Get your coat love, you’ve been pulled! – The Indian Traffic Cops

I was working at the weekend. Shocked at getting up at 4am on a Sunday, I got the train to Agra for a Deaf event. My colleague and I were doing a presentation on interpreter training and some filming. He had been there a few days so I got the train there and he gave me a lift back. We were waved off after a productive day and we settled in for the 4 hour drive back.

Not even out of Agra, my colleague answers a phone call on his mobile. Two minutes later, we’re pulled by the police. Now I’ve heard a lot of stories from people about the police and corruption, especially in Delhi.

One friend told me he got pulled for no reason late one night and he knew the police were going to make something up and charge him. He hid his cash under a floor mat apart from 200 rupees. They duly came over with a charge of speeding and told him he could pay the fine of 1000 rupees. He said he had nothing on him and offered up his 200 rupees which they took and went on their way.

Another work colleague told me a story of her husband. He is Deaf. He was pulled one night and as Deaf people are not allowed a licence, but drive anyway, he was a bit stuck. With no one to communicate between him and the police, it was a bit tricky. He ended up paying a 400 rupee bribe.

The stories of the traffic police and their bribery are endless but as another work colleague tells me their pay is so bad it is how they top up their wages. Actually, people queue to get government jobs. They are coveted positions as they provide the security of a job for life with pension benefits. So much so that recently one young man was sadly killed in a stampede at recruitment centre. 

So back to Agra, my colleague pulls into the slip road and follows the policeman to this little hut. The car is in the middle of the road and autos are beeping, weaving their way round, going up on the pavement and down onto the road again. Other cars mounted the other kerb and got round somehow. I sat in the passenger seat wondering whether my presence was a help or a hindrance. Watching the cops was interesting. I could sense they like being able to wield their power but are open to negotiation. Possibly as they know they are in the wrong but it’s just what they do.

I saw my colleague negotiating, gesturing at the car. The policeman was fingering his licence deep in thought. Meanwhile, one of the Deaf guys at the meeting came out of nowhere, jumped in and moved the car to one side. He leapt out again and was signing to the police who was waving at him to go away.

Ten minutes later and my colleague jumps back in. He’d had to pay 1000 rupees but he had negotiated down from actually having his licence taken away and having to appear in court. He’d told the police he was staff at an NGO, I was a teacher visiting and they were embarrassing him in front of me. Apparently it was good I was there. It was even better when our Deaf colleague turned up just on time to back his story up.

We started talking about the corruption and how it is so inherent. To prove this he took out a slip of note paper out of his pocket that the cop had given him. It had the date, the place and was signed by the cop. My colleague explained the paper was in case he was stopped again. He could show it to the next cop just so he wouldn’t be bribed again.

Pic - http://world.casio.com/system/pa/solution/20090820/india_police.html

The Volunteer and the Balloon Seller

Recently a fellow volunteer told me this story which made me laugh. She doesn’t have a blog so I’m putting up here:

In Delhi if you’re in an auto that has pulled up at some traffic lights chances are you’ll be offered something to buy. This could be anything from boxes of tissues to helium balloons, photocopied books that look like the real thing to glossy mags. There can also be beggars or disabled people as there is no welfare here. The sellers can be poor also and working for someone else for a very small wage.

So my friend and fellow volunteer was in an auto one day, stopped at the traffic lights and was being sold something. She shook her head and said to the seller, ‘Mei volunteer hoo’ (I am a volunteer). This drew a blank look as it usually does from the hawker as the word ‘volunteer’ in India is often not understood. The concept is fairly new and sometimes it means you have to volunteer to get experience as you are not good enough to get paid yet. I find myself often going into a full explanation of the whole experienced professional coming to India to share skills and to develop Indian organisations. Unless we do that we can be pretty much looked down upon here but colleagues who work in National Volunteering tell me it’s on the up and there is a lot of interest from people wanting to volunteer and give back to the community. VSO in India are looking into reducing the amount of international volunteers in favour of using the experience that exists already in India. International volunteers will be providing more targeted support and knowledge in the areas where it may still be needed.

Anyhoo...back to the traffic lights. My friend is being offered some delightful goods she doesn’t want. This happens regularly and sometimes we are sitting targets in an auto. If you’re spotted sometimes sellers make a bee line for you because you know, we’re Westerners so therefore must be rich. She attempted an explanation in Hindi, ‘Mere pass rupaiye nahi’ (I have no money).

The seller pulls out 10 rupees and offers this to her. Hilarious. This caused the driver to laugh too. She refused the cash obviously and tried to explain that she works but for an allowance, for essentially what is an average local wage. So he then pulled out a 100 rupee note and offered it to her! This story illustrates why I love this country. Just when you think it is predictable and you know exactly what will happen you get a nice surprise or someone just makes you completely smile.

Pic from http://www.guardian.co.uk/news/gallery/2010/jan/02/1?picture=357553544