Failed Prejudices

How we keep some prejudices and how they affect us, can be seen in an experience I had recently.

I had lost my driving license (wallet got stolen in the office) and wanted to file a police report to reissue it. Now I had a feeling that police were corrupt and were better to be avoided. So I kept postponing my visit to them. I had never been to one in my life and didn’t want to either. But every passing week reminded me of my stupidity – what if someone misused my license in the meanwhile? Every morning I would promise myself to pay a visit in the evening and on the evening; I would vow to visit next morning. After stretching it to the end, at last I won over my fears and went to the police station. To my surprise, the police station looked like a typical government office, with all the guys there doing some paperwork. No criminals being beaten and no poor father pleading for his son. The police wallah asked me what the matter was, and asked me to make an affidavit with the advocate next door and then they would do the needful. I got that in 2 days – after spending 300 bucks as a penalty for losing my wallet. I went there again, wondering if the police would ask for a bribe. I took care to keep my mouth shut and hide my fears. I also wondered how “Maharashtra” police would react seeing that my license was “made in Bihar”. (was in Mumbai when “anti-outsider” riots had hit the roads). The guy preparing a certificate for me showed me a bunch of receipts for “flag ceremony” and said, “there are people who feel happy after their work is done; and then they donate some 200-500 rupees for the cause. It goes for the ceremony, not to us”. At last, my fears were right? I felt it was a nice way of extorting bribe; but I kept mum. He finished preparing a certificate, all printed and written in Marathi. I asked gently if there would be any problem if I present that in Bihar? He said, “Marathi and Hindi both are similar; they also have the same script; so don’t worry, they would be able to understand what I have written even there.” No sign of any hatred towards Hindi (or any non-Marathi language). When I got a chance, I pulled myself up and crossed the road asap. No one asked me for any donation for the flag-ceremony.

The visit to the police station had broken many of my prejudices: 1. I thought Police would be corrupt, but they didn’t ask for any bribe; 2. I feared they would be hostile seeing me from “North India”, while they were neutral on that; 3. I thought they would be angry at the matter of “language”, but they actually thought Hindi and Marathi were similar. Also, I thought police station would be some dreadful place while actually it was like any government office. All my prejudices had proven to be wrong…

It’s not that my experience with the police was nice enough to encourage me to go back there again, but it definitely made me shed some of my prejudices. It reminded me something which I often repeat but perhaps didn’t believe 100% in yet - there are all kinds of persons in every land and every profession…

Happy with my failed prejudices…

- Rahul

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