SRK and to all ASIANS

By Prabal Atreya



Well…Well…Well. Yet another airport conduct incident. Mr. Shah Rukh Khan being detained in Newark, NJ (USA). The Indian in me got furious for a moment; after all SRK does hold a place in our hearts. And I don’t compare the Badshah with the Shehenshah, both have their own forte. Maybe, as a human, I may tend to do it down the line but surely when SRK turns 60. But that does not mean ‘am putting my CRAZYmeter down for him; for I’ve also grown up with all the Yash Raj banners he was part of, seen the craze in the female fans who came to hold my hands but only to watch SRK do what he does best- Stretch his hands open so wonderfully that almost half the world’s females would get into his already suffocating heart.

Sir, you almost made me a pimp then! What more, I tried doing the same magic; and got responses like- Honey! I like the way you are! Liar she was, because I never saw the same craze for me! Nevertheless, on a serious note, over the years, I also developed a fan following with him, but more so with his off-screen persona. Very intelligent, spontaneous, and evergreen.

DETAINED

And it was disappointing to see him getting detained in a foreign land, where he had run so much for those ‘mouth wide open’ scenes. And he was DETAINED, a step ahead of the frisking episodes in airport that we kept hearing in media off late, the last major being Dr.Kalam’s. Off course the issue was different then, for it was a definite code of conduct by an US airline major, and it did apologize later to the missile man. But yes, for Shah Rukh Khan, my instant reaction was furious. But then, quickly there’s another opinion that suddenly ruled over the fan in me. That’s when the occasional blogger in me woke up all over again; thought I have an opinion about there.

My immediate quest led me to couple of blogs and reviews about the issue. Good God! It’s not even 12 hours in the incident, and part of the World Wide Web is flooded with Shah Rukh Khan and the issue. By the time my opinion gets its space, there might just be a bandwidth problem whiles you Google for SRK. For all those who missed out, after the detention, SRK’s first immediate reaction was- “They have a problem with my name”. I think that was very pre-mature of him; but I could understand this position, that was the best he could offer to the world media when he just came out in tizzy. I’m sure he would like to change his statement, maybe in a much intelligent way, that justifies his wit and the gravity of the issue. I’ll cover that in the end. Another review talked about Ambika Soni with a ‘Tit for Tat’ statement. Ma’am! I’ve always liked you. But what is this? A loose statement from a learned and senior politician like you? Maybe you could have given a more politically correct answer for now and carried on as an action item in any of those cabinet meetings and implemented in airport vigilance agenda.

Excuse me!

More so, when the Elections are just over and you don’t need minority votes for sure. Anyway, I like you. It happens with the best. But I have a few things to tell you. Wait till I reach the end. I drilled down further to other fan reviews. Some idiots said it was a publicity stunt. Excuse me! SRK does not need to do that, your idiotic mind needs rest. Likewise, many more.

I’m never a great admirer of this nation, its policies but again, I don’t hate it so much like our neighbor as well. There are many a good things in US for the world to like and take lessons from and a definite good amount of reasons to hate as well. And I would not like to be yet another over-confident Indian, who’s on a high and on a US bashing just because of the ‘land of opportunity’ tagline being shifted from the US to India. What is the incident? Why has it happened? Is it just about a name? To start off with, let us for once applaud that Americans do care for their people and their lives. Talk of the least; they make their people feel that that there is good governance, policymaking and implementation around the policies.

If SRK is not spared

For an American Internal Security Policymakers, people of America are his priority. He would like to be checking each and every soul that checks into American land given the threats she faces as a nation. Unlike India, which is still vulnerable to aerial, water and land entries. But we are still talking about SRK? Who was been awaited by thousands of fans outside the airport. But for US officials, it might be another action to showcase the larger world, mostly to the nations where SRK is popular, that if SRK is not spared for a check or a suspicion, so would other Khans, and so would the other followers of Islam. And yes, there is a clear target audience against this action. And unfortunately, our very own SRK is the scapegoat this time.

Unfortunately, because of some of the satanic minds, who spread terror in the name of Islam. And people like Shah Rukh Khan and many other common man has to suffer those suspicious eye sights. Even otherwise, if high profile celebs could involve themselves in drug rackets and mafia, who know there could be a terror hand as well. Such are the times, and such unpredictable things could happen. What they did in this exercise could be a mock drill or a closing-down loopholes exercise. And they meant it to a specific segment, I repeat. What Mr.Shah Rukh Khan could have done better, or many who face similar treatments could do better is by following the routine procedure with utmost sincerity to the law of the land. Huh! I don’t know the experience, is that what my Islamist friend is saying? No, my friend. I care for you. But that does not take away the fact that a subset in your set keeps impacting the world, harming human lives at the highest level. The best way to deal with the larger world, is by being a good example in all the sets and win your friends. You are upset? It’s not just?


Please

Hear me out, my Asian/Islamist friend. Please manage yourself in this process for sometime. Until the next big Christian terrorism group comes out. There may be few here and there, but let’s wait for sometime, till we see someone who damages mass scale and magnitude. Trust me; the pointer would shift to Andrew or a Steve rather than a Akhtiar. But until then, you have to be with the larger human race, be a good Samaritan and be a part with the larger world. Because there’s more in the human race than the religion itself. Let me shift the focus to China. I love this country; do business with the country as well. Imagine a Chinese extremist (those who love words, go figure out the Chinese synonym of jihads, I’m not interested), imagine spreading the ill-motives in US and India. All Mongoloids would be vulnerable, right! People from NE India are already facing this, but this time, for a more major concern, life. You never know, even one of our Bishnupriya Manipuris could be detained; Questioned and released. And the victim would turn up to the blog and express his fury- ‘They did not like my face’. Or maybe express his worry about his resemblance with the most wanted terrorist – Hu Jintao from China and that his Sinha surname is false.

Lesson for all nations- Don’t talk about tit for tat to US policies, maybe we could have a more systematic and stringent check in our boundary lines. Show examples that you are active, very active. A terrorist mind would definitely take time, but more so because of the stringent checks you’ve put in. Jack Welch once said- Copy shamelessly. It applies to all in GE and I am no exception either.

Lets not sensationalize it, as we can't incorporate in India

If there is a certain practice that needs attention, could be followed, lets not sensationalize it just because we cannot follow it in our system. We could learn that they could perform and practice their policies in just about everybody. Because it’s their country and their people. And they would do anything to keep their people safe.

With the SRK episode, maybe they sent the signals across. As for Shah Rukh Khan, the matter is already in the embassy for an explanation. I won’t be surprised if the next thing that comes out would be an apology letter/statement from the US consulate in India to SRK. They can’t even put the Asians residing in US at bay for long, they’ll cover them as well in the apology. Peace would prevail in a couple of days. BUT WILL INDIA EVER LEARN THE LESSON? WOULD THE MINORITY GET A LESSON because this minority tagline shifts its focus every now and then. Will he accept the time and circumstance gracefully; be an example or continue to play hide and seek with the rest of the world. Because there would be someone bound to take your place tomorrow and you’d relax thereafter.


Today is Lamboishing (Sunday)


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