Anna Hazare’s fight against corruption is getting trendier on the net. Facebook status, tweets and rejoinders from active netizens seem to be hogging the limelight just after the cricket mania. Well, like cricket, fight against corruption is also getting to be a trend and a peer pressure agenda.
I had a chance to meet the man in the temple that he lived in Ralegan Siddhi, a village in Ahmednagar district, Maharashtra, India and his efforts for establishing it as a model village, for which he was awarded the Padma Bhushan by Govt. of India. It was summer of 1991 and I along with a friend had gone to do some recce work in Ahmednagar, when we decided to see what this man was up to,
Taking on the most powerful Sharad Pawar by his horns in those times could make anyone feel inquisitive about his nerdness. But with little intellect that I had in those days, I could figure out, that this man was not afraid and was pure.
Anna sure did not do this for a few days of glory on the virtual world; he is like Jaiprakash Narain, who is a simpleton, focused to his cause and very down to earth. Unlike the mahatma, who had a global perspective and a flair to identify with smallest of local issues, Anna has always fought for local issues without a larger picture. All these men have one thing in common, credibility and integrity.
Though, this could be different, fight against corruption is no fight, it’s like fighting a shadow, everyone will join you, even the most corrupt. Jaiprakash fought against corruption of the congress party, his army men included, Laloo and Paswan and Mulyam and many more third front socialist. We all know what happened to them.
In this fight, if it reaches somewhere, of which it has the potential, will emerge a new class of pure citizens, who will be lured to rule from the front, maybe, the lokpal bill be amended and a few clean leaders from the dormant political front be a part of the punishing crew. In time the white khadi wearing new clan would put up statues of Anna and decide the fate of billions of rupees to be spent.
This has been the history forever. Anna might be the catalyst this time, like mahatma was to Nehru and Jinnah and JP were to laloo’s and Mulayam’s.
Along with this crusade what one needs is rational principled approach with a plan and a strategy. Gimmicks like indefinite fast is good to grab headlines and will also be forgotten when the IPL arrives.
The root cause of corruption is allowing public servants and legislators to disposal of public money and power, which in turn happen in the name of social good and equality and to eradicate poverty with social schemes like, free education, free health, free food, agro subsidy, MNREGA and other umpteen programs.
It is these social goods and goodies that Anna and JP and mahatma supported that lays a foundation for higher taxes, fiat money printing, government borrowings and all this in the hands of the corrupt and powerful.
Social good happens, it happens if you leave the society alone, if you let law and order prevail and contracts validate.
If corruption happens, it happens because your sheer basics are wrong. If a service is in short supply and there is a back door, is it not common sense and animal instinct to queue on the back door and fight on the front window?
Anna you are a nice man, and so are those 150 fasting with you, but don’t try to perfect a system which is wrong in the first place.
Mahatma fought against taxes, no tax on salt, as small an item as salt every common man could relate to, corruption I can’t relate to, in fact it helps me get my job done.
Taxes I hate! I will sit next to you if you take up a cause against taxes....Hungry till i Die!!
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Time to fly
Getting a confirmation from able souls, on what you wanted to do in the first place, is a very reassuring feeling.
I have been wanting to write a lot on the events of past few months, but have been holding back, for it might be averse and jeopardizing my already dwindling career.
Writing not only clears my clogged thoughts but also correlates the events of past into a lateral motion.
It is easy for self and others, especially in this virtual world to make sense out of irrationality of the place called “our world”.
Doesn’t make much sense! Does it? That’s the point! This world does not make much sense, we are just trying to act intelligent, which is just a way of survival and quest for an improved and a unique DNA.
So let’s see, what happened here!
Like an annual event, as it has started happening these years, the assets of the company that I have built over past decade were up for public auction, and the hammer went down on the 9th of February 2011.
Besides the fact, there were no bids for the unit, which might take a new enterprise to incur a couple of million to set up, the mortgaged property belonging to my mom and dad, did get auctioned for half the market rate. I had surely not expected anyone to bid for a property belonging to my father, who is well known to be shooting around for no reason, but then even dawood’s property had bidders.
The new SARFESI act has given the banks claws and teeth that would shame the third Reich, it’s the beginning and if they don’t do much about it, it would turn draconian soon.
We had gone to the courts with a writ, the hammer had fallen by the time the list got shorter, and we are up for hearing soon, there is a good possibility that banks might want to settle with allowing me to sell my property myself to settle all dues.
Banks want their money back and we are in no situation to return all of it.
In the dark alley that night outside the lawyer’s house, I did break down profusely, like I did same time last year and the year before last, so it was after all an annual event!
To correlate things, returning after a refreshing forced medical break and some good company, I am quite convinced that my bread earning exercise needs a little less adventure.
I would settle my dues soon as possible, with the property already sold, it sure is an agony to live with the blotch, but I am sure in a picture of larger things, a property in Hajipur was no penthouse in Gurgaon.
The good part is there are no buyers for the factory; reason obviously being, and the location in one interior village of Bihar. So, the unit survives debt free and with zero capital.
We have stocks, which could eventually help in accumulating capital, but the scale would be so low that it would not be able to survive me.
This is a time, when I can share a little secret. When we started a decade back, we had zero capital and went on to have a balance sheet of 2 crores on either side. Hundreds of people survived on the industry, including me. It does have a brand and a small network, a patent for a promising product and goodwill.
If we did dispossess an idle plot of land, we had not lost much, if at the end; this was not really an end! Picture abhi baki hai merey dost!
Entrepreneur and the enterprise both need a break from each other.
This was the crux of gita, which I should have known from day one!
I should have only been a trustee, a manager of this venture, never burdened the business with my load.
All enterprise is for profit, which could be monetary or otherwise, profit is pure and only motive for survival and improvement, confusing it with greed is a big mistake.
Only if I had understood this, even when I was running it an NGO style, I would keep my motives pure and unattached; I perhaps would have been in a lesser pain, in these years.
I understand this now, it’s like letting a child go, and marrying your daughter or similar experiences, the enterprise has fully grown if it’s not attached to your identity or your ego attached to the enterprise.
I must have done my duty well, for the child to be taking its own decisions.
A decade back, when I decided to come back, there was no phone or electricity had mud filled roads and any hope was a distant dream.
It took me 3 years of Public interest litigation to get telephone, and when it did, cell phones made them outdated.
2 years to get a transformer in the village, when electricity never came through and captive power lit the villages.
First we parleyed to get access to weapons for self security and eventually surrendered them for the security of others.
Integrated farms and Set up a unit to rid of traders and industry fleecing the farmers and sooner was fleecing the farmers ourselves.
The village which welcomed the first smokes of the chimney as a growth sign, soon complained of pollution, opportunity to labor turned to hue and cry on minimum wages.
The incubator became a burden.
Guess, life has come a full circle and the caterpillar has wings and it’s time to fly!
I have been wanting to write a lot on the events of past few months, but have been holding back, for it might be averse and jeopardizing my already dwindling career.
Writing not only clears my clogged thoughts but also correlates the events of past into a lateral motion.
It is easy for self and others, especially in this virtual world to make sense out of irrationality of the place called “our world”.
Doesn’t make much sense! Does it? That’s the point! This world does not make much sense, we are just trying to act intelligent, which is just a way of survival and quest for an improved and a unique DNA.
So let’s see, what happened here!
Like an annual event, as it has started happening these years, the assets of the company that I have built over past decade were up for public auction, and the hammer went down on the 9th of February 2011.
Besides the fact, there were no bids for the unit, which might take a new enterprise to incur a couple of million to set up, the mortgaged property belonging to my mom and dad, did get auctioned for half the market rate. I had surely not expected anyone to bid for a property belonging to my father, who is well known to be shooting around for no reason, but then even dawood’s property had bidders.
The new SARFESI act has given the banks claws and teeth that would shame the third Reich, it’s the beginning and if they don’t do much about it, it would turn draconian soon.
We had gone to the courts with a writ, the hammer had fallen by the time the list got shorter, and we are up for hearing soon, there is a good possibility that banks might want to settle with allowing me to sell my property myself to settle all dues.
Banks want their money back and we are in no situation to return all of it.
In the dark alley that night outside the lawyer’s house, I did break down profusely, like I did same time last year and the year before last, so it was after all an annual event!
To correlate things, returning after a refreshing forced medical break and some good company, I am quite convinced that my bread earning exercise needs a little less adventure.
I would settle my dues soon as possible, with the property already sold, it sure is an agony to live with the blotch, but I am sure in a picture of larger things, a property in Hajipur was no penthouse in Gurgaon.
The good part is there are no buyers for the factory; reason obviously being, and the location in one interior village of Bihar. So, the unit survives debt free and with zero capital.
We have stocks, which could eventually help in accumulating capital, but the scale would be so low that it would not be able to survive me.
This is a time, when I can share a little secret. When we started a decade back, we had zero capital and went on to have a balance sheet of 2 crores on either side. Hundreds of people survived on the industry, including me. It does have a brand and a small network, a patent for a promising product and goodwill.
If we did dispossess an idle plot of land, we had not lost much, if at the end; this was not really an end! Picture abhi baki hai merey dost!
Entrepreneur and the enterprise both need a break from each other.
This was the crux of gita, which I should have known from day one!
I should have only been a trustee, a manager of this venture, never burdened the business with my load.
All enterprise is for profit, which could be monetary or otherwise, profit is pure and only motive for survival and improvement, confusing it with greed is a big mistake.
Only if I had understood this, even when I was running it an NGO style, I would keep my motives pure and unattached; I perhaps would have been in a lesser pain, in these years.
I understand this now, it’s like letting a child go, and marrying your daughter or similar experiences, the enterprise has fully grown if it’s not attached to your identity or your ego attached to the enterprise.
I must have done my duty well, for the child to be taking its own decisions.
A decade back, when I decided to come back, there was no phone or electricity had mud filled roads and any hope was a distant dream.
It took me 3 years of Public interest litigation to get telephone, and when it did, cell phones made them outdated.
2 years to get a transformer in the village, when electricity never came through and captive power lit the villages.
First we parleyed to get access to weapons for self security and eventually surrendered them for the security of others.
Integrated farms and Set up a unit to rid of traders and industry fleecing the farmers and sooner was fleecing the farmers ourselves.
The village which welcomed the first smokes of the chimney as a growth sign, soon complained of pollution, opportunity to labor turned to hue and cry on minimum wages.
The incubator became a burden.
Guess, life has come a full circle and the caterpillar has wings and it’s time to fly!
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
Dorothy Smith - R.I.P.
"Dorothy Smith known by all as Tashi, a good friend and regular visitor to Auroville, 47 years old and of Burmese/Indian origin,
passed away today at 7.45 am at PIMS. She had a chronic heart condition which worsened recently, said NO to surgery and
decided to go the natural way surrendering to Mother and Sri Aurobindo.
...Dorothy had spent much of the last 5 years in and around Auroville, helping at the Matrimandir. She was loved by everyone who met her."
Dorothy passed away on the 16th of December.
After a gap of almost 10 years, we had been in touch over the phone and facebook for last few months.
I invited her often and she invited me, only if I had any inkling to this destiny and this hurry the gods had we would have surely met.
Dorothy was a cousin to a close friend Sean and that's how we met, for us she was a "firang" who we thought was too sensitive to the issues of Indians, to an extent of ridicule.
the beggars on the streets of Bombay were the largest beneficiary of her doles and so were we at times.
Her extreme views and true passionate concern for poor was often our topic of debate.
It was Her and Paul on who's invitation I had the chance to rid my donkey life.
An envelope with the transportation keys and some pounds awaited me at the Gatwick Airport.
She had particularily advised me to carry my international driving License and she made me use it, more than often.
Every time she got back home or we went for treks or outings, she must have bought me more chocolates than my parents would have got for me.
I missed my flight on way back, she came all the way back to London to arrange for my stay at Claudia's, her sisters house , made arrangements for me to attend all London parties, even with the Hollywood biggies, Salman and Sangita Bijlani.
That was then, we met briefly in Calcutta in 1999, she was still erratic, smoked a lot and had more penchant for going real out of the way for helpless and needy.
she would take favors to an extreme of making someone uncomfortable for the cause of an unknown and deserving in her eyes.
This time she wanted to fly some one out of Nepal to Hyderabad and London as that girls life was miserable here.
That was the last I could do much for her.
I am really sorry for have not taken you as much seriously the last conversation we had, with time and responsibilities, we tend to read beyond the words and i will repent it for life.
I wish you were around and I had one more chance to undo.
Rest In peace, Dorothy.
passed away today at 7.45 am at PIMS. She had a chronic heart condition which worsened recently, said NO to surgery and
decided to go the natural way surrendering to Mother and Sri Aurobindo.
...Dorothy had spent much of the last 5 years in and around Auroville, helping at the Matrimandir. She was loved by everyone who met her."
Dorothy passed away on the 16th of December.
After a gap of almost 10 years, we had been in touch over the phone and facebook for last few months.
I invited her often and she invited me, only if I had any inkling to this destiny and this hurry the gods had we would have surely met.
Dorothy was a cousin to a close friend Sean and that's how we met, for us she was a "firang" who we thought was too sensitive to the issues of Indians, to an extent of ridicule.
the beggars on the streets of Bombay were the largest beneficiary of her doles and so were we at times.
Her extreme views and true passionate concern for poor was often our topic of debate.
It was Her and Paul on who's invitation I had the chance to rid my donkey life.
An envelope with the transportation keys and some pounds awaited me at the Gatwick Airport.
She had particularily advised me to carry my international driving License and she made me use it, more than often.
Every time she got back home or we went for treks or outings, she must have bought me more chocolates than my parents would have got for me.
I missed my flight on way back, she came all the way back to London to arrange for my stay at Claudia's, her sisters house , made arrangements for me to attend all London parties, even with the Hollywood biggies, Salman and Sangita Bijlani.
That was then, we met briefly in Calcutta in 1999, she was still erratic, smoked a lot and had more penchant for going real out of the way for helpless and needy.
she would take favors to an extreme of making someone uncomfortable for the cause of an unknown and deserving in her eyes.
This time she wanted to fly some one out of Nepal to Hyderabad and London as that girls life was miserable here.
That was the last I could do much for her.
I am really sorry for have not taken you as much seriously the last conversation we had, with time and responsibilities, we tend to read beyond the words and i will repent it for life.
I wish you were around and I had one more chance to undo.
Rest In peace, Dorothy.
Sunday, October 3, 2010
Judgement Of Democracy
The courts of the great nation called India, on who rests the responsibility of justice to some, one sixth of human population have done what is being popularly known as justice.
The title for the disputed site of 2.7 acres of land has been equally divided among faiths as per majority of the believers.
Justice, democracy style. India after all is the largest democracy in this world.
Meticulously, ten thousand pages have been devoted to rationalize the judgment which is as simple as 66% to Hindu’s 33% to Muslims.
This is the same ratio by which Hindu’s and Muslims could be divided in India, more or less.
India has this strange culture of going by the popular demand. Giving In to the majority.
It’s not that, Indians do not understand the judicial system, if we look at the number of cases, pending and filed in the Indian courts, one will clearly realize that, we are not seeking a popular vote in the courts of law. This could be easily done at our age old panchayat system, or what you could call a “loya jirga” of Taliban, Which was more of a populist court, easily influenced by religion or many such factors.
A fair trial and a fair decision is a core of a civilized society. Without, which no civilization could ever move ahead. The governments would always have vested interests to influence the judiciary, because they are perceived to be the representatives of the majority. Only, the courts of law have the authority to cut the govt. to size. What better way, to reduce the judiciary to pressures of popularity, which is the biggest and only strength of the elected govts.
They would introduce the “Panchayat Raj” so that popular decision could be taken at the grass root level, by the elected bodies of Sarpanch. A grass root judge elected by its own people has the authority to sentence his people to rigorous prison. One could guess how honorable the Sarpanch would be to sentence his opponents.
The Allahabad court has brought the Indian judiciary to a level of the panchayat.
A title suit is the most important legal proceeding to recognize the rightful owner of a property.
Even if the evidence was not clear enough, it cannot or in this case surely it should not have been divided as per popular beliefs and faiths.
Justice should not just be done it should be seen to be done.
Every decision becomes precedence; the courts know it too well. This cannot be anything other than a sinister design to surely set precedence.
This is the first step to chaos and anarchy. It might sound too harsh, but strangely, if things persist like this and we set truth aside for so called peace and tranquility. If we forgive the sinners for some complacent attitude of ours! It surely is an invitation to anarchy.
“India has moved on” wrote the influencers, it surely has, for the govt. and the agents tried really hard for last one month harping upon the date of the decision. Revisiting the shameful days of Babri destruction, images and speeches, to a generation, who had either forgotten or did not care or didn’t know. The agents of power, made sure that an event was created.
But to their dismay, India had after all moved on, they didn’t really care and it will be a forgotten episode for another 30 years after this common wealth games.
Like Pakistan, Kashmir and many such bad dreams.
With our complacency we allow the so called prideful democratic representatives to mold our futures in populism.
What we need to learn for the future of our children is to stand up for truth, so what if it is for someone else.
The title for the disputed site of 2.7 acres of land has been equally divided among faiths as per majority of the believers.
Justice, democracy style. India after all is the largest democracy in this world.
Meticulously, ten thousand pages have been devoted to rationalize the judgment which is as simple as 66% to Hindu’s 33% to Muslims.
This is the same ratio by which Hindu’s and Muslims could be divided in India, more or less.
India has this strange culture of going by the popular demand. Giving In to the majority.
It’s not that, Indians do not understand the judicial system, if we look at the number of cases, pending and filed in the Indian courts, one will clearly realize that, we are not seeking a popular vote in the courts of law. This could be easily done at our age old panchayat system, or what you could call a “loya jirga” of Taliban, Which was more of a populist court, easily influenced by religion or many such factors.
A fair trial and a fair decision is a core of a civilized society. Without, which no civilization could ever move ahead. The governments would always have vested interests to influence the judiciary, because they are perceived to be the representatives of the majority. Only, the courts of law have the authority to cut the govt. to size. What better way, to reduce the judiciary to pressures of popularity, which is the biggest and only strength of the elected govts.
They would introduce the “Panchayat Raj” so that popular decision could be taken at the grass root level, by the elected bodies of Sarpanch. A grass root judge elected by its own people has the authority to sentence his people to rigorous prison. One could guess how honorable the Sarpanch would be to sentence his opponents.
The Allahabad court has brought the Indian judiciary to a level of the panchayat.
A title suit is the most important legal proceeding to recognize the rightful owner of a property.
Even if the evidence was not clear enough, it cannot or in this case surely it should not have been divided as per popular beliefs and faiths.
Justice should not just be done it should be seen to be done.
Every decision becomes precedence; the courts know it too well. This cannot be anything other than a sinister design to surely set precedence.
This is the first step to chaos and anarchy. It might sound too harsh, but strangely, if things persist like this and we set truth aside for so called peace and tranquility. If we forgive the sinners for some complacent attitude of ours! It surely is an invitation to anarchy.
“India has moved on” wrote the influencers, it surely has, for the govt. and the agents tried really hard for last one month harping upon the date of the decision. Revisiting the shameful days of Babri destruction, images and speeches, to a generation, who had either forgotten or did not care or didn’t know. The agents of power, made sure that an event was created.
But to their dismay, India had after all moved on, they didn’t really care and it will be a forgotten episode for another 30 years after this common wealth games.
Like Pakistan, Kashmir and many such bad dreams.
With our complacency we allow the so called prideful democratic representatives to mold our futures in populism.
What we need to learn for the future of our children is to stand up for truth, so what if it is for someone else.
Monday, September 20, 2010
Ego
An existence so small
Much a little smaller than the mole
An identity perceived so huge
Larger than the largest deluge
That “I” is the center of the universe
Woven is destiny around this energy
A Force to survive
A reason to live
Uniqueness meant to fight death
Is it some periphery of obscurity
Webbed to stay stuck
Being stimulated by the more aware
Cuisine for the masters
A purpose for the absolute transience
Living so that I could eventually die
Or does I have shades of either
Maybe neither
Wholesome could be this “I”
Ego so large, so holistic
Where the universe would submerge
All identities merge
Purpose, reason, existence and end are all but none
Forgiveness, love, in concert, futile and naïve
Bliss, untrue, pure to thrive
Maybe “I” is such a life
Much a little smaller than the mole
An identity perceived so huge
Larger than the largest deluge
That “I” is the center of the universe
Woven is destiny around this energy
A Force to survive
A reason to live
Uniqueness meant to fight death
Is it some periphery of obscurity
Webbed to stay stuck
Being stimulated by the more aware
Cuisine for the masters
A purpose for the absolute transience
Living so that I could eventually die
Or does I have shades of either
Maybe neither
Wholesome could be this “I”
Ego so large, so holistic
Where the universe would submerge
All identities merge
Purpose, reason, existence and end are all but none
Forgiveness, love, in concert, futile and naïve
Bliss, untrue, pure to thrive
Maybe “I” is such a life
Friday, September 3, 2010
Miles to go before I sleep
Energies are low
Synergies unheard
New is old and old is now
Where to start and where to go
This transition is a vacuum
A silence of the mind
Of many strings that moved this puppet
Some are gone and some idle
Shall we wait for those fingers to move
Or shall we get out of the groove
There are strings that I lace
There are beings that look upon this face
Who Wish to see a brighter day
Look upon to show them a way
Aspirations mine and theirs
Yet to realize
Make them find their orbits
And stay on course of what is mine
Of some more then me
Of some more than mine
A little more than today
And much more than make hay
A world small as I
Big as the universe
And everything between them
Has a pull and push
There will be a tomorrow
With or without my sorrow
There is only enough one can do
Occupy one’s mind with much ado
For the day will come
When I shall reap
Till then, I have,
Miles to go before I sleep.
Synergies unheard
New is old and old is now
Where to start and where to go
This transition is a vacuum
A silence of the mind
Of many strings that moved this puppet
Some are gone and some idle
Shall we wait for those fingers to move
Or shall we get out of the groove
There are strings that I lace
There are beings that look upon this face
Who Wish to see a brighter day
Look upon to show them a way
Aspirations mine and theirs
Yet to realize
Make them find their orbits
And stay on course of what is mine
Of some more then me
Of some more than mine
A little more than today
And much more than make hay
A world small as I
Big as the universe
And everything between them
Has a pull and push
There will be a tomorrow
With or without my sorrow
There is only enough one can do
Occupy one’s mind with much ado
For the day will come
When I shall reap
Till then, I have,
Miles to go before I sleep.
Sunday, August 29, 2010
An Open Letter to Azim Premji Of Wipro
Dear Mr. Premji,
I like many have been an admirer of the company that you have built. Your entrepreneur skills and persistence, of your integration capabilities and diverse nature of your businesses, all this while were carrying a legacy baggage of an earlier generation business.
It all came to an end, while reading your views in times of India a few days back on the unnecessary spending of 28000 crores on commonwealth games; in fact, you go to an extent of calling any expense on sports as unnecessary.
It feels at this stage of your life’s achievements, crony capitalism and unrealistic philanthropy has taken over, as this cannot be a strategy. You have actually started thinking wrong.
• It cannot be denied that common wealth games, which are happening in India is an absolute bed of corruption, and better things could be done with that money. But you see, even if Rahul Gandhi did spend that money on MNREGA the fate of that public money would have remained the same. Government spending money they have not righty earned will always find the wrong hands. A person of your stature, when airs his view on gullibility of the social schemes and general tax paying citizen, who feels that sports is bad for the country and MNREGA is good.
• This is an absolute fallacy, MNREGA has almost 100000 crores outlay and not even 30 % reaches the needy, which also land up hampering the usual rural SME and Agriculture. Social schemes are a bigger disaster for India than common wealth games.
• You have mentioned about, Bihari’s getting unfair wages and perhaps they would have been better doing stuff back in Bihar. Well, the migrant laborers also built the metro project in Delhi and so many other projects, fair and unfair is an individual’s choice of staying put or going back to his village to dig earth. MNREGA is a way to keep the migrants at home and keep the cities clean of slums, but working for unfair wages and conditions happen due to better opportunities, infrastructure and life available in the cities. It will never stop, no country or civilization ever in the history of this earth has been able to stop migration, the migrants, with time, will earn their fare share.
• Wipro and many other such companies are a product of entrepreneur skills at its best, capital used for pure motive of profit, benefiting, millions directly or indirectly, not because your intention was other people’s benefit but because your motive was profit. When you seek dole money for your good intention of spending on education and health, you have killed enterprise. Thousands of individuals and organizations who are in these fields with a pure motive of profit are doing far better jobs than all the governments put together. There are private schools who seek rupee 1 a day per student and still make their profits. It’s like Wipro selling a shampoo sachet for the same price. Government sponsored social schemes, even in education and health can only construct buildings and pay salaries. They can never offer services.
• Sports on the other hand, besides celebrating the human spirit of excellence, creates enterprise, profits, jobs and infrastructure. There are countries that survive on sports tourism, and if India is a country of poor people with a massive human resource, India perhaps is the neediest of this industry and has the best resource of being a sporting nation.
• 28000 crores of public money is surely down the drain, but if it was a private event this money would look trivial. IPL has a brand value of approx 20000 crores, which does not have a state sponsorship and its core value is profit. If cricket was to survive or any other game, it will be due to the profit motive involved. In the interiors of the villages you will find pitches and boys in their creases in bare soles.
Recalling Gandhi ji’s advice to recall of the poorest person, in taking an affirmative step. Now! You think very hard Mr. Azim Premji, would you rather let that man learn how to fish and leave him a clean pond, or would you rather feed him a fish today?
do give it a second thought, before ending opportunities for millions you have already harnessed to arrive at a state of philanthropy.
Warm Regards,
An Unfair Wage creator Bihari.
I like many have been an admirer of the company that you have built. Your entrepreneur skills and persistence, of your integration capabilities and diverse nature of your businesses, all this while were carrying a legacy baggage of an earlier generation business.
It all came to an end, while reading your views in times of India a few days back on the unnecessary spending of 28000 crores on commonwealth games; in fact, you go to an extent of calling any expense on sports as unnecessary.
It feels at this stage of your life’s achievements, crony capitalism and unrealistic philanthropy has taken over, as this cannot be a strategy. You have actually started thinking wrong.
• It cannot be denied that common wealth games, which are happening in India is an absolute bed of corruption, and better things could be done with that money. But you see, even if Rahul Gandhi did spend that money on MNREGA the fate of that public money would have remained the same. Government spending money they have not righty earned will always find the wrong hands. A person of your stature, when airs his view on gullibility of the social schemes and general tax paying citizen, who feels that sports is bad for the country and MNREGA is good.
• This is an absolute fallacy, MNREGA has almost 100000 crores outlay and not even 30 % reaches the needy, which also land up hampering the usual rural SME and Agriculture. Social schemes are a bigger disaster for India than common wealth games.
• You have mentioned about, Bihari’s getting unfair wages and perhaps they would have been better doing stuff back in Bihar. Well, the migrant laborers also built the metro project in Delhi and so many other projects, fair and unfair is an individual’s choice of staying put or going back to his village to dig earth. MNREGA is a way to keep the migrants at home and keep the cities clean of slums, but working for unfair wages and conditions happen due to better opportunities, infrastructure and life available in the cities. It will never stop, no country or civilization ever in the history of this earth has been able to stop migration, the migrants, with time, will earn their fare share.
• Wipro and many other such companies are a product of entrepreneur skills at its best, capital used for pure motive of profit, benefiting, millions directly or indirectly, not because your intention was other people’s benefit but because your motive was profit. When you seek dole money for your good intention of spending on education and health, you have killed enterprise. Thousands of individuals and organizations who are in these fields with a pure motive of profit are doing far better jobs than all the governments put together. There are private schools who seek rupee 1 a day per student and still make their profits. It’s like Wipro selling a shampoo sachet for the same price. Government sponsored social schemes, even in education and health can only construct buildings and pay salaries. They can never offer services.
• Sports on the other hand, besides celebrating the human spirit of excellence, creates enterprise, profits, jobs and infrastructure. There are countries that survive on sports tourism, and if India is a country of poor people with a massive human resource, India perhaps is the neediest of this industry and has the best resource of being a sporting nation.
• 28000 crores of public money is surely down the drain, but if it was a private event this money would look trivial. IPL has a brand value of approx 20000 crores, which does not have a state sponsorship and its core value is profit. If cricket was to survive or any other game, it will be due to the profit motive involved. In the interiors of the villages you will find pitches and boys in their creases in bare soles.
Recalling Gandhi ji’s advice to recall of the poorest person, in taking an affirmative step. Now! You think very hard Mr. Azim Premji, would you rather let that man learn how to fish and leave him a clean pond, or would you rather feed him a fish today?
do give it a second thought, before ending opportunities for millions you have already harnessed to arrive at a state of philanthropy.
Warm Regards,
An Unfair Wage creator Bihari.
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