It’s the easiest thing in the world to be sensible about something that’s happened to someone else.

A lot of opinions flew across the length and breadth of the country after Shah Rukh Khan’s detention drama at the Newark airport. Sympathetic, indifferent, emotional, angry, nonchalant… Our Poojaniya Shri Amar Singhji also had something to say from his sick bed. “Even Amitabh Bachchan was subjected to security-related checks in France but he never spoke about it.” So?! Perhaps Bachchanji only makes issues about not being given the front row seats at award functions!

It’s the easiest thing in the world to be sensible about something that’s happened to someone else. Look at the ruckus the Amar Singhs and the Bachchans create every time there is something even remotely unflattering said about them. “The security procedures at the airports are not totally unjustified,” said Singh. He’s right. Procedures have to be stringent when it comes to the security of a country. And may be our country needs to take a lesson or two from this incident. But we all know that this is not just about procedures. It is the lurking mistrust beneath these procedures, towards a particular religion, that’s disturbing. Aamir Bashir lost out on a role in MY NAME IS KHAN, an opportunity that could have changed his career, because he was denied a visa to the US. Irrfan Khan, Naseeruddin Shah, Aamir Khan, they have all faced scrutiny and just because they didn’t make a hue and cry about it doesn’t mean they enjoy it.

According to Amar Singh, it would have been better if Shah Rukh had let people make an issue of his detention rather than protest himself. Spoken like a true politician. But why doesn’t Mr Chanakya impart some of his chanakya-gyan to his very own Chandragupt Maurya, the Pasha of Protest, who dashes off a ranting blog for every tinnie-winnie-winkie-willy comment made by every Tom, Dick, Harry or Ram, Shyam, Ghanshyam?! Kyon bhai? Tumhara khoon khoon hai, aur humara khoon paani hai?!

But! Aji aisa mauka phir kahan milega…Shri Amar Singhji was unrelenting in his chase. “There are two types of people in society,” he continued. “One who make an issue out of an incident, and the other who cooperate with procedures.” Kitne oonche vichar hain! But isn’t it strange Amar Singhji, that wisdom to some people comes only after the opportunity to use it is lost!