Kind Customs Officers
WE hear all kinds of nasty stories about arrogant, corrupt and insensitive Customs Officers - For a change, read this:
It was Diwali day - rather it was Diwali night or rather 2.30 am. The Customs officers in Mumbai airport were having a break after they cleared the Riyadh flight. The Customs officers came to know about the harrowing tale of a girl who had just landed in the airport from Riyadh. She was sent to Riyadh fifteen days ago by a man from a village near Kathmandu promising a job in Riyadh. She had been sold in the flesh trade. For some reason, she was put in a flight to Mumbai with just 100 Riyals. It would cost her Rs. 25,000 to fly to Kathmandu from Mumbai. She knew no language other than Nepali and a few words in Hindi. Just imagine what would have happened to such a girl if she had gone out of the Mumbai airport with nowhere to go and no money.
A lady Customs Superintendent suggested to her colleagues, "today is Diwali, let us send her home" - she demanded a thousand rupees from each colleague and out came the wallets of the tough Customs officers - they collected enough money for the ticket and they used all their connections in getting a ticket and a seat released from Delhi from the emergency slot. On hearing the story, even two Air India officers paid two thousand rupees for the ticket. The Customs officers took the girl to their office, fed her and finally put her on a flight to home - Kathmandu via Delhi. "our daughter from Nepal", the lady officer whispered as they saw her off - she neither waved, nor talked - nor did the Customs officers - they just had the most fantastic Diwali celebration!