Two instances with interntional ramification's but close to home, are those of the Google mess behind the dragon's veil in China & that of Andy Pag in Rajasthan. I'm quite certain much of the folk would have heard of Google but the same would not hold true with Andy Pag.I've got a rather smug smile on my face, as I was talking the Google story, in my International HR class, a couple of months ago as a potential point of conflict between the USA & China.
Andy is a Brit who also holds an Italian passport and believes in saving the world from ecological apocalypse. He drives a twenty year old school bus powered on bio fuels across the world & spreads his message. Apparently he drove a bus to 'Timbuktu' in Africa, powered by chocolate & he also organised the Grease to Greece Rally in 2008, where teams travel across Europe in vehicles powered by cooking oil. Amazing !
Andy, presently in India, is frankly in a mess, where the danger is very clear and present and far away from the ecological doomsday that he is striving to save the world from. As of now he is in police custody in Rajasthan,after being arrested in Ajmer, for being in possession of a satellite phone that should have been declared to the cops, on his entering India. From where did he enter India? Pakistan! Now you have all the ingredients of a explosive mixture. Apparently, the phone is the type that was used by terrorists, in the Mumbia Taj strike,a year ago.The charge is serious enough- Anti terror!
The British media is up in arms & his family has taken up his case.I Can understand their plight- in all likely hood Andy is innocent & most folk from the first world have an unmitigated horror about Indian jails. You talk about jails in India & they visibly blanch and go wobbly around the knees. The British government, quiet as of now, is going to raise the pitch, sooner than later.Andy claims that he was not aware, of the regulation and is innocent. Maybe so, but ignorance is not a good defense, to prove innocence.You just cannot step into another country and say, I do not know your regulations. It is good practice to make yourself aware & that is what makes International Business, so complicated.
There was a case, in China, a few years ago, when the Captain, of a ship, was arrested. His crime- he stayed away from his ship, the night over. An accepted practice the world over, but not in China.
I hope Andy Pag, can prove his innocence and continue on his journey, to save the world, a wiser man from now.
We all learn don't we......................................that's why they say experience is the greatest teacher!
5 comments:
Hi,
Interesting & enlightening!
Subramanya.P
Sir, well the Rajasthan incident was new to me and i am surprised why it is not hyped by the media.. its a sad state.. and we ought to take stringent measures to set things right...
AAK,
The media ha adopted a wait & watch approach. They do not want to take a stand till they are absolutely sure that Andy is innocent.
The wireless communication laws in India are very tough. All wireless equipment is to be registered with the Ministry of Communications.
Hopefully, it will be established, that Pag had made a technical error & was not malicious in his intent and he can then continue on his journey..........
hope andy get back on his noble mission soon...and laws need to be conveyed properly to the masses so that they can follow them..because ignorance is hardly considered innocence in such cases.
just praying that Andy gets back on his mission and goes ahead carefully and yes,, more cleverly rather. but sir, we really have a lesson to learn from whatever we do in life and yeah the kind of experiences we gain through various activities in our lives are really lessons for our life time :)
Post a Comment