While at your grace..

I have been trying hard to keep up with the news these days. The media is overwhelmed with domestic and international politics. Once Iran settles for whatever evil it is destined to, Afghansitan goes through another election turmoil. Barack (well, Obama) goes through another disaster in convincing Americans about health care reforms.

When the whole world is racing to reach first on generating headlines, India brings up another cliche'd allegation - "SRK subject to racial profiling in United States by being asked to go through security check". Most readers on Times Of India were weeping their heart out in this unbelievable incident.
Deja vu??
Well not, Former President Mr Kalam was asked go through a security screening in Indira Gandhi Airport few weeks back.
Deja vu??
Nope, Our then defense Minister Mr.George Fernandez was "strip checked" (quote:Media) in an airport in United States in 2003 and 2004.

Okay, let us rewind back and look at these events more objectively than emotionally. If you are a nationalist-right-out-of-movie, then you may stop reading here.

Defense minister's incident - Mr. Fernandez later denied that he wasn't strip checked by Airport security, but instead asked to put his jacket, shoes and socks in a tray to scanned under X-Ray.
http://www.tribuneindia.com/2004/20040715/main4.htm
Sounds familiar? Yep, this is the same thing we all do when we travel abroad. If this is strip checking, then, yeah many of us have seen tons of naked men and women in Airport!

Former Prez incident - I learned an interesting aspect about an aero bridge. The aerobridge is the thing that connects a flight to airport building. The aerobridge, by law, is a territory to the country that the airline belongs to (like an Embassy). So by definition our former Prez was no different than being trying to enter a foreign country. The TSA (Transport security Authority) of United States doesn't honor any VIP list a foreign country has provided and will subject the passenger to as much security check that any one else would do. Again, there were no hitting or beating. Our prez was just frisked and walked through an X-Ray scanner. More interestingly, you know the only person who hasn't so far whined about this incident - Mr. Kalam himself!

SRK - Oh come on, I don't even think it is worth writing this. It's simple, anyone's name that pops up for secondary check on a USCIS computer will be further checked. That's all. I think when it comes to movie stars, we Indians are still a "frog in the well". Believe me, they did probably what they are asked by documentation. I was surprised by seeing some unexpected people condemning this "heanous" act. Mr.Pranab mukherji, Mr. Shashi Tharoor etc. I don't know why they did that. As for an average Indian, he or she is least bothered about this. And about racial profiling, looks like most people are out of the Indian context for a long time. A south Indian is still a "madrasi" in Mumbai. A Bihari can't work for a living still in the maratha-land. A Kashmiri muslim won't get a house for rent in most parts of India. And a lot more...

Who was talking about racial profiling by the way?