Peons of praise for Indian VIPs

Why is it that an inordinate amount of public air is exclusively reserved for the flashing lights — red, blue or yellow — atop the cars of ministers, officials and other high functionaries of state? But as a recently released photograph of US Secretary of State John Kerry taking his own notes, pad and pen in hand — and probably fetching his own coffee from the State Department machine down the corridor — underlines, Indian VIPs are still far better off overall, though most of them will probably soon be bereft of their car beacons. As long as the time-honoured belief persists among Indians that importance is gauged not by the office or calibre of its holder but the trappings he or she flaunts as a matter of course, the VIP tag will remain aspirational. And as the photo demonstrates, even lesser VIPs in India do not have to bother with such mundane tasks as Mr Kerry.

In this scheme of things, the peon — an arcane word but critical post that exists only in the subcontinent — becomes as crucial a badge of office as the flashing red light and, as such, a very important person for the VIP. So, rather than wasting time, effort and influence to protect and preserve theories of red lights, clever VIPs should actually ensure that peons remain indispensable. Giving up beacons actually are the perfect red herring.