इस समय देवयानी प्रकरण के कारण भारत और अमेरिका के सम्बन्धों में कुछ खटास आ गयी है। देवयानी खोब्रागडे भारतीय विदेश सेवा की एक अधिकारी हैं और अमेरिका में नियुक्त हैं इस समय वह संयुक्त राष्ट्र संघ में वे भारतीय मिशन में नियुक्त हैं। उन्होंने संगीता नामक एक महिला को घरेलू कम के लिए नियुक्त किया था। उन पर आरोपप यह लगा है कि वह अमेरिकी नियमों के अनुसार उस महिला को जो न्यूनतम धन दिया जाना चाहिए था वह नहीं दे रही थी। इस पर उनके खिलाफ अमेरिकी क़ानून के अंतर्गत मुकदमा कायम किया गया और इसी प्रक्रिया में उन्हें गिरफ्तार भी किया गया। उनकी तलाशी भी ली गयी और उनके साथ एक राजनयिक की तरह व्यवहार न कर के सामान्य कैदी की तरह व्यवहार किया गया। इस पर पूरे देश में व्यापक प्रतिक्रिया हुयी और सभी दलों ने इस की निंदा की। अभी भी यह मामला सुलझा नहीं है। दोनों देश के राजनयिक इसे सुलझाने की कोशिश कर रहे हैं.
मैं फेसबुक पर प्रकाशित एक स्टेटस आप सब के साथ साझा कर रहा हूँ। यह स्टेटस श्री रजा राम बोज्जा का है ये सज्जन मेरी मित्र सूची में नहीं है। इस स्टेटस में राजा राम ने संगीता की पृष्ठभूमि से कुछ तथ्य निकाल कर प्रस्तुत किया है।
इस विषय पर आप ने बहुत सी सामग्री पढ़ी होगी और पढ़ भी रहे होंगे तथा आगे भी पढ़ेंगे , लेकिन यह सामग्री मुझे थोड़ा अलग सी लगी इस लिए मैं इसे आप के साथ शेयर कर रहा हूँ।
The more details our journalists dig up about Devyani case, the more interesting the plot looksand my respect for Sangeetha Richards grows by leaps and bounds. Actually this is a good case study for Foreign Office of all countries and should be studied in their training institutes for diplomats as well as justice departments.
Let me put the various facts which emerged till now, in bits and pieces. More may turn out. But even what has emerged as a picture when the facts are viewed in one place makes it an amazing story of Cinderella dream come true!
Sangeetha a daughter of a driver serving in African country's embassy must have developed a dream like any one of us. But given lack of enough high brow qualifications like techies of TCS or Infosys, she carefully planned her strategy to go to the land of opportunity, the dream destination of many an educated elite of India.
Maid servant is not a big achievement for first step but choosing whose, makes the difference.Very creative? Gets Govt of India White Passport, no visa fees etc, all taken care of by Foreign Office of Govt of India, our tax money!
Become a live-in maid servant of a young consular lady officer, take care of 5 year plus children and maybe generally be useful around house, while children are taken away for 8 hrs to school by the mom. Enjoy TV and generally live as if the flat belongs to her. Food free, coffee whenever you like, no one to supervise, play on iPad, talk on cell phone to husband back home in India. Real working hours ? Hardly two? May be three? Own pocket money in New York taken care of, shop groceries for house, all funded by the diplomat. Have generally fun on New York streets.
Six months , next plot opens. Goal, bring husband and children too to USA. Also get permanent working status in US. No way to return to India with the diplomat.
But to get visa for family is a challenge. Sangeetha is brilliant beyond imagination of many asmart Alec.
US Visa is not a joke. So Sangeetha works out quietly while still working for diplomat, with a well meaning NGO, using the same communication facilities liberally provided by the diplomat. the iPad and Google must have helped her. She presented herself as a victim of human trafficking and must have presented true Tamil movies' typical down-trodden slum dog suffering to the unsuspecting American lady lawyer. Yes, the lady lawyer vibes better?
So after a few weeks, carefully the plot worked out, with secret meetings and involving US consular services also, to create an opportunity to rescue a poor exploited Christian, by arrogant powerful Hindu diplomat !
God' work, the NGO must have thought!
So Sangeetha one day walks out with White Passport and as expected the Indian Embassy approaches US authorities to trace her. This must have been foreseen and scene played out earlier itself, as proof of harassment !
The plot thickens in favour of the downtrodden exploited Sangeetha Richards, with all tear-jerking before second tier officials who put up papers to busy and hardworking top people like Preet Bharara, who have to depend on staff.
Both US and Indian govts blissfully unaware of what is happening. Mind you the planning let under wraps by concerned officials, to protect Sangeetha from the evil Govt of India servant, Devyani ! Poor Devyani never had an inkling! Sangeetha meantime kept Devayani and family comfortable with nice letters and emails too!
On the D-day, Devayani gets her deserved punishment, after making sure that Sangeetha's family was valiantly and secretly saved from the mighty powerful Govt of India, two days earlier, funded by tax money of US citizens.
All hell breaks lose. I suspect even Preet Bharara was taken by surprise. Foreign Ministers ofboth countries and even PM India forced to make statements. Press and media in India anyway attacked Devayani more , to match US action.
Sangeetha remained in background. Watching with innocent face, but showing gratitude to her saviours, and happily joined her family, probably in some safe house provided free by Justice Dept, at US tax payers' expense!
What an achievement for her! Yes, I admire her and her intelligence. She should be given credit for what she has done. That is why I recommend her to be on Time cover!
She should sell rights for her story to Bollywood / Hollywood!
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