The Concept That You Gain Class By Acquiring Money Is Outdated, Says Sudha Murty

Taking from her personal experiences, Sudha Murty, in her new book Three Thousand Stitches, sheds light on some of the prevailing biases in the society. In this extract from the book, the otherwise calm 66-year-old wife of industrialist Narayana Murthy gives fellow traveler a piece of her mind when she was called a 'cattle class person' at the Heathrow airport.

Last year, I was at the Heathrow International Airport in London about to board a flight. Usually, I wear a sari even when I am abroad, but I prefer wearing a salwar kameez while travelling. So there I was바카라�a senior citizen dressed in typical Indian apparel at the terminal gate.

Since the boarding hadn바카라�t started, I sat down and began to observe my surroundings. The flight was bound for Bengaluru and so I could hear people around me chatting in Kannada. I saw many old married couples of my age바카라� they were most likely coming back from the US or UK after helping their children either through childbirth or a new home. I saw some British business executives talking to each other about India바카라�s progress. Some teenagers were busy with the gadgets in their hands while the younger children were crying or running about the gate.

After a few minutes, the boarding announcement was made and I joined the queue. The woman in front of me was a well-groomed lady in an Indo-Western silk outfit, a Gucci handbag and high heels. Every single strand of her hair was in place and a friend stood next to her in an expensive silk sari, pearl necklace, matching earrings and delicate diamond bangles.

I looked at the vending machine nearby and wondered if I should leave the queue to get some water.

Suddenly, the woman in front of me turned sideways and looked at me with what seemed like pity in her eyes. Extending her hand, she asked, 바카라�May I see your boarding pass, please?바카라�

I was about to hand over my pass to her, but since she didn바카라�t seem like an airline employee, I asked, 바카라�Why?바카라�

바카라�Well, this line is meant for business class travellers only,바카라� she said confidently and pointed her finger towards the economy class queue. 바카라�You should go and stand there,바카라� she said.

I was about to tell her that I had a business class ticket but on second thoughts, held back. I wanted to know why she had thought that I wasn바카라�t worthy of being in the business class. So I repeated, 바카라�Why should I stand there?바카라�

She sighed. 바카라�Let me explain. There is a big difference in the price of an economy and a business class ticket. The latter costs almost two and a half times more than . . .바카라�

바카라�I think it is three times more,바카라� her friend interrupted.

바카라�Exactly,바카라� said the woman. 바카라�So there are certain privileges that are associated with a business class ticket.바카라�

바카라�Really?바카라� I decided to be mischievous and pretended not to know. 바카라�What kind of privileges are you talking about?바카라�

She seemed annoyed. 바카라�We are allowed to bring two bags but you can only take one. We can board the flight from another, less-crowded queue. We are given better meals and seats. We can extend the seats and lie down flat on them. We always have television screens and there are four washrooms for a small number of passengers.바카라�

 Her friend added, 바카라�A priority check-in facility is available for our bags, which means they will come first upon arrival and we get more frequent flyer miles for the same flight.바카라�

바카라�Now that you know the difference, you can go to the economy line,바카라� insisted the woman.

바카라�But I don바카라�t want to go there.바카라� I was firm.

The lady turned to her friend. 바카라�It is hard to argue with these cattle-class people. Let the staff come and instruct her where to go. She isn바카라�t going to listen to us.바카라�

I didn바카라�t get angry. The word 바카라�cattle class바카라� was like a blast from the past and reminded me of another incident.

One day, I had gone to an upscale dinner party in my home city of Bengaluru. Plenty of local celebrities and socialites were in attendance. I was speaking to some guests in Kannada, when a man came to me and said very slowly and clearly in English, 바카라�May I introduce myself? I am . . .바카라�

It was obvious that he thought that I might have a problem understanding the language. I smiled. 바카라�You can speak to me in English.바카라�

바카라�Oh,바카라� he said, slightly flabbergasted. 바카라�I바카라�m sorry. I thought you weren바카라�t comfortable with English because I heard you speaking in Kannada.바카라�

 바카라�There바카라�s nothing shameful in knowing one바카라�s native language. It is, in fact, my right and my privilege. I only speak in English when somebody can바카라�t understand Kannada.바카라�

The line in front of me at the airport began moving forward and I came out of my reverie. The two women ahead were whispering among themselves, 바카라�Now she will be sent to the other line. It is so long now! We tried to tell her but she refused to listen to us.바카라�

 When it was my turn to show my boarding pass to the attendant, I saw them stop and wait a short distance away, waiting to see what would happen.

The attendant took my boarding pass and said brightly, 바카라�Welcome back! We met last week, didn바카라�t we?바카라� 바카라�Yes,바카라� I replied. She smiled and moved on to the next traveller.

I walked a few steps ahead of the women intending to let this go, but then I changed my mind and came back. 바카라�Please tell me바카라�what made you think that I couldn바카라�t afford a business class ticket? Even if I didn바카라�t have one, was it really your prerogative to tell me where I should stand? Did I ask you for help?바카라�

The women stared at me in silence. 바카라�You refer to the term 바카라�cattle class바카라�. Class does not mean possession of a huge amount of money,바카라� I continued, unable to stop myself from giving them a piece of my mind. 바카라�There are plenty of wrong ways to earn money in this world. You may be rich enough to buy comfort and luxuries, but the same money doesn바카라�t define class or give you the ability to purchase it. Mother Teresa was a classy woman. So is Manjul Bhargava, a great mathematician of Indian origin. The concept that you automatically gain class by acquiring money is an outdated thought process.바카라�

I left without waiting for a reply.

Approximately eight hours later, I reached my destination. It was a weekday and I rushed to office as soon as I could only to learn that my day was going to be spent in multiple meetings. A few hours later, I requested my program director to handle the last meeting of the day by herself as I was already starting to feel tired and jet lagged.

바카라�I am really sorry, but your presence is essential for that discussion,바카라� she replied. 바카라�Our meeting is with the organization바카라�s CEO and she is keen to meet you in person. She has been following up with me for a few months now and though I have communicated our decision, she feels that a discussion with you will change the outcome. I have already informed her that the decision will not be reversed irrespective of whom she meets, but she refuses to take me at my word. I urge you to meet her and close this chapter.바카라�

I wasn바카라�t new to this situation and reluctantly agreed. Time went by quickly and soon, I had to go in for the last meeting of the day. Just then, I received an emergency call. 바카라�Go ahead with the meeting,바카라� I said to the program director. 바카라�I will join you later.바카라�

When I entered the conference room after fifteen minutes, I saw the same women from the airport in the middle of a presentation. To my surprise, they were simply dressed바카라�one was wearing a simple khadi sari while the other wore an unglamorous salwar kameez. The clothes were a reminder of the stereotype that is still rampant today. Just like one is expected to wear the finest of silks for a wedding, social workers must present themselves in a plain and uninteresting manner.

When they saw me, there was an awkward pause that lasted for only a few seconds before one of them acknowledged my presence and continued the presentation as if nothing had happened.

바카라�My coffee estate is in this village. All the estate workers바카라� children go to a government school nearby. Many are sharp and intelligent but the school has no facilities. The building doesn바카라�t even have a roof or clean drinking water. There are no benches, toilets or library. You can see children in the school . . .바카라�

바카라�바카라�But no teachers,바카라� I completed the sentence.

She nodded and smiled. 바카라�We request the foundation to be generous and provide the school with proper facilities, including an auditorium, so that the poor kids can enjoy the essentials of a big school.바카라�

My program director opened her mouth to say something, but I signalled her to stop. 바카라�How many children are there in the school?바카라� I asked.

바카라�Around 250.바카라�

바카라�How many of them are the children of the estate workers?바카라�

바카라�All of them. My father got the school sanctioned when he was the MLA,바카라� she said proudly.

바카라�Our foundation helps those who don바카라�t have any godfathers or godmothers. Think of the homeless man on the road or the daily-wage worker. Most of them have no one they can run to in times of crisis. We help the children of such people. The estate workers help your business prosper and in return, you can afford to help them. In fact, it is your duty to do so. Helping them also helps you in the long run, but it is the foundation바카라�s internal policy to work for the disadvantaged in projects where all the benefits go directly and solely to the underprivileged alone. Maybe this concept is beyond the understanding of the cattle class.바카라�

Both the women looked at each other, unsure of how to respond.

I looked at my program director and said, 바카라�Hey, I want to tell you a story.바카라�

I could see from her face that she was feeling awkward. A story in the middle of a serious meeting?

 I began, 바카라�George Bernard Shaw was a great thinker of his times. One day, a dinner was arranged at a British club in his honour. The rules of the club mandated that the men wear a suit and a tie. It was probably the definition of class in those days.

바카라�Bernard Shaw, being who he was, walked into the club in his usual casual attire. The doorman looked at him and said very politely, 바카라�Sorry, sir, I cannot allow you to enter the premises.바카라�

 바카라�바카라�Why not?바카라�

바카라�바카라�You aren바카라�t following the dress code of the club, sir.바카라�

바카라�바카라�Well, today바카라�s dinner is in my honour, so it is my words that matter, not what I wear,바카라� replied Bernard, perfectly reasonable in his explanation.

바카라�바카라�Sir, whatever it may be, I can바카라�t allow you inside in these clothes.바카라�

바카라�Shaw tried to convince the doorman but he wouldn바카라�t budge from his stance. So he walked all the way back to his house, changed into appropriate clothes and entered the club.

 바카라�A short while later, the room was full, with people sitting in anticipation of his speech. He stood up to address the audience, but first removed his coat and tie and placed it on a chair.

바카라�I am not going to talk today,바카라� he announced.

바카라�There were surprised murmurs in the audience. Those who knew him personally asked him about the reason for his out-of-character behaviour.

바카라�Shaw narrated the incident that happened a while ago and said, 바카라�When I wore a coat and tie, I was allowed to come inside. My mind is in no way affected by the clothes I wear. This means that to all of you who patronize the club, the clothes are more important than my brain. So let the coat and the tie take my place instead.바카라� 바카라�Saying thus, he walked out of the room.바카라�

 I stood up. 바카라�The meeting is over,바카라� I said. We exchanged cursory goodbyes and I walked back to my room.

My program director followed me, 바카라�Your decision regarding the school was right. But what was that other story all about? And why now? What is this cattle-class business? I didn바카라�t understand a thing!바카라�

I smiled at her obvious confusion. 바카라�Only the cattle-class folks will understand what happened back there. You don바카라�t worry about it.바카라� 

Excerpted from Three Thousand Stitches by Sudha Murty with permission from Penguin