Boston and after

How simple the world once was. We could say America was the perfect place to live in, that Indians understood empathy best, that money was the root of all evil and, alas, that Gerard Butler was a gentleman. Don't get me started on that last one. But after Boston and the Delhi rape of a 5-yr-old, all bets on black-and-white generalizations are off.

I'm sorry to say that my first reaction to Boston was complete and utter admiration on the lines of 'Man, these yankees are kick-ass mofos'. Do Americans know what it's like to live in a country where the police, by and large, actually protect you? I'm sure they take it as much for granted as having electricity and water without interruption. The US authorities shut down a city, used thermal imaging, literally laid down their lives, to deal with terror on their soil. These are the type of guys you want on your side; they understand the need for swift justice, and still talk of Miranda rights. In the American's hour of darkness, there is a still a light that shines on them. In India, the police will shine their fists on you if you are a teenage girl protesting the rape and brutalisation of a minor. Sunil Khilnani and I knew many moons ago that this a country where you are on your own in times of trouble. The only number you dial when you need help is God's. Just ask the 5-yr-old if he's listening.

But what has happened to India that we are now not only Third World in terms of lifestyle but also mindstyle? Once, when we lay bleeding in the street we knew someone would help us to a hospital; if a man looked at a woman sideways she could make such a ruckus he would never dare do it to anyone ever again. Today, people watch, perhaps upload a YouTube video. Indifference lives side-by-side with a MeMeMe blinkered vision.

Not that America is the promised land, it was never that. It was once the better of very few options but if you're not white, this would not be a preferred destination. I can just imagine, as we speak, people doing a doubletake at anyone who looks Chechen/Czechoslovakian/Indian/MiddleEastern and is walking down the streets of Boston. Ignorance should not be a preferred destination. But I wouldn't mind John McClane living in my neighbourhood.

Oh, and in case you were wondering, money is not the root of all evil (unless you're Paris Hilton and don't know what to do with it). Money is Power.