Bootlickers

Bootlickers
By U. Mahesh Prabhu

'Look at the Indo-US Nuclear deal, every able person in this country can understand that Nuclear deal is against our national interests and is mostly a con trick, if not completely. We are to loose our independent foreign policy should only we sign it. But, who cares? Our people love to lick the boots of the Americans instead of arduously working for the greatness of this land.'

I wasn't able to jot down my weekly column last week for the reason that: I was, according to a doctor, suffering from 'hypertension' or 'blood pressure'. I had some pain in my forehead and heart, besides was also not able to respire properly. On meeting the doc, he took my blood pressure reading and 'confirmed' that I had hypertension.

However, I grew a bit skeptical when he showed his reluctance to convey me my Blood Pressure reading and instead asked me to undergo some medical tests. 'No you first conduct these three tests and then only I will tell you the readings.' He declared. And the first thing I did to elucidate my suspicion was to telephone my friend, who is an Ayurvedic Surgeon from Hubli, Dr. Bhargav, for a second opinion. He asked me a few questions and without more ado concluded that it (symptoms) hasn't got anything to do with my Blood Pressure but with Sinus. He suggested me some home remedies on resorting to which I was hale and healthy in less than two days! I was just in good health without undergoing those tests, which would have cost me a good deal of money.

I am now confirmed that the Doctor had found that I had no BP – at all. And that, all he wanted he wanted to earn a few extra cash through the commission he would be receiving from the laboratory on my fees. Yes, that's true. This is how our doctors are functioning these days.

When I discussed this happening with one of the doctors I was told that it was the only way by which they would repossess their sum exhausted on their medical education. True, medical education in this country costs a fortune. When I sought, causally, advice of a premier educationalist in the region, who runs a distinguished medical college, as to what was the reason for his college to charge such a hefty fee, his remarks were 'Well we have invested in our infrastructure how do you think we are to recover our investment?' besides blaming 'corrupt government officials and red tape.'

Being a political monthly editor I am acquainted with officials in the Government's Health and Education Ministry and thus decided to seek out their rejoinder in this regard. 'This is how the things are!' exclaimed a bureaucrat.

Everyone had, what they called, 'credible raison d'être' to rationalize their actions, but what about those pitiable and monetarily destitute populace? 'Who cares?' said one. Yes, that's right 'Who cares'!

When sought a way how the medical education and treatment could be brought down drastically my educationalist friend's response was 'Do you know in comparison with US and UK we have the most cost-effective education and treatment?' Nothing for me could be more bizarre than this vindication. In the wake of making India 'global health destination' by means of 'Medical Tourism', we have made medicine a trade, affordable but only for the global elites.

As the rich get richer they have hardly any reason to be upset about the rise medical bills. After all, for what are their hefty health insurance policies for? But has someone ever thought of millions of our countrymen who live below the poverty line? What about them? There are several questions for which answers aren't obtainable, at least as of now. And this is all in arrears to our growing inclination to the west, America and UK in specific - Our proclivity towards 'Capitalism'. We are busy madly imitating their way of life.

When I was pursuing my Masters in Business Administration (MBA) my specialization subject was marketing. We were suggested but one book which was to serve as our curriculum for the next two years. It was entitled 'Marketing Management', written by a 'great marketing mind' Philip Kotler. It spoke so nicely about marketing, almost everything from water to wine and from safety pin to satellite in simplicity. If it hadn't had something, it was ethics and morality. That's very true; we hadn't had anything called 'ethics' in our entire curriculum. And if there was something, it was just for the heck of it. Everywhere in it were case studies from the Americas, the 'greatness' of American corporations and their corporate 'czars'. We were taught management fundamentals from corporations with wretched and dismal track records, especially, when it came to essential 'humanitarian' and 'environmental' obligations. We were given such a 'rosy' picture of these conglomerates in a way, as if, they could do, or have did, no wrong.

Why just marketing, to the best of my knowledge, no field of education in this country is today untouched by the American and/or British culture. Let me cite here the example of dentistry. Repairing or fixing a tooth which is, most certainly, such a simple process is being made to look byzantine. A person with an average annual income of 40,000 INR a month, under which most of our nationals fall in, can never afford complex dental rehabilitation treatments. It's that costly, not because of the instruments or procedures, but due to 'fees' paid by dentists for their education. And the way in which they recover their 'fees' is no dissimilar than their American counterparts.

Some time back I met a retired Lt. Gen. and I happened to asked him 'Sir, do you think India is prepared militarily, in case Americans attack us?' he laughed. 'I'm not joking sir' I vowed. 'Come on son, why on earth do you think Americans are going to attack us?' 'Aren't we a large and resourceful nation, Sir?' 'They are already plundering our resources, can't you see? What kind of journalist are you?' 'But… still…' 'Look Mahesh, if Americans want to know any of our secrets they can just go to our politicians or to our senior commanders and bribe them with a admission for their kids in Harvard or Princeton or a Green Card and, trust me, these rascals will just give it to them… why do you think these people will ever need to invade a country which they are ruling so easily?' 'But how do you say that they are ruling us?' I was intrigued.

'Look at the Indo-US Nuclear deal, every able person in this country can understand that Nuclear deal is against our national interests and is mostly a con trick, if not completely. We are to loose our independent foreign policy should only we sign it. But, who cares? Our people love to lick the boots of the Americans instead of arduously working for the greatness of this land.'

True, we have been so much enthused by the glitters of the America that we seldom care for our own country, let alone our impoverished country men. We are willing to sell our souls in exchange for their green cards.

These corrupt medical practices, lack of moral ethics in business and our countrymen's support to Indo-US nuclear deal fairly justifies that we are all prepared to be bootlickers of the Americans.