to all humans, regardless of their position.
That value for equality is the difference between American, and most other legacy cultures. They too started on much worse situation (slavery!) but learnt their lesson in time to be such a super-power. Its time, we Indians learn this lesson.
I think criminals should be treated as criminals no matter who they are...but why is this writer worried about Narendra Modi (do you belong to some other religion??) and Slumdog Millionare ( do you really think it's an intelligent movie and inspired you!!)
ReplyDeletein US ,maids are human too,not like in India they are cleaning tools.
ReplyDeleteThe article mixes issues and confuses. The author needs to separate principles from the details.
ReplyDelete1) If this had not happened to DK with all the attendant issues, but to an upright, meritocratic diplomat from a poor family, Indian outrage would've been similar. Because the principle is that diplomats will be afforded special courtesy (if not privileges) especially if there is no danger of life as in this case. Even Kerry called the incident 'regrettable' - a sign that this courtesy was not extended.
2) US laws are what they are - but they are for americans and visitors. Not for foreign diplomats and cannot be blindly applied (e.g. tax, religion, etc). If this incident happened in a country that is not supposed to be developed, no blogger would've defended the sanctity of laws. To make this come alive, don't American diplomats drink booze inside their homes in Muslim countries?? Isn't that breaking local laws? Another recent example was the Indian couple in Norway who were separated from their child who slept with them because Scandinavian laws frowned upon them. Really stupid, right?
3) I do not defend DK, but I defend the Indian diplomatic corps. On DK (and I abhor the bending of laws by her/family), I have little sympathy. I hold the view that if this incident had to happen, it happened to an appropriate person because DK symbolized the worst of the best, in my opinion.
4) Her being a dalit, or being advantaged by the reservation system is bull crap. No one disagrees that stuff needs reforms... but it doesn't need an Indian diplomat to be humiliated to start that discussion.
5) I have zero sympathy for the maid. No one forced her to go to the US. No one forced her to sign contracts. She got greedy and wanted to supplement her income post facto after she went to the US. If the posting was in Sub Saharan Africa, this would not have happened.
6) Please do not impose US values & practices to India. There cannot be a universal view on whether tips are good or bad. whether maids should be allowed to sit on the same chairs and eat from the same utensils. I personally disagree with these Indian practices, but will defend the right of other Indians to do the same. The "aggrieved" parties have the choice of not working in those households.
7) Are there societal ills in India? Of course - as in any society. We dont need to defend them... but we are justified when an outsider to our society points these out - especially Americans who certainly are not living close to a perfect society (I am on NSA's black book with this comment).
8) Finally, the only party to come out looking good is GOI. Their response has been graduated, measured and always with thoughtful intent. Kudos to them...
And to remove any doubts - I am not from a Reserved Class, neither me nor anyone from my family is/was a diplomat, I travel & stay in the US at least 4 times a year and I don't hold any strong political affiliations. I am a moderate, liberal Indian with middle class values...
Very well written article. Bashers please keep in mind that DK is a representative of the India, paid for by our taxes (public servant) whose main job is to protect the interests of India and its citizen. In short take care of its people. I do not think that was what she did. Her involvement in the Adarsh scan proves her morals. The maid was an Indian too.
ReplyDeleteI still don't understand why the whole episode is being repeatedly linked with reservation system. is it just because she belong to dalit community and paying less wages has been strong indicator of less excellence than other counterparts. If its so why such question were not raised and characteristic were not attributed to their respective communities when Modis hand was clearly evident in Godhara hatyakand, when Ramlinga Raju forged accounts, when Lalu prasad yadav involved in Many Scams.
ReplyDeleteIs it really fair to say the whole dalit community and reservation system is thrash just because of one episode.
As far as India is concerned education has been a toy of upper caste people for nearly 2000 years and everyone saws the condition and treatment given to rest of the society. for them education has been in their hereditary for 2000 years and in such condition being excellent to people in community which started their education just 50 years back is not miracle. even Darwin accepts this fact.
In fact the whole episode is not about reservation system its about how Indian are humiliated i foreign specially in US even for small small mistake.
the whole episode is about how strongly India had reacted and get thing done in right place. This sends a very good message to outside world that not to consider any Indian as helpless and think twice before you took action.
Ha, Indians never pass an opportunity to condemn their own. Defeatist Indians !
ReplyDeleteThe reservation system has created a creamy layer of people who extract incredibly unfair advantage from the system while there are hundreds of millions of deserving people who due to ignorance or lack of opportunity cannot take advantage of the system meant for them.
ReplyDeleteHaving amassed huge wealth, living as a diplomat in the USA, having a father who has access to the highest rungs of power and a diplomatic corps and a government willing to throw caution to the winds and jeopardising international relations, just to defend an official whose complicity in the maid affair is not ruled out by the US judicial system - now that is what one would call enviable station in life.
Let there be reservations but see that the system benefits the downtrodden and not the neorich
I agree with some in the comments section , anyone getting past being corrupt or getting undue advantage of the quota system is a fallout on the part of Indian democracy . It , in noway justifies mistreatment of a diplomat.
ReplyDeleteSome facts for people who are still in the dark
ReplyDelete1)DK had Consular Immunity which is different from Full Diplomatic immunity when she was charged with the concerned crime. Consular immunity does not protect you from a general crime such as visa fraud and labor violation. It gave the US gov authorization to arrest her and prosecute her. She later received Full Immunity, which is the reason she was able to leave US.
2)Everybody (US citizen/Non US citizen) is bound by US laws when he/she is on US soil. The only exception could be a foreign embassy. e.g. Crime occurred inside an Indian embassy could fall under Indian government jurisdiction. The maid in the case did not work in Indian embassy or Indian consulate.
3)Strip search is a standard procedure in US. It is done as part of security protocol. Gender, political rank, nationality does not matter. For a female it is done by a female agent in a private facility.
4)People screaming about russian diplomats not arrested should note that they had full diplomatic immunity, but still they have been charged with the crimes, just not yet arrested because of full (not consular) immunity.
dude , dont you have a job that you posted such a huge passage. Respect IAS officers.
ReplyDeleteDude you are one of the jobless person who have ample of time to write shit. you should respect IAS officer they are far better than you.
ReplyDeleteI am against reservations. But in this case I support the decision made by India.
ReplyDeleteCan the author please explain http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raymond_Allen_Davis_incident ?
What is correct for Raymond is also correct for Devayani
Americans should not have the feeling that they are the people who judge others in the world. They have created a mess wherever they have gone.
Excellent article... although there might be some unrelated topics.
ReplyDeleteI'd observed an interesting fact in the Mumbai buses, although it's slightly tangent to this topic, let me put it here . There are seats reserved for ladies, I believe it is so since they're physically weaker at times and they are too modest to ask others. However in reality the not so modest ladies ask some one who might be old or really weak sitting on the reserved seat by mistake in an arrogant manner to vacate the seat since it's reserved. However I've seen some ladies too weak and too modest that they keep standing near the seat and never ask anyone, even if the man sitting on the reserved seat is a healthy young one. You can apply this to the caste reservation system and imagine!. Devyani's case is interesting since not many have come in for her maid who was not having any protection/immunity, and still could implicate Devyani. Looks like the diplomat didn't know what she was entitled for and that the maid would outsmart her in the rules of her own game which she's supposed to be expert at. If she didn't know, either she ignored it which is again a stupidity, or future will see the US and other countries suspecting even the elite IFS curriculum. Personally I don't believe the immunity should ignore a crime. It can maybe postpone it for a while due to other priorities for the diplomat. However if the crime is serious, immunity should be immediately cancelled. Just imagine, the diplomat goes on a shooting spree, and in the name of immunity don't stop the person. Here immunity has been increased knowing that there's something wrong done.... very interesting... In India anything can happen, there is news today of a retired defense official keeping an underage maid at home, and for most it'll be perfectly normal, but if one goes to a different country, especially representing your own country, he/she should be very careful in not bringing bad honor to the country, by correctly following the other country's laws. In some countries carrying drugs may not be serious, but in India/US it is, isn't it?.
Modern imaging equipment like the ones on airports would cost a lot. I don't think it is feasible for all police stations in the USA to have one. So i don't agree with you that strip search shouldn't have been done.
ReplyDeleteAnother one of the middle class Indian bashing article. I fully support fair wages to a maid. What is fair is decided by supply and demand. There shouldn't be any minimum wage rule and whatever the maid gets is what is right for her. She is free to leave if she gets paid more elsewhere. The middle class is not responsible for India's poverty or that there are so many poor people in India. It is socialism and looks like you want to take India back there with your pro-poor and minimum wage for the maid articles.
ReplyDeleteWell I read a comment from Anonymous saying "I have zero sympathy for the maid. No one forced her to go to the US".
ReplyDeleteThis would essentially mean scrap all labor laws :)... This is because no one asks A to work for B unless they agree with B's conditions. If B fires A on some silly pretext, it's because that's again one of B's conditions, even if it came later.
But yes the lawmakers aren't this bad. There's some sense and consequence measured before putting it all down.
And finally did anyone force the diplomat to be a diplomat, to underpay her maid, to flout the visa rules... that's really bad, if anyone did so.
Labour laws are BS. If B fires A on any condition, then that it his decision. B doesn't owe A a job. However B will have to face the negative consequences of this other employees of B or future employees of B can come to know about this.
DeleteStill people are supporting Devyani with onesided view and where Caste matters.? Why you forget to consider domestic maid case?
ReplyDeleteSo for her to reap the benefit of the reservation system, she ought to have faced discrimination personally? (Because millennia of discrimination just doesn't cut it).
ReplyDeleteThanks for this article. Our country will go to dogs as our Government is corrupt and support uneducated culprits. Bye
ReplyDeleteWell written and pointed out things which many choose to ignore.
ReplyDeleteNon sense, wasted my time to read this stupid article...
ReplyDeleteGrow up man...
this article is nonsense and is mixing irrelevant things like the reservation system.. it seems the author is so jealous that a dalit person has been chosen for such high profile diplomatic positions. these cheap articles can only be written by the bhramins who are against the growth of the so called dalits. Read more about Caste-Based Education Policy that the a brahmin CM introduced to suppress the lower caste
ReplyDeletehttp://www.tamiltribune.com/07/1102.html
Shame on the Indian bureaucracy. The have turned a blind eye when scores of ordinary citizens have been abused in a similar manner for lesser counts. They only escalate matters and bring stupid arguments of national pride and dignity when the law catches up with one of their own (she's so corrupt that the Indian media didn't think it was worth a serious mention). The US affords all its citizens the same level of protection, so expect to be treated like the common man when you are there. The worst part is that she will be welcomed back like a martyr instead of being prosecuted for gross abuse of power and lowering the nation's dignity.
ReplyDeleteDon't get me mistaken. The US has been decadently insensitive though out the whole matter, although its our government's apathy and pandering of the Americans over the decades that has led to these turn of events. The maid is nothing but an opportunistic traitor. Her income was in the top 1%ile for an Indian, and she wouldn't get paid a tenth of what she was getting under DK back here, it was only her blind greed that led here there in the first place. But that doesn't mean that there have been serious lapses on India's part in this matter and no lessons whatsoever have been learned from them.
The bottom line is that the dignity of someone who deprives war widows is more important in this country than justice. No amount of reform in the reservation system can change that fact.
Indian diplomats are our show window to the world. The maid and her family were being given more then their due. They have used the system which was OK as long as it was benefiting them without hurting anyone but unfortunately they have bought bad name to a bright Indian diplomat.
ReplyDeleteBlogs' author is getting carried away by her emotions and hence overreacting.
I pity your knowledge. Your own emotions weighed more in your post than facts. My humble suggestion would be to go and watch a documentary called "The Inside Job". Your boasting of US justice as ultimate is a JOKE.
ReplyDeleteThis article just made me realize one important point. When it comes to Indian bashing Indians... boy... can there be a better glee. Yes there can be... and that is a NRI (belaitai Indian) bashing the desi Indian...after all being on foreign shores gives the NRI Indian the right and privilege to hammer down on the unfortunate desi Indians stuck homeland.
ReplyDeleteDevyani is no saint. She has abused the system. Probably was taking advantage of the maid too.. but the fact is that is was in an official capacity in the US not as a tourist or private citizen. She was there representing India. By treating her like a common criminal the US has stated otherwise the reverence it holds for this country India, and that is the main issue, which our NRI Indians sadly fail to get.
I do understand that Devyani would have paid more to the maid, But I don't understand why are you forcing on her being from reserved category. There are so many people from upper cast, almost all politicians, entrepreneurs not belonging to lower caste are involved in corruption.
ReplyDeleteWe, as Indians(or if you think that the Indian Officers and Politicians) support Devyani, just because she was Indian representative in US and if US can take action against her(the post matters here) without thinking about that it will ruin relation between two counties, then what about other Indians who are working in US just for money.
The bad part about India is that, when it comes to reservation, without even knowing why is there reservation system, and why it is still not abolished, people here are more interested to show that they belong to upper caste, and because of reservation they are not able to progress. The people who are not even thinking about reservation(whether they belong to reserved category or not) are one doing well in their career.
But I m very much sure that you are belonging to lower caste and you have no idea in what condition you have to complete your education, concentrate on career and the people like you around.
And at the last reservation is the topic on which I can just keep writing and writing...
But they are so many other things to do in life other than this.
This is how you post also ended, stated with Devyani matter and closed on Indian reservation sytem.
Reservation must be limited to the deserving small percentage and merit must be on the basis of talents, qualifications and character for education and employments. Otherwise the dejected so called Forward Caste Hindus have to take asylum in other countries shortly. Christians and Muslims have the junk of Private Sector Support and they have already preference in foreign countries by their Religious roots abroad and why they should be given a reservation in India defying the Equality to All clause of the Constitution of India?
ReplyDeleteExquisitely portrayed the current system in India. Been waiting for a change. I guess the saying "If you want to see the change, be the change" is very much required and needs to be adopted by as many citizens as possible. Living in New Zealand and Malaysia for a few months, I have seen the clear disparities in the treatment of people in these countries and in India. I have learned how treating people with respect is very important. I am surprised, how some Indians in US like Devyani still don't realize this despite living there for years!
ReplyDeleteThere has been a lot of protests against corruption in politics. But, everyone needs to question himself, how pure am I from within? Its not only about money. Its about heart and character. Change should start from within! Only then can we observe a change we want to see!
This article must have opened eyes of quite a few people. I appreciate your effort in conveying the important message. Thank you very much. Hope it reaches more people.
Indians have been known to indulge in theatrics since times immemorial over irrelevant issues that in the first glance don't appear issues at all.When Shilpa Shetty had a fight some years back in the house of Big Brother it was seen as racial and Indians left no stones unturned in condemning the British government for racism but if you scrutinize the entire issue it was just a fight between hose mates which is the quite normal inside the Big Boss house where denizens from indifferent backgrounds stay together.Same goes as far as the Devyani case is concerned.Devyani wronged and when America took notice of it it acted swiftly and sharply and prosecuted Devyani which again was seen as diplomatic violation by our very own political fraternity comprised of hyper sensitive politicians and irrational and nincompoop bureaucrats who other than enjoying the perks of bureaucracy need more spice and entertainment and the Devyani case added provided them with much sought after fodder required to grab limelight on an international scale.Talk of any Indian celebrity and he always has this cloud of superiority which if compromised makes them behave in the most abnormal way anyone could imagine.When Shahrukh Khan was detained at Newark airport on account of a security check our so called Badshah of Bollywood could not understand how such inhuman treatment could be meted out to a Bandshah like him and created a furore in the global press accusing US of being racist showing the world how big a clown he is. America is one of those countries which still believes in liberty and fairness and in an age where they have been able to achieve close to what we call equality and freedom we stand as a nation which is filled with people who are the biggest racists,people who would never want to follow the law,people who take pleasure in exploiting the downtrodden and people who go down to any level to resort to corruption.There is no moral conscience of most if not all the people out here nevertheless the upper middle class douchebags club Devyani is a part of.I have absolute sympathy for Devyani's maid who did the right thing and I shun people like Devyani Khobrage who is trying kickass to get global sympathy on account of her diplomatic status which seems stupid and painting the US in a bad light for what-being just and equal.How about those hundreds of maids who get tortured in India and end up tattered with fear and paranoia for the rest of their lives.Devyani Khobragade is a CRIMINAL and should be tried and prosecuted in a court of law for violating the rights of her maid.I hope our deaf,dumb and impotent political society gets to hear plea from the general public who don't quite sympathize with Devyani anymore who I perceive as a criminal despite of her Bourgeoisie status.
ReplyDeleteGood one... But in Khobragade's case it was a question of diplomatic immunity in a foreign state that was contested for her release. Right or wrong, this is the price we have to pay to keep our diplomats away from being harassed or harmed in any way, in a foreign land. This is true for India as well as US!!!
ReplyDeleteGood one... But in Khobragade's case it was a question of diplomatic immunity in a foreign state that was contested for her release. Right or wrong, this is the price we have to pay to keep our diplomats away from being harassed or harmed in any way, in a foreign land. This is true for India as well as US!!!
ReplyDeleteGood one... But in Khobragade's case it was a question of diplomatic immunity in a foreign state that was contested for her release. Right or wrong, this is the price we have to pay to keep our diplomats away from being harassed or harmed in any way, in a foreign land. This is true for India as well as US!!!
ReplyDeleteGood one... But in Khobragade's case it was a question of diplomatic immunity in a foreign state that was contested for her release. Right or wrong, this is the price we have to pay to keep our diplomats away from being harassed or harmed in any way, in a foreign land. This is true for India as well as US!!!
ReplyDeleteLook beneath the surface.The problem is this whole episode was so well planned and executed by the US.And you need to understand India better to see how reservation helps.
ReplyDeleteThis is a stupid article. You can't shout out about everything you think is wrong, making connections where none can be logically made. The positive comments appear to be because in all of this mess you have managed to appease all sorts of people, but clearly the logic is missing.
ReplyDeleteWhat has this got to do with the reservation system. And dont go all "It has everything got to do" and start ranting about the reservation system. Give me a vlid connect between the entire controversy and the fact that the woman may or may not have been a beneficiary of the reservation system.
Your views on Modi are admirable, but still do not find sensible use in this article I believe.
Stupid crowd-pleasing crap.
Great post. What Devyani Khobragade did was absolutely wrong.
ReplyDeleteBut why did the US claim diplomatic immunity in the case of Raymond Allen Davis? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raymond_Allen_Davis_incident.
Isn't that a bit of double standards that we see at play here?
Excellent article.
ReplyDeleteI benefitted from reservation system and strongly believe that it is needed to provide fair chance to the underprivileged.
However, Devayani, a daughter of an IAS officer (may be, he was first generation beneficiary of reservation system), should she have gotten reservation? The reservation system is put in place to provide equal opportunity for the disadvantaged. In Devayani, we see an example of "Dalit Brahmin" usurping the rights of a deserving Dalit.
Dalit Brahmin should not take advantage of reservation system. But since there is no provision to exclude "creamy layer", this underserved reservation practice will continue. Jagjivan Ram's daughter will also take reservation. Prakash Ambedkar has a set a very good example by not taking reservation (he doesn't even fight elections from reserved constituency). Hoever leaving this a good judgment or moral, is not sufficient and a reasonable” creamy layer exclusion legislation” should be brought by the govt.
I for one have not applied for caste certification for my kids.
Its great to see that someone really thinks beyond the lines. My first reaction to the entire scandal was "Now the Indian Babu's will realise that even maids are human beings". I am really happy that US takes steps against wrong doings. How hard is it to understand that if you employ someone, you have to pay them. And if you cannot pay them the right amount, don't employ them.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.firstpost.com/india/american-embassy-school-in-eye-of-multi-crore-tax-scam-1343915.html
ReplyDeleteWhat a ridiculous article.. Attitude is pretty clear.. Mujhe nahi mila toh baaki sabki maaro..
ReplyDeleteLet us abolish reservation only when every students of this country get the same education he or she deserve.lets have a fair education policy,why should a student from the remote part of this country without electricity, without proper transport facility, without basic sanitation and medical facility need to compete with those students with all the resources from a metropolitan area.Let us have a clean and open competition let us abolish the private schools and college and let us create a simplified education system throughout our country where every students must be treated the same.so when there is a fair ground means then the competition will be fair.so its not fair to remove the reservation unless and until every students get the same education what he or she deserves.so its unfair to go against reservation with Devyani khobragade as an example.Lets be fair,give same education and resource to who ever in this country and then talk about the need for removing reservation.
ReplyDeleteexcellent.. overwhelmed by the clarity of thought, honesty of purpose, lucidity and accurate analysis. and yes even agree to your line of argument.
ReplyDeleteBeing a diplomat should not make you immune to the law of the land.She lived in the US , used the American resources like free school and she hired a maid to work for her in the US so she will be subjected to laws prevailing in the US.In fact being a diplomat she should have set an example because she represents a country . Her behavior and her father's comments show their utter disregard for laws/humane treatment. She deserved to be strip searched and thrown into the jail.
ReplyDeleteThe reservation system in India is so highly flawed that it is creating a huge wave of mediocricity in terms of capability,production and personal values.
This is an absolutely brilliant article. I am glad someone calls the naked emperor, though one cannot say so much about our Indian counterparts, who are so blinded by their nationalism and false pride that they fail to see the forest for the trees. This second and third tier status in our societies, families, measuring 'progress' by money and 'roads and highways' shows we are 'mostly' a poor third class psuedo-intellect society that is pretaying for shit to turn to gold. Unfortunately our education system is rotten to the core, and in fact its more respectful to be an illiterate adivasi than a indian psuedo intellect product of rotten education system.
ReplyDeleteAnother lop-sided article on the Khobragade issue. No one (I hope) of sane mind would argue against DK being bought to book - in India, as per Indian procedures, if she did indeed mistreat the maid. The main point of contention in the whole saga is that DK was in the US as an Indian diplomat, and hence under diplomatic protection. There are certain accepted procedures and practices which are to be followed when dealing with the diplomat of any country. In this case, the US did not follow those well-established and accepted procedures by arresting DK and searching her in the manner highlighted by the various media sources. That was wrong and high-handed, and clearly unforgivable. However this does not mean that those protesting against the US actions are supporting the mis-treatment of the maid. If the maid was indeed mis-treated then of course the issue needs to be further investigated and action taken against the employer - but in India, not in the US.
ReplyDeleteGreat article. A good way to present the facts. The whole drama is covered by the fact that the voice of the meek was never heard. Devyani's maid has not spoken in public yet. Another fact is that the Indian consulate officials themselves are not paid according to US pay rules (though they receive hefty allowances), hence it is a legal grey area as to what pay rule should be applicable to a maid.
ReplyDeleteThe Indian practice of having a maid to do household chores is something that's a luxury in the US. After all, I think people have to learn to do their stuff themselves. The feudal nature of our society is a reason for this callous attitude of Indians.
That being said, we cannot sing laurels of the American legal system either. For being a "Free World" America has the largest rate of incarceration in the world. The judicial system is racially skewed and where there are more guns than Somalia.
I would not be surprised to see Devyani entering politics, possible on a Congress ticket!
The manner in which India political, bureaucratic is operating with top grade goons and corrupt people these kind of things are "NEW STANDARD" and "Taking Money" for any damn thing is in fashion.
ReplyDeleteWith such kind of rotten system what else one can expect and what kind of people it would produce.
Now a days if anyone (govt personnel) getting caught in misdeed 98% believe he / she must have did that and nothing is going to happen to him / her. That is the level of disgust these days hanging in air.
Excellent Article!!
ReplyDeleteVery well written.
The double standards Indian Bureaucracy takes when one of their own gets involved in a controversy is shameful.
We never heard a confession and apology on "Visa Fraud", not once, rather the whole thing was turned into a breach of "Diplomatic Immunity".
People in power should be ready to face consequences of their actions too.
Its quite the privilege of an Indian to see the rule read in as many different ways as possible.
ReplyDeleteDepending on caste, creed, social status, bureaucratic status, color of the skin, height, weight, age and even based on what you are wearing...
So an officer can do what a maid should never attempt to.
The reservation system in our country is a mockery, in time it will prove to be the biggest bottleneck in the development of the nation; better to change it or weed it out. Though it never deals with the situation at hand directly, but it would be one of the basic reasons.
Well written, Though there are two sides to the coin. Very much agree to the absolute crassism by majority of Indian public, though I got to say this kind of exploitation would have never happened in Sangeeta's home state Kerala. I am in a way happy that Devyani was arrested but unhappy in the way her arrest was made a public display. Also the comment against reservation was uncalled for in the context. It is not perfect but it does a lot of good also. That being said when people like Devyani makes use of the quota, they are really cannibalizing the opportunities of other dalits. Also be speculation about the maid being a CIA spy was ridiculous, sounded similar to the rants by some of the tea party acolytes in US. I had always thought Indians are better than that, apparently not. Why should CIA employ a maid when they can easily get it from many of our politicians. Also if Devyani was leaving around sensitive information to be found by her maid, she should be arrested for gross neglect of duty. The highest irony of it all is that, as per latest news Devyani's father is going to run for LS seat on the basis of all this publicity he has received. That should translate to a new age saying, Make gas while the shit stinks.m
ReplyDeletethe most disgusting part of this incidence was seen during winter season parliament meet when mayawati (ex cm of u.p) blamed higher diplomats for discriminitory behaviour for not favouring her ... see this face of our system wher both servant and owner belongs to same category of reservation and if U.S reacted for the plea of servant leaders are taking the favor of beurograts .... who is invoved in aadarsh scam., and these very same leader during their election rally promise they sought for the right of backward and helpless people ....... i just want to ask a question to all category holding people , is this fair to take side of corrupt, insensitive , indian representative or people for whom they are appointed......... really a shamefull side of reservation..
ReplyDeleteGood Article. Devyani had to go through strip search because she is not above the Law. The connection between this issue, and she being a Dalit is that not only she was benefited throughout her life because of that, and also now, Delhi politicians are supporting her to save their Dalit vote bank. It is indeed a shame for them to support an illegal act done by a higher official. So, if India has to be saved, it has to abolish, not the reservation system but stop taking census on caste itself.
ReplyDeleteGood Article. Devyani had to go through strip search because she is not above the Law. The connection between this issue, and she being a Dalit is that not only she was benefited throughout her life because of that, and also now, Delhi politicians are supporting her to save their Dalit vote bank. It is indeed a shame for them to support an illegal act done by a higher official. So, if India has to be saved, it has to abolish, not the reservation system but stop taking census on caste itself.
ReplyDeleteI belong to Dalit Family. My dad is working one of the reputed company in India. I didn't know what is casteism till I have face so many incidents to my family. and finally we ended up changing our surname. Dude I am disappointed what devyani has done, but for god sake why you involve dalit caste.
ReplyDeleteAgree with you. I myself am a brahmin and I've seen all my friends bitch about the issue and NEVER try to understand the real problem o the under priviledged. Really saddened and disgusted by the thoughts.
DeleteVery well written.
ReplyDeleteI am in support of fair wages to maid and also of principle that wherever you are, you should follow laws of that land. However US tends to react like a big brother and that complicates situation. As far as reservation system goes, there are millions of poor dalits who benefit from that, so benefits taken by small %age of people like DK should not be taken as benchmark. Lastly, Indian bureaucracy's reaction was sick as known to all. IAS, IPS and IFS officers think themselves as demigods, whereas most of the educated Indians think them as Jokers. Jokers who have fancy cars, fancy homes and fancy uniforms at govt expense. It would be worth while if govt starts recruiting people from pvt sector for short term, and starts firing these guys for non performance. As about DKs father the less said the better, there are media reports about his share of scams and controversies.
ReplyDeleteWonderfully written.
ReplyDeleteApart from the reservation dialogue, this incident just exposed the way the privileged bureaucrats consider the right to everything in and outside India. Hypocrisy is an ailment embedded deep into our system and way of life. This does not work globally but Indians make it work out of poor habit. Sorry state of affairs.
ReplyDeleteBeautifully written. I agree with every sentence!
ReplyDeleteWith the AAP coming to the Centre all this rubbish happening will be history. Finally !
ReplyDeletei support the article.This is the way many indians treat their domestic helps.but things are changing atleast in kerala.And eventhough it is not related. about the comments regarding reservation it is very true. what is happening now in india is that the "creamy layer" is now getting all the benefits because those people like adivasis and the downtrodden are never allowed to come up.Those kids whose parents have already reaped the benefits of reservation are still getting the benefits just because of their caste. Some one was saying no one from the reservation group is a CEO of a private company. No private company is going to deny the post to a meritorius person just based on caste.But no company would like a non competent person to be on top just because they are from a reservation group.I am a doctor and we have seen the problems of the reservation system being implemented. The very people who still need reservation never get it because of the "creamy layer".
ReplyDeleteI like the article. At least a friend of mine is a victim of Devyani in New York Consulate.
ReplyDeleteNow it is incorrect that no new Universities were not opened in Gujarat. In fact if you google you will find many institutions like DAICT, Pandit Deel Dayal Petroleum Univesity, Forensic Science Univesity, IIT Gandhinagar, IIM Ahmedabad 2nd campus also in Ahmedabad, many universities opened in hinderlands of Gujarat so that students of poor family do not have to worry about sending children to hostels and paying extra money... I can go on and on about it.
Let me know if you want me to educate you about it.
But anyways a good article about Devyani.
Why zeroing down everything on cast reservation. As if she wouldn't have been Dalit, she couldn't have done it or upperclass is not involve in curruptin or only elite reserve class people are in involve corruption. I think all the intellectual should fight for reform of reservation system not to abandon the system. There are many people in this country who need helping hand. Every system in this world has good and bad side to it. Its full of contradiction.
ReplyDeleteI do agree whatever happened has shadow of cast politics but its more about human tendencies than reservation.
(Note*- I am from open catagory but not Bramhin by cast. )
Well written? Maybe, but the opinion is certainly not worth the paper it is written on. I don't know the writer's credentials or anything about him, incidentally the "about me" section on his profile reads a blank. The only reason I could think of was that the writer possibly fears backlash for spewing venom in the form of a blog. Borderline deranged in my opinion but then again, its just my opinion, not worth the paper it is written on.
ReplyDelete""Everything we hear is an opinion, not a fact. Everything we see is a perspective, not the truth." Marcus Aurelius
well written. But alas, the short sighted cannot see beyond their indignation and it does fuel their need to
ReplyDeletecry foul and bask in the ill conceived national pride. Be proud of the many many reasons you have to take pride in your country but the more patriotic thing to
do is to asses the situation and face the illnesses and try to fix whats broken.
The US has a myriad of shameful issues that are eating at its core that it must contend with. And do does India. If the US over reached in their pre prosecution process, be aware that the diplomat broke the law. Your mere perception of whether a maid needs more than 3/hr above food and lodging isn't going to hold in a foreign land. There is no justification of a strip search but to justify meager wages because a bed and food were provided is NO justification either. Take your empty pride and dust this under the carpet
and point more fingers at the US govt to make two wrongs right.
Oh I love this! I wholeheartedly agree with everything you say. Well, except for the Slumdog Millionaire point: nothing against the movie, but I personally feel it was given an oscar just to embarrass India and Indians, and is put to very good use passive aggressively whenever someone wants to put Indians down; very subtle.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, my main issues with the DK case:
1) DK got to this post through lying (Indians have no shame when they get caught about it either!) and corruption (viz. the Adarsh scam, of which she is a beneficiary!) and reservation (which ultimately helps only those with money/power, and not those who need it)
2) Other corrupt bureaucrats and politicians who are supporting her, while claiming to "defend India's virtue" are curiously absent when others need support (anyone even think of hearing the maid's side?), or when actual work needs to be done.
I agree with the anon comment from 1/13: we, as Indians, "cannot comprehend the fundamental equality of all human beings". We do not treat each other with respect: we are either out to belittle and use those below us, or ingratiate ourselves (and use) those above us!
As far as the arrest and strip search goes, well, the strip search part is bit much, but is pretty much de rigeur after an arrest in the US. No verdict required.
ReplyDeleteBut was her arrest warranted? Well, it is SOP of Indian employers to hold on to (read: confiscate) their servants'/maids' passports, and hold that hostage against any "misbehavior". Do I have evidence DK did that to her maid? No. Do I wholeheartedly believe DK mistreated her maid? Absolutely yes. Do I believe DK should've been arrested? Even as a diplomat, Yes. Being a diplomat does not mean you are not accountable for taking away someone else's human rights!
Only if she had the sense to pay proper wages and keep her maid happy, an international issue could have been avoided. For representing a billion Indians, one would expect better people skills...at least have the capacity to manage you domestic help
ReplyDeleteAs I was reading this article, I realized that the writer has serious issues with maintaining a thought process.
ReplyDeleteYour article has no flow, no insight, and no depth of thought.
You have talked about:
1) A faulty U.S. legal system
2) Reservation issues in India
3) Corruption in Indian bureaucracy
4) Narendra Modi and Gujrat
5)Education
And some random blabbering about service tips and minimum wages.
Your effort at providing references to select portions of your article is ridiculous.
Please try to see the incident in its light and gain some perspective.
The title of your article does not do justice to its irrelevant content.
Devyani being an Indian diplomat is a flaw with the Indian system.
U.S. acting overzealous regarding legal affairs is a U.S. problem.
U.S. resorting to strip search an Indian diplomat regarding civil offenses (visa fraud is not proven yet) is the issues at hand.
Treat the U.S. as one entity, Devyani as one, and India as one. Relate to the issue at hand and then move on to provide a balanced view (your effort at which is horrible)
Very well written, undoubtedly this was made a National issue under the pressure of the Indian babushahi. It should have been dealt with diplomatically without projecting Khobragade as symbol of National respect which she does not deserve. The case against her should be transferred to India and pursued suitably, in order to create an example for the Indians working abroad.
ReplyDeleteDude - not sure what you are smoking. Although you make some great points, I would never hire a plumber to come and sit in my sofa and do small talk so that it will make me feel good. Sure he is an equal human being and all that and we will have a nice conversation if I know him socially. However, I expect him to come in do his job and leave when its done. I didn't work my ass off and acquire my meager but nice belongings for him. In fact I have seen this "sit in my sofa behaviour in India" -- lot of these guys have work ethics issues, don't do a great job and need constant supervision. On top of that they create a mess and don't clean after. You must be joking if I would offer him my hard earned sofa !! A cup of tea, sure -- in the cup allocated to the workers. There you are --- feel free to do what you wish, but don't preach those things. Treating other people properly doesn't mean that you have to become a carpet for them to walk on with their dirty feet. And FYI that applies to the politicians, consul officials, maids, lawyers etc!!
ReplyDeleteMain aim of reservation is to give opportunities to the under previleged people.Being a son or daughter of an IAS officer enjoying the benefits of the reservation is failing the purpose of reservation. There are many people among the underprevileged section waiting for the opportunities are losing chances because of such people.
ReplyDelete"Do not do to others what would anger you if done to you by others." as said by Socrates, hold good. This if not heeded so shall ye reap.
ReplyDeleteOur beaurocracy is cut off from the people they are supposed to serve.they have double face.at time many faces. Cowardice has permeated deed in them.satyamew jayete is always in the background!only forces are used to rule and suppress.this is turning us into a land of cowards.let all of us especially the beaurocracy look deep inside and act.fear is the biggest drawback to our sovereign state.
ReplyDeleteGood article. Sorry for not commenting on this issue, but I am more thoughtful for caste based reservation system. Why the hell DK needs reservation. To hell Indian political system. Actually a political party should be formed aimed at ending the caste based reservation model we are following now.
ReplyDeletelaughable, and I can just have pity on you. I think there is no contrariety in the entire article.your views seems to be just a good attempt on proving your loyalty to the place you live and aspire to be and yes, you are not alone most of the people tend to be more American then the natives and want to prove it beyond doubt. Its so easy bashing a system sitting in America but not realising you must have been part of the same MIDDLE class here in India. What has been your contribution to the society, You opportunist, what is the difference between you and Devyani. Just that she became an IFS and you Some other kind who is eligible to settle abroad for want of good life. Come home and work to improve the system which your dad and relatives must have nourished all their life, which now you call rotten. Scribbling a blog is not the most effective way. American People have made their society so what are you doing there, what is your contribution. Your kind of people will be first one to leave the country when it starts giving you some headaches and will move to another shore for want of good life for your kids.and regarding US,They want a kings life when they are in countries like India and this is clear with the attitude of their diplomatic staff. Do this to China and US will get its due share? and my advice to you is shift to China, Seriously :)
ReplyDeleteIt would have been better if this article had been either about social inequalities in India, the reservation system, or bashing modi. Bringing DK in shows the author's hypocrisy.
ReplyDeleteThe US embassy in India is guilty of lying on visa applications and tax evasion. (Ref: american school in new Delhi). The holier than thou american media won't cover that. The amazing state department won't comment on that. The justice department and Preet bharara won't be concerned as it is not on american soil. The Americans are a nation of hypocrites and this hypocrisy affects the Indians who settle there and think their skin has turned white.
They had privileges way beyond what our diplomats have in the US, and it was our fault that we let them have it. It was probably due to politicians and beaureaucrats who had children studying abroad and expected favours.
It is extremely easy to point fingers at India and indians, especially from distant shores. There are a lot of things wrong in this country and we will work out a solution ourselves. We don't need sermons from americans or their worshippers.
Devyani Khobragade and her father are lowlifes who should be investigated in Mumbai for the adarsh scam. Sangeeta Richards is a gold digger and she made it big.
Its very common these days to keep remarking about how Indians are cheaters and cheap people who don't give tips. Accepted. I just find it amazing that the same people who do the above do not point at the american president and say - "hey there goes the biggest mass murderer alive". They don't look at Americans and go "hey these people manufacture arms and cause conflicts in other people's countries so that they can sell these arms".
The Americans backstabbed us, and I am proud that the public reaction followed. It should have happened much earlier as they have gotten away with multiple such insults earlier. We should take a leaf out of Brazil's book and show them the finger.
And Mr author - fuck you for your sanctimoniousness. I hope you like your adopted country and don't come back.
dear Sir/ma'am
ReplyDeletei find your article quite pointless and one sided. you seem to say that all indians are hypocrites. I already know that. all indians know that. and you also say that Americans are hypocrites, but you want indians only to learn. what about americans. do you think white people should be hypocrites and stupid but not indians. very patriotic but not logical enough for me
You have to be kidding me.
ReplyDeleteIf real life was so uncomplicated and black and white, it would have been so simple.
Sure we would love it to be black and white.
But, do pray tell, what this Dalit business has go to do with some pretty standard, other than the strip search, tit for tat.
No one bothers to answer the question, when thousands of Pakistanis are being killed in terrorist attacks, why did US have to covertly extract the maids family.
There is only but one answer. Espionage.
I wonder Mr.Salman kurshid would have reacted this much for any other public issue. almost every politician had felt and reacted towards how Ms.Devyani Khobragade was treated by Us govt. Why dont they realise the maid who had reported also an Indian. And what steps did the indian govt, have taken towards the report against Ms.Devyani. If they are protecting Ms.Devyani from Us Govt why do they fail to protect another citizen who is a maid. Let us put it flat, does the report against Ms.Devyani is true or not, if yes then she has to be penalised if it is not then lets take US for the treatment they had given for an Indian embassy employee
ReplyDeleteFinally an article that makes sense. What hurts me is the way Indian government is shielding Ms Devyani for all the wrongdoings and making it so imperative that everyone lies on the visa documents. The government is failing to realise that the person for whom the US law is fighting is also an Indian citizen. Sadly our govt is ignorning the rights of a common man here.
ReplyDeletewhy do these diplomats need a maid if they cannot afford to pay them. Is it just a priviledge of being a govt servant. i am a doctor here, working 80 hrs/week. I dont have a maid because i cant afford one even though i make decent money.I have been to Indian embassy here for a couple of issues. I feel I get treated better by the American people than the people at the embassy.
The point is she has broken the law of the land that she is residing in and deserves punishment. law is equal for all and thats how it should be.
An excellent article.....Finally the other side to the useless country wide flare-up and mountain of a molehill tamasha it had become.....I feel the middle class of india has very conveniently forgotten the regular day to day evils and atrocities that they/we commit on our maids and how we treat them as our property.....The support to DK from the middle class was not so much against apparent racism and US authoritative attitude but rather more on the lines of how dare a bloody poor maid dare complain against her masters and how dare the system support the maid......
ReplyDeleteActually -- the point that seems to be missed is that a government rep was in effect persecuting a citizen of that country. This citizen then took refuge and sought "asylum" in the host country. US has always been the land of the free and the home of the brave. Suck it up India and go back to being the biggest democracy in the world. Although this doesn't justify the treatment of the consul, people in the US empathize and often side with the underdog. Guess - maid in India has a special meaning now!!
ReplyDeletehad the same thought when this issue started....
ReplyDeleteThe politicians used it and blew up a criminal to a martyr status to turn attention from their scams.
Very good and interesting article. Landed here accidentally, but enjoyed reading for a long time. Yes, you have pointed out many faults and fault lines in both India and US. But what is interesting is that how both countries (the bureaucrats) have tried to capitalise on the "case" and bring in elements which help them further their own interests.
ReplyDeleteFirst of all the author is completely silent on the demand of Maid of 10k settlement offer which was nothing but extortion attempt and how swiftly family of maid was shifted to US courtesy US Diplomat at India sponsored by US as family of trafficking just before entire episode took place.As regards NaMo author is completely ignores the what took place in Delhi in 1984 and also seems that either not aware of the past history of Gujarat during the rule of Congress in 1970 and 1980 when riots were norm of the day. What Congress has done in Gujarat prior to NaMo is matter of record which is readily available on net but author of article seems having blind faith in Congress who is facing corruption in CWG 2G and Coalgate but no whisper about the same shows sick mentality to bash NaMo and with sole mission of finding fault about NaMo ignoring the deeds of Congress. Why no whisper about no actions against Ex CM of Maharashtra despite RaGa outburst against corruption?
ReplyDeleteExtremely confused article. Ok, the man lives in the US, is looking for US citizenship or has one, so has to profess that we also adhere to the US''s world view. One of the chips on his shoulder seems to be the fact that he was ''exploited'''on a H1B Visa..well, what stopped him from leaving? Clearly, the dollars. He is very short sighted when he says it Indians who exploit...what price the cheap labour in SE Asia, India, Bangladesh, Pakistan etc. that cater to ''civilised'' Westerners who defend ''human rights?'' These people are ok with paying a pittance so that they can get manufactured goods at a fraction of the cost from countries that have no minimum wage laws. Please, Indians settled in the US..it may suit you to start seeing everything through a prism that endears you to the hand that feeds you but this rubbish rant against bureaucracy and privileged etc is better directed at the country of your adoption. They are the PhDs in the subject.
ReplyDeleteConclusion by reading the article and comments: Rich corrupt dalits are hated more than rich corrupt non-dalits. People can't just stand a successful dalits in good way or bad way.
ReplyDeleteWriter of the article seems to be some casteist with no sensitivity about the reservation. He is lost in his own ideas and trying to relate anything to just show that reservation is wrong. Does this author has any idea about what hardships and social oppression a person receives from the so called upper caste gets. Writing fancy words does not make you a writer, you are just showing your frustration. Think more socially.
ReplyDeleteHow the reservation system is related to Devyani's case? Would that be okay if Devyani is from upper caste and the rest of the things took the same course as happened now? This author seems to be okay with the IFS officials exploiting the maids as long as they belong to upper caste. In fact that is what happening for thousands of years. Surprisingly, Devyaini was arrested, but not Neena Malhotra for similar case. Either it is USA or India, if you belong to lower race or caste the higher your position, the loner you get because you will see more and more whiter race or upper caste. You need to be more aggressive to survive. Who knows, if Devyani belonged to upper caste, probably she might not have been arrested by using her upper caste NY Indian connections. I am not saying what Devyani has done is right. But she belongs to and reflects the group that wants to change its position from being exploited to the exploiter! May be by doing that she wants to forget that her family hailed from that background that her maid belongs now!
ReplyDeleteAlthough it was an interesting read, I felt the author diverted the focus on the issue at hand. It is evident from the comments above and I am going to do the same because the tone in which it was said really bothers me.
ReplyDeleteHer being dalit has no relevance to what is happening in the US. I don't think people in Washington particularly care what caste Ms. DK belongs to. Referring to his statement "Reaping the benefits of Dalit", Being an IAS officer (her father) comes with benefits and privileges, Mr. author somehow suggests that they should have forfeited those benefits because they belong to the lower caste. That's outright nonsense.
The reservation system is purely based on the fact that a community which was oppressed for centuries (hundreds of generations) needs some time to recuperate. Its like you keep a 6 ft tall man in 4x4 cage for 10 years and then release him he is not going to stand straight right-away. He is going to have a hump and it will take some years of therapy before he walks straight. Reservation is the therapy that we as a society provide to these oppressed classes. Its been only 60 years hardly two at-most three generations. And I don't think Ms. DK's kids got admitted into US schools under reservation. So lets give it some time.
What we need to be discussing is that having made the most out of the therapy provided to her. She should not be putting another person into a cage. I agree that's wrong and if guilty should be punished.
In my personal opinion, the article is trying to tackle few things. A lot of bloggers/writers do that often, they try to paint a wholistic picture of a person with things that may or may not be relevant to a specific situation. Like the article above, it is trying to paint a picture of Devyani as an individual in relation to her past, present and the maid case.
ReplyDeleteHumans have a tenedency to get emotional and jump to conclusions very quickly and thats normal. However, if you try to take few of the key points mentioned above in each of their own context, then they could hold their own ground. For example - Corruption - Her involvement in Indian corruption affairs has nothing to do with the whole case, however on its own, her background is questionable and as lawyers say "if they are doing it now they must have done it before".
I am not trying to defend anyone here, but each country has their own protocols, cops sometimes make hasty decisions, you can find tons of stupid youtube videos where cops are shooting or using force where its not required and something similar could have happened in her arrest too. Try to place yourself as a 3rd person watching this whole incidence, Indian bureaucrat dealing with American Cops, being at a very reputable/high office chair I could see her resisting the arrest or mouthing off, which is very normal in a situation like this. One thing leading to another and cops end up doing something they were not suppose to.
As for the whole Dalit vs Hindu concern, its been going on for a long time. It is an issue that is not quantifiable, you cannot judge as to who deserves it and who doesnt. I think the whole religion/cast/class thing is overrated and people need to get over themselves. Blacks were slaves throughout the world but are they part of some reservation system ? - No. They might get support from their own community but thats about it. Long story short, this discussion will never end unless people realize that a Doctor trying to save someone's life should become a doctor based on the merits not on what cast/class of society they belong to. You need tax rebate, discount in basic education ? you should get it. Anyone who cannot support their kids to get basic necessaties deserves it and expects it from the society. But if you are expecting to become a doctor, an engineer, or CEO of a company, earn it.
Just reinforcing that these my personal opinions, I am not trying to condone any society, religion or cult. Thank you.
very true...at last an article about an issue that was bugging me for days
ReplyDeleteSimply great!!
ReplyDelete"Devyani Khobragade: Shoma Chaudhury" are all pseudo feminists.
They do not deserve to be in the limelight.
God saved Sangeetha!!
you are totally wrong naive and misguided on this! reservation system in India, and this issue are two disparate threads that need not be muddled together! very disappointing..
ReplyDeleteReservation just on name and not on need basis will always lead to such imbalances. The so called oppressed have become oppressors of their own kind. A lot of hue and cry has been made by Khobragade's about their dalit origins but we have still not came to know about the caste and origins of maid.
ReplyDeleteWhy cant the diplomats hire maid in the country where they are posted? Believe me you can hire cleaning and housekeeping services in any country at pretty low rates.
I think there are a couple of aspects here all intertwined:
ReplyDelete1. Diplomacy is about reciprocity. Even if the IAS officer was guilty, how the case was treated by US reflects on the power equation with India and India must ensure the power balance is maintained.
2. Minimum wages could be a grey area. Is it only her or is it a illegal but tacitly ignored common practice. Sometimes its hard or unjust to pinpoint guilt when everyone else is also doing it especially if it's an economic rounabout.
3. Was the maid il treated. If the maid was illtreated then the harshest of possible punishment should be applied by either country.
4. Was the maids family persecuted by Indian authorities. Absolute shame on them and the IAS fraternity if this is true
I don't no who is the Author of this saga, the writer thinks Indians are fools and do not know about America, for that matter the writer should declare his or her full name so that we could understand the tirade they are embarking on India and its people. The Indians in America think they are the best and yes they are the Cream of India and have fabulous family background. The majority of NRI's in America studied in India's Government funded institutions like IIT's, IIM's to name some. The college fees in these institutions is very little and nominal as compared to American Institutions. This decision to charge very less is done through the policy of Subsidy, so that these students should work in India or for the government of India after graduation. Only the people with humble background work in Indian government as they cannot afford to go to America for Higher studies or to work there. The Grudge which I'am about to state is of that Indian who lives in countryside (Villages) pay every imaginable taxes imposed on them to fund the studies of these Indians who work in America as DOCTORS, ENGINEERS to highlight the most. Even the people of Indian Origin still fall back to Indian Government when they face any crisis in America. But why they face crisis? Well the so called Americans still practice "THE WHITE MEN BURDEN" in many forms be it Black Americans or other major Races. All these things we in India now know, Americans are very weak in terms of facing hardships, that's why their Major Corporates are looking for the Talented people around the world who are ready to work on Less salary in comparison to what is given to the average AMERICAN. If you really want to Understand what is going on in American society, everyone should watch this American movie CRASH 2004 directed by Paul Haggis (Please do not confuse with same name movie of 1996 which is very bizarre and erotic) Thanks for reading, Good Luck and GOD BLESS AMERICA...
ReplyDeleteExcellent article. U have an open eye.
ReplyDeleteHi!
ReplyDeletePlease understand that the reservation system is not a poverty alleviation system. It is a policy to make sure that dalits get represented in a system that has been and is still hugely unfair to them. She is corrupt and what she did was completely unfair and wrong. But do not club it with her being Dalit and reaping benefits of reservation.
Excellent article. For those who are insisting that her past in India is unrelated to the present case in Manhattan, I would say that her present is a direct continuity of her past. Except that her sense of entitlement is well served only uder the ultra corrupt Indian government with privileges looted by her dad from more needy Indians. And those who point her being Dalit has no relevant to the case: it is those defending on her behalf who invoked her D card - her dad, Mayawati, ToI infomericals and Suchitra Vijayan - to nsme a few. It does not take only Dalit to be a corrupt individual, but corruption by Dalits is legally supported in the constitution. Hence the brazen attitude of most Dalits in public life. Just ask the Khobragade dad - he will threaten to sue you if you asked him on how he got those Adharsh flats.
ReplyDeleteIndeed a fantastic article with due clarity. Smt. Devyani disclosed an annual income of Rs.1.8 Lakhs in her application for securing a Flat in Adarsh and remitted Rs.1.10 Crore in the year and the father daughter duo refused to disclose it' source and the Adarsh Judicial Panel rightly reported it. She has also disclosed about her 11 properties in different States including a 5 Acre Plot in Kochi worth 16 Lakhs!!! (a sensational land deal of her husband with Pakistani connections); and most of them are claimed to be presented by her 'poor father'!!! . These are public documents that anybody can procure. She has indeed flouted the local US laws as well and answerable for it as nobody is above law. But where were those champions of liberty and the Apostles of Diplomacy when Dr. Abdul Kalam, Kamalhasan and Shahrukh Khan were harassed to the maximum only to protect the US ego. Khobragade' are, if exposed on the basis of their declarations alone, can be charged for grave offences under Indian Law. Above all, ‘the misconduct’ by attending a political function organised by Republican Party of India with her loving father who announced his political aspirations on her homecoming!!!
ReplyDeleteGood write-up. But why drag Modi here?
ReplyDeleteExcellent article... will be a reality check for many. Also shows how Indian Media is... but a shorter version without the Modi part would help. THAT link I will share, so the debate stays simpler.
ReplyDeleteOne of the best blog posts I've read in a long time.
ReplyDeleteShed some light on MATA syndrome. 'More American than Americans'. This affects many NRI s including Bharara. Secondly what is your opinion about all the illegal acivities done by US embassy & its staff here- they are involved in visa & tax fraud,evade taxes on liqours,run club without proper permission,wives do jobs when they are not allowed to..
ReplyDeleteOne more thing Is there any role christian missionaries in this whole episode because maid is christian & undue haste was shown by US govt. to "EVACUATE" her family from India.
I am surprised to see lot of comments praising this article... Every country has it's own strengths and weaknesses. Overall, it is a dumb, one sided, mixed-up (reservation, Modi) analysis of the case.
ReplyDeleteAt present, the maid was released and is on bail. It means you'll have to put up with the maid's loan. At the close of the day, a superior maid influences good behavior in your kid. You are curious to know more about filipino maid, discover here.
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