A TIP TO INSURE SERVICE???

A Story by voices

TIPS is an acronym for To Insure Prompt Service. This has been extended to every sphere of life from the hotel industry. The nomenclature differs from TIPS to gifts, mementos or bribes. The intention is claimed to be noble by both the giver and the recipient. A debate on the Mahatma V Gandhi made me deliberate on this subject. There would be no dispute in the fact that though the waiters at a hotel may expect a tip at the end of their service, at least I for one have not encountered persons who would insist on a tip either at the end of the service or place a tag even before the service is rendered. Imagine walking into a restaurant where the waiter places a minimum tip card alongwith the menu card and would acknowledge your presence only if the tip is placed. Sacrilege is the term that comes to my mind and eventually there would be a rebellion from the customers.

Move over to a corporate office. The TIP assumes the character of gifts and mementoes which ensure and insure the bagging of a contract or the retention. The cash changing hands could be at best termed as kick backs and nothing more. Its all fair in the business realm, I am given to understand. Percentages play a great role and the arithmetical accuracy in such matters would put a Shakuntala Devi to shame.The absence of such kickbacks would only fetch the person a cold shoulder or vague responses. The expectation is made clear though few are the souls who would bare the greed for the tip. Corporate ethics and etiquette demand that the gestures are acknowledged but the expectation is couched in an immaculate manner which boasts of high western standards.

Enter a Government office. The TIP is more or less mandatory in many spheres.The demands are brazen. The term of bribe is bandied around. Most of these transactions are held under a board which lists all the vigilance departments to be contacted. The bribe is a total sell out where the tip is first negotiated before the service is rendered by the higher echelons while the lower ones play the mixture of the waiter and the corporate geek. The only amusing difference being that it is a punishable offence, a subject matter of great debates and is the most open secret of this sector.

All these recipients and givers would have encountered one noble species but the most denigrated one - the beggar. This species acknowledges that he has no other profession and would accept the alms given. The more enterprising of the lot also call upon the giver to pay up a minimum sum. They are a butt of several jokes. They agree that they do not give anything to the giver except the right of the way. A saint like Kabir das has in one of his couplets gone to the extent of saying that it would be better to embrace death rather than to beg.

Speaking of beggars, i had an occasion to travel with a friend of mine who has a wonderful physique in an autorickshaw. At the end of the journey, the driver sought an extra sum over the meter. My friend came up with a quick repartee asking him what would he call a person who asks for things which are not rightfully his. Even as the driver was stumbling at the query, my friend answered only beggars do so and counselled the driver not to behave like one.

Pray what is the difference of all these souls. While the beggar chose begging as his profession, the others needed a job security and a designation to beg. While the beggar requeste and pleads thereby subjecting his ego to humiliation, the others seek it as a matter of right. The giver would also reject the plea of the beggar but would not do so to the other categories. Are these people who are in gainful employment seeking favours and alms not worse than beggars? Why do we coin such wonderful terms as kick backs, bribes, TIPS etc for these worthless denizens? Why do we not term them simply to be worse than beggars? May be a rebuke that they are beggars may bring some moral turpitude to these denizens and deter them from this unholy activity. Do away with all these so called vigilance panels which are also a part of the corrupt system pretending to be holier than thou. Let us launch an OPERATION BEGGAR and term everyone seeking such alms as beggars. Imagine a minister or a government servant or a CEO being called a beggar. Let us drive this unto them and ask them to do their bit without seeking alms.

As for the givers, there are scores of orphans who need to be adopted, educated and the poor who need to be sheltered. Instead of crying hoarse over the Swiss banks being stashed with Indian money let us launch ourselves to the task. Gandhi's ashes are still being in the process of being immersed in the waters after 62 years. Can his ashes urn not inspire the people around to act in an innovative manner to curb unethical practices? Let us launch this operation without much ado and hope that by the turn of the year we see a more responsible society.

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