In 1773 a group of American colonists calling themselves the “Sons of Liberty” got together to protest the tyranny of their oppressors, the British government.
One night they boarded three enemy ships in Boston Harbor and dumped all the chests of tea overboard.
The event came to be known as the Boston Tea Party, and it sent a message that would later be immortalized with “Give me liberty or give me death!”
In 2019 an equally determined man took a dramatic step to protest the tyranny of his parents.
His protest also involved dumping something into the water.
In this case, a BMW.
And his sentiment, too, was heard around the world:
GIVE ME A JAGUAR OR…
Akash, a 22-year-old man from Yamunanagar, Haryana state in Northern India, had told his parents numerous times that he wanted a Jaguar for his birthday.
But his parents claimed they could only afford the brand-new $49,000 BMW 3 Series, which, when not submerged in water, looks like this:
Which led to Akash’s protest, covered by local, national and international media:
As with all important events, there are conflicting stories. One source reported that Akash told police the BMW was “a little small for him and his friends inside.”
Of course Akash had to protest! Wouldn’t you?
But The Times of India said, “Akash’s father, Sanjeev Kumar, denied that his son ever demanded a Jaguar.” And there was no dumping the BMW into the canal, Mr. Kumar insisted. The car, he said, fell into the canal when Akash swerved in the road, trying to avoid an antelope.
But another quote from Mr. Kumar contradicted that: “We never imagined he would do anything like this,” which suggests a deliberate act, rather than accidental.
And according to Newsweek, Akash made a video of himself pushing the car into the canal and forwarded it to his parents.
ABC news reported that Mr. Kumar is a “wealthy landlord” and that Akash “already owned several SUVs.” Apparently he also owns a motorcycle, on which he posed for this, along with the loathsome BMW:
As local residents assisted in the retrieval of the BMW from the Western Yamuna Canal, they marveled at the evidence of Akash’s creativity and courage:
The retrieval drew a large crowd:
And large equipment:
Back in 1773, England was not amused by our forefathers tossing tea into Boston Harbor. They punished the colonists by passing the “Intolerable Acts” in 1774 which, among other things, closed the port of Boston until the drowned tea was paid for.
For Akash, however, it appears there will be no punishment; police are investigating but probably will not press charges.
For his next birthday, if Akash asks for a Boeing 747, here’s hoping his dad doesn’t give him a…
I Hate Houseguests 