With malice towards the poor and charity towards the rich do we value knowledge and learning? Do we accept charity with grace? Do we have our priorities straight? Do we want progress at all?

These questions flashed in my mind when at a party in Washington D.C an NRI who is a reputed medical practitioner here told me this story.

He happened to meet the Indian Ambassador in the U. S some years ago in the presence of a top Minister from India and told them of his plans to donate medical books, instruments, cash to any medical college and hospital in India. He said that all he wanted was a request from a hospital in India and he would immediately respond. Ten or more years later he is still waiting.

Even doing good in India is almost impossible he sighed. I recall that about four years ago I contacted several organizations — charities, orphanages, lepers’ homes and suggested that they send someone over to collect used clothes, vessels, books etc which I wanted to donate. These Mumbai based institutions had one standard answer — it is up to you to send these articles to us, we cannot collect them! Even a Christian missionary organization — one expected a better response from them — rebuffed me in the same manner.

I recently read in a book by a French author that he happened to meet economist Amiya Bagchi at his modest flat for an interview. At the end, the author, impressed by Bagchi’s excellent collection of books asked him what he intended to do with the books — he had in mind the economist’s advancing age and the lack of space in the modest flat.

Bagchi’s response stunned me. ‘University libraries are being devoured by mice. I keep them at home so that I can preserve the culture of India’. Let me tell you a secret. I spend three days a week in one of the large bookshops in Washington D.C area, reading the latest, finest books in my areas of interest. I take down extensive notes and am writing two books on the basis of what I have learned in these stores.

I spend about 7 hours sitting in the coffee house inside the book store spending $ 6 for two cups of coffee. I have read over a thousand books each costing over 40 dollars apiece... The staff is courteous and helps me locate books even ringing up other branches to acquire the book I want to read—knowing fully well that i would not be buying any book!

Readers may recall that Sachin Tendulkar once received a rare gift — a Ferrari car from a F1 champ, Schumacher. It so happened that Sachin was asked to pay Rs 80 laces as customs duty. What did presumably India’s richest sporting star do? He did some influence peddling — the good old Indian way.

He used the good offices of late Pramod Mahajan to influence the NDA government to waive the customs duty .This was granted. A day later I read a letter in the media from a man who ran an orphanage to the effect that he received an offer of toys from a few donors in the US for the benefit of the orphans. He was slapped with a hefty customs duty which he obviously could not afford. His appeal was turned down by the government with a curt letter citing the reason for declining his request — Shortage Of Revenue.
See why India is India?
K.R.RAVI