The Indian-American community in Houston has honoured Ian Grillot
as 'A True American Hero' for taking a bullet for an Indian techie, Srinivas Kuchibhotla, who was killed in Olathe, Kansas this February.
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Can you really put a price on courage and compassion?
You can't, but these are things which must be honoured, especially if the courage is shown under duress and against one of the worst crimes there is, hate crime. And stories like this, which normally get buried under mundane news, should be highlighted so that it is an inspiration for others and an example that compassion is still there in humans, and should be celebrated.
I may remind my readers that around a month back an Indian engineer, working legally in the US, had been shot dead in a clear case of racial hate. The victim was with a friend in a bar in Olathe, Kansas. An angry and resentful man, Adam Purinton, approached them and started asking the pair to show their visas and other employment papers and started harrasing the duo.
His behaviour was so aggressive that the other patrons of the bar had the man evicted and everyone thought that was the end to a drunken man. But it was not to be so. Printon went outside to his car and returned with a firearm and started shooting at the two Indians all the while shouting, "leave my country" and other profanities.
Both the men were hit with a bullet, and one died later. But one patron, a local man named Ian Grillot had tried to intervene by pouncing upon the attacker in a bid to pin him down. He had got shot in the process with a bullet going through his hand and chest which fractured his vertebrae. Grillot was hospitalised for around a month before he could move about.
In recognition of his bravery, and the fact he stood up for his ideals against xenophobic hate, the Indian Ambassador yesterday honoured this man, and also handed over a cheque of $100,000. This money had been collected by the Indian-American community. This was in addition to the $473,000 which the community had contributed to a gofundme campaign started by Grillot's sister for his medical expenses and rehabilitation.
The Indian community in America is one of the most successful in economic terms as compared to other communities, but this gesture wasn't about the money. The Indians are peace loving, with non-violence is ingrained in them as a cultural value, but their success has also invited jealousy and hate, and to have a person stand up against hate and bigotry was an example the community wanted to make sure was honoured.
This feeling was articulated loudly when the Ambassador, Navtej Sarna, handed over the cheque to Grillot in the moving event also attended by the Consul General Houston, Anupam Ray, and said:
Whatever you have done to save the life of a stranger, you represent the true America, you are the true hero ... money cannot compensate you for your heroism, but I hope you will accept this cheque and utilize it towards buying your house. Thank you so much
But it was the real hero, Ian Grillot, who had the last word when he said:
I don't know if I could've lived with myself if I wouldn't have stopped or attempted to stop the shooter because that would've been completely devastating. I do now have a very powerful message and if I can help empower people and spread hope and love, then why not?
Humanity has all types, but we have hope, as long as we have guys like Grillot around!