Of all the benefits that our privileged class so unfairly but habitually claims as its own,the free pass is the most common. A residue of the sense of entitlement in colonial times,it stands for all the ills of that period a culture of gratis that runs counter to all principles of free enterprise and democratic access and the implacable hauteur of the connected that demands a free ride as their right,no matter what. It makes its presence felt everywhere,from cricket grounds to airport lounges,and the danger is in its very pervasiveness,as it ends up hurting enterprise,cutting into profits and endorsing an almost feudal divide. However,a rather minor event in Delhi has succeeded in pointing to how detrimental is this custom of complimentary passes and the advantages that come by just junking it. The sound-and-light show that has been put on at the Red Fort for 25 years has generated,for the first time,about Rs 9 lakh a month a couple of lakh rupees more than usual. The increased revenue was the upshot of one small measure by the India Tourism Development Corporation (ITDC),which organises the event. The ITDC went against the grain of such bodies and decided to curtail the number of complimentary passes regularly issued for the show. The ticket does not cost much,but as organisers point out,government officials would rather have a free ticket than buy one. The little Red Fort episode is a sound reminder to many folks: to pilots of a bleeding airline who clamour for free travel for their families,to the mandarins of the cricketing world who ensure that there are only 4,000 tickets for sale at the World Cup final,and to a mayor who demands free passes to all the matches being played in his city.
