Nowhere is the famed quote of author George Orwell from his satirical cult classic ‘Animal Farm’, ‘all animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others’ fits the bill as befittingly as in the context of prevalent VIP culture exclusive to our country. By the time we are out of our formative years, a certain level of acceptance gets ingrained in us and we stop objecting to this ‘more equal’ menace, one of our exclusive inheritances at the world level. The grim reality is quite paradoxical to the constitutional notions of equality that were taught so fervently to us in our high school Civics class. Gun totting security personnel accompanying the farcical VIPs wreck our high school notions beyond redemption.

But much before an actual VIP slays our constitutional notions of equality; his or her progeny does the job with the even more proficiency. I and many of my classmates had experienced this ‘more equal’ syndrome in our high school. I could have laid the issue to rest had I not had a sense of déjà vu while picking and dropping my eight year daughter to school. The menace instead of dying out has assumed magnanimous proportions. A particular VIP progeny, one of my daughter’s classmates and barely eight years old, has thrown all norms of sanity to the wind. Or rather to put it in perspective, his parents have thrown all norms of sanity to the wind. The child’s security paraphernalia might belittle a senior district official’s security paraphernalia without any apparent security threat. I am at loss of words as my eight year old questions the ‘more equal’ status of her fellow classmate.

But the issue needs further introspection than the damage that a VIP progeny inflicts upon the fragile mind of his fellow classmates. That may still be retrievable. But the parent inflicted wounds upon the fragile mind of the VIP progeny are certainly irretrievable. They may not be so apparent to the parents in their bloated egos. As a matter of fact, they might be apparently doing a favour to their beloved progeny. But the loss is much beyond what they can perceive within the constraints of their blinkers.

A child is synonymous with possibilities. Sane parenting will aid a child in realising this inherent potential while a sheltered parenting eulogising VIP crutches will do quite the opposite. A permanent damage will be inflicted upon the child’s psyche. He will tend to lose his self esteem. His falsified ego might deter him to form bonds of friendship, one of the prerequisites of a child’s growth. He won’t be able to deal with his insecurities. He might grow physically but his crippled mind will stall his psychological growth. The loss may not be individual but cumulative given the fact that we have the largest VIP population in the world.

We are currently in the seventy second year of our independence. The above mentioned colonial legacies should have been shunned long back. Sadly, we have extended them to our children. Teaching them the egalitarian concepts in letter while brazenly violating them in spirit will only leave them perplexed. High time this ‘more equal’ concept is given a burial, especially in the context of our children, lest bloated egos and false inferiority complexes leave ugly imprints on these pristine souls.