Act of Bribing
Debi Prasad Choudhary
Los Angeles, 1/8/2013
Dasrathi, called as Das by his friends, grew up in small
villages of Orissa before completing college in a small town. Being son of a
teacher, he was simple and totally inexperienced about day-to-day the dealings,
even after graduating with physics Honors from a reputed college. While pursuing Master degree in Kurukshetra
University, he used to travel by train, many times without reservation. It was
hard. In order to get a seat in the train, he would ask 1Coolies for
help. Coolies would charge any where between 210 to 25 rupees to
help taking the luggage into the train and occupy a seat for him. Given the
rush for the seats on the train, he would consider it a good deal. Even though
he would get a seat they were not secured. Some body else can occupy them, when
Dasrathi goes to bathroom, which was of course rare, except when the train used
to pass Bihar. In that case, there was a chance that he would lose the seat.
Later, he found that with a little more money, say 30 to 50 rupees, he could
negotiate with the ticket collector on a reserved compartment of the train and
get a sleeping birth permanently. Although it was an adventure, in which he
would follow the collector for several hours among many people to finally get a
seat by giving extra 50 rupees along with the fees. He always considered this
as legitimate considering the fact that if he were to spend a night in a hotel
he would pay similar amount.
In later life after getting job, he paid 3baksis
to policeman for verification while making a passport for his wife and child or
to postman on 4Dwali and Dashara. They are definitely not bribe. It
was a pleasure. What was definitely bribe are painful and Das can count them in
to three accounts.
One day while travelling, he was to change the train in
Bombay Charchgate station. He went to buy a ticket for Ahmedabad, where he had joined
a premiere center for space research to work on his PhD thesis. Suddenly he
found a plain cloth policeman approached him and asked to follow to an office.
He said that Das had travelled on train without ticket, so he can be arrested
and put to jail before producing him in front of a Magistrate. It was
devastating. Suddenly he thought, what would his parents think? What will
happen when this news of his jail time reaches his friends and relatives in the
small town? Before he could realize what is happening, the policeman took him
to another person who was sitting on chair with a table and surrounded by many
people. The policeman described the situation. Das told that he is travelling
from a small town in Orissa to Ahmedabad and he was trying to get another
ticket. Those days, it was not possible to buy the ticket for entire journey from
one station. He showed his ticket of his previous journey. The officer sitting
on the chair said, even in that case why did you come towards the metro side of
the station where tickets are only sold for trains that run in Bombay. You
should have gone to the section where interstate train tickets are sold. So,
there is a possibility that you travelled in the local train without ticket.
The consequence is that you appear in front of a Magistrate for adjudication,
which might take at least couple of days. In the mean time another guy offered
to help in negotiating. He said if Das can pay 50 rupees, the matter could be
resolved. While this was going on, Das heard the policeman talking to his
friend, who asked how much this boy can pay you think? Anyway, the matter was
resolved with less than 50 rupees but was a nightmare.
Another incident happened when Das was returning to India
after staying abroad for about two years. He shipped about 100 audio and 15
videocassettes by post. The audiocassettes contained songs of 5Lataji
and classical renditions of 6Pt. Bhimsen Joshi and 7Pt.
Jasraj. Videocassettes contained among others movies such as “The shining” and
“one flew over the cook’s nest”. After receiving the intimation in Puna about
the arrival of the boxes in Bombay foreign post office, he came to collect
them. The officer, who was a middle aged man from Bihar with smelly cloths and
ugly looking, refused to clear the papers and asked for import license. Das
explained that he works in a premiere research organization in Pune, where the
director is a great scientist in India and serves as adviser to the prime
minister. The officer did not give a dam. He must have thought that if this guy
is so powerful and connected, how come he is coming here in person. Anyway,
nothing happened during the entire day while he watched the activities in the
office. He noticed that people give the passport with some money to the ugly
person who clears the papers. Towards the end of the day, he approached the
officer and told he is ready to pay like others to get the job done. The ugly
guy flared up and scolded Das for alleging him for bribery. So, the ugly-looking officer decides that the
matter must be adjudicated by tax collector in due course of time. With a sad
face, Das went to the chair out side and sat in despair and helplessness. A
relatively young man, most probably a south-Indian, approached him and offered
to help. The day was over and Das spend the night in a cheap hotel with a bed
spending about 50 rupees. It was a filthy place with many poor people around.
The next day without even washing face, as there was no facility in the hotel,
he arrived in the post office and took the help of the young south-Indian man,
who told him that he should put some money in the drawer of the ugly-officer,
without asking him and give the passport. With severing hands, Das performed
this act and got the papers cleared. Before finally receiving, he noticed that
several female officers gathered around his packets and selected the
videocassettes (one flew over the cooks nest) to take them like vulchers. It
was a painful experience.
On the third occasion, while returning from USA with his
wife and little son after staying two years, Das was already an experienced man
with confidence. He had a laptop computer, few electronic gadgets in six suitcases.
After immigration clearance, a person approached him and offered help saying,
“निकलवाना है क्या ?” (do you wants to take things out?). Das confidently said, “हाँ कितना लगेगा ?” (Yes, how much?). After discussing the list of items, he said it
would be about 300 US dollars. Das negotiated for 100 US dollar and the
middleman advised him to go through the gate number 3 in the red channel and
put the money in the trash can while departing. On arrival at the gate, the
officer said he must put 200 US dollars not 100 and he must do this fast since
the cameras are watching. Das was already courageous, and said, no “पर्ची काटो” (give receipts for the money). Listening the confident voice perhaps, the
officer said, “ठीक है जाओ” (alright go!). It was a great day for Das.
Finally, he could participate in corruption in his own terms and with dignity.
He did not feel humiliated not miserable like previous two occasions. Proudly
he proceeded with his wife and son. He has been narrating this story more often
to his friends with pride ever since.
1Coolies: Porters in Indian Rail Way. There is
even a Hindi movie named Coolie in which Amitav Bachan acts as coolie.
2 Those days one US Dollar was about 25 rupees.
3baksis: kind of present. If some body is happy
about the work of a subordinate little money is given as a token of
appreciation.
4Dwali and Dashara: an Indian festival during
which baksis is given to community servers such as a policeman, postman,
electrician, and street
cleaners etc.
5Lataji: A great Indian singer.
6Pt. Bhimsen Joshi and 7Pt. Jasraj:
Great Indian classical vocalists.
