He was found by the Bureau of Statistics to be One against whom there was no official complaint, And all the reports on his conduct agree That, in the modern sense of an old-fashioned word, he was a saint, For in everything he did he served the Greater Community. Except for the War till the day he retired He worked in a factory and never got fired, But satisfied his employers, Fudge Motors Inc. Yet he wasn’t a scab or odd in his views, For his Union reports that he paid his dues, (Our report on his Union shows it was sound) And our Social Psychology workers found That he was popular with his mates and liked a drink. The Press are convinced that he bought a paper every day And that his reactions to advertisements were normal in every way. Policies taken out in his name prove that he was fully insured, And his Health-card shows he was once in hospital but left it cured. Both Producers Research and High-Grade Living declare He was fully sensible to the advantages of the Installment Plan And had everything necessary to the Modern Man, A phonograph, a radio, a car and a frigidaire. Our researchers into Public Opinion are content That he held the proper opinions for he time of year; When there was peace, he was for peace; when there was war, he went. He was married and added five children to the population, Which our Eugenist says was the right number for a parent of his generation. And our teachers report that he never interfered with their education. Was he free? Was he happy? The question is absurd: Had anything been wrong, we should certainly have heard.
From David Bergman: I made this Gigapan image from the north press platform during President Obama’s inaugural address at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, DC on January 20, 2009. It’s made up of 220 images and the final image size is 59,783 X 24,658 pixels or 1,474 megapixels.
Anil Ambani: “Narendrabhai has done good for Gujarat. Gujarat has seen progress in all fields under his leadership. Now imagine what will happen to the nation if he leads the nation. A person like him should be the next leader of the country”
Sunil Mittal: “Modi has a magnetic personality, which has attracted several companies to the state. I have had the opportunity to observe him closely during work and I must say that we run only companies and earn money, but if there is one person who can run not only a company or a sector, but a whole nation as CEO, it’s Narendra Modi”
Ratan Tata: “I have to say that today there is no state like Gujarat. Under Mr Modi’s leadership, Gujarat is head and shoulders above any state … in the Nano case, we had our land and approval in just two days … [laud] the speed and transparency [with which Mr Modi worked]’’
How can we overlook the Godhra riots simply because of the speed with which the CM supports industrialization? We are all so riled up after the Mumbai terror attacks, yet we overlook the systematic violence against Muslims in Gujarat in 2002. We can’t be selectively outraged when we are the target while disregarding serious moral lapses when some removed minority is. Rise of Hindu fundamentalism will give rise to Islamic extremism. And it’s shocking that India Inc, especially those who like to count themselves amongst the educated, will overlook such serious moral transgressions in their bid for easy industry permits.
On a related note, here’s a quick poll:
Good to know: What does 49-O really amount to? Not much , especially in its current non-secret ballot form
It is not from the benevolence of the butcher, the brewer, or the baker, that we can expect our dinner, but from their regard to their own interest. (The Wealth of Nations, Adam Smith)
This Adam Smith’s quote is oft used to justify self-interest as an overarching pursuit and the consequent pure capitalist economy. However, Adam Smith died before the industrial revolution, which along with advancements in productivity also created immense concentration of wealth, and income inequality. The butcher, brewer, baker, and consumer of Adam Smith’s time had income parity and bargaining ability. However, with MNCs now with annual revenue’s greater than the GDPs of some countries, the bargaining (and manipulative) power is completely skewed. In addition, a disproportionate number of products in the market are non-necessities, the transaction of which does not result in a net benefit to both parties.
The news is replete with examples of how concentration of economic power (a necessary consequence of rising inequality) is prone to corruption. The rising tide does not lift all boats. Clearly, we need to think beyond capitalism as a development tool.
Everyone is speculating on the collateral damage on the Indian tech industry, and India Inc in general – but an equally urgent (and interesting) question is the HOW. Not the details of corporate governance, or collusion with PWC, but basic stuff like bank/cash balances? I’m wondering if this sounds naive, but in my own audit experience, we’ve had to show original bank statements (and debtor/creditor balances for reconciliation) to the auditors. For companies of Satyam’s scale, will there not be more stringent requirements such as direct verification with the banks etc?
I have a whole bunch of sections up that I don't update - early enthusiasm etc. If you're more disciplined, and dislike the current drivel peddled in the media as much, would you like to collaborate? Most likely we'll remain on the fringes, known only by a few dozen extra people (other than our friends and family we'll harass) but like pretentious people everywhere, we can flatter/delude ourselves that true cool is esoteric. If interested, please send me an email at gupta.ruchi@gmail.com
