The blog could have been adorned with a better name had I titled it "Of Public Virtue and Private Vice" but that would have been absolutely true of a creed of men called politicians. For businessmen, a more haloed lot, and the subject of my blog, this title would unfortunately not be wholly true. It robs me from the perverse pleasure I would have got in exacting my vengeance from them, but I shall wait. And lest I be alleged for plagiarizing, I hasten to add that the title for this blog entry is not mine but wholeheartedly borrowed from an article by Sidkin Vadukut titled "Dear Mr. Speaker" that appeared in livemint.com
This blog follows close in heels to my previous blog entry, The Morality Patch. I could feel the blood tingling in my veins as I read this article from Sidkin. Finally, someone is writing about something that is so close to my own personal experience.
Sidkin writes with a dean pan humor and scathing sarcasm. Humor and sarcasm make heady stuff easier for people to swallow. (Till the government started banning cartoons from textbooks). I, on the other hand, usually adopt a more sedate tone, because I want my pill to be bitter, and I want my surgeon's knife to go deeper to heal our wounds. This perhaps, may make me less endearing to my readers but that's something I can forgo for when rank self-interest masquerades as morality, virtues and acceptable public discourse, the wounds are deeper. Perhaps this is the reason why after all these years I have come to bestow a fair degree of respect to naked self interest because when it masks itself in virtue, it not only confuses morally upright souls, but leaves behind an agonizing wound of betrayal.
The corporates have had a long history of co-opting, "The True, The Good and The Beautiful" for self-serving ends. This has been briefly encapsulated in one of my previous entries "On Capitalism and Social Work". At risk, therefore, are not just the gullible youth who provide ready fodder for this greed machine. No, at stake here is the real meaning and purpose of life, the liberty of man to find truth. At risk here, if I may say so, is the direction of societies and humanity. So the least that I can do is to expose the sham, to break down the magnificent facade of pretensions erected by the corporates. After all, I went through the same process of deconstructing the corporate halo as I read book after book and later got whip-lashed by the corporate world for daring to talk about virtues, values and relationships.
To veer away a few souls from the neon lit, glittering roads of illusion to a dark and silent path illumined with the true and natural beauty of moonlight, that would be fruit enough for my toils. But for now let's just remove some sheen from the glittering neon lights. Remember, the age old adage : all that glitters is not gold.
This blog follows close in heels to my previous blog entry, The Morality Patch. I could feel the blood tingling in my veins as I read this article from Sidkin. Finally, someone is writing about something that is so close to my own personal experience.
Sidkin writes with a dean pan humor and scathing sarcasm. Humor and sarcasm make heady stuff easier for people to swallow. (Till the government started banning cartoons from textbooks). I, on the other hand, usually adopt a more sedate tone, because I want my pill to be bitter, and I want my surgeon's knife to go deeper to heal our wounds. This perhaps, may make me less endearing to my readers but that's something I can forgo for when rank self-interest masquerades as morality, virtues and acceptable public discourse, the wounds are deeper. Perhaps this is the reason why after all these years I have come to bestow a fair degree of respect to naked self interest because when it masks itself in virtue, it not only confuses morally upright souls, but leaves behind an agonizing wound of betrayal.
The corporates have had a long history of co-opting, "The True, The Good and The Beautiful" for self-serving ends. This has been briefly encapsulated in one of my previous entries "On Capitalism and Social Work". At risk, therefore, are not just the gullible youth who provide ready fodder for this greed machine. No, at stake here is the real meaning and purpose of life, the liberty of man to find truth. At risk here, if I may say so, is the direction of societies and humanity. So the least that I can do is to expose the sham, to break down the magnificent facade of pretensions erected by the corporates. After all, I went through the same process of deconstructing the corporate halo as I read book after book and later got whip-lashed by the corporate world for daring to talk about virtues, values and relationships.
To veer away a few souls from the neon lit, glittering roads of illusion to a dark and silent path illumined with the true and natural beauty of moonlight, that would be fruit enough for my toils. But for now let's just remove some sheen from the glittering neon lights. Remember, the age old adage : all that glitters is not gold.
Dear Mr. Speaker
by Sidkin Vadukut
Dear esteemed graduation speech-givers,
This is the graduating class of 2012. This year all of you have stunned us with graduation speeches of exceptional quality all over India. Many of us have been touched by your inspirational words.
Usually people like you are so busy, and getting time for a frank tete-a-tete is hugely challenging.
Therefore, we relish this rare chance to give you feedback. Hello! Please keep your BlackBerry on the table, your iPad in your bag, sit up and listen boss. Focus. Come on!
Thanks.
First of all, information technology pioneer, we would like to speak to you. Every two to three months you go around giving speeches at colleges about India and young people and the future and all that. Sometimes you give speeches abroad also. You tell us to think beyond our textbook education, beyond exams and marks, and develop as complete individuals with wholesome personalities. Only then, you said, can we rise to our true potential as individuals and as a nation.
But two weeks ago, during final placements the HR manager in your company was asking only for marksheets and exam transcripts. Some of us with very wholesome personalities did not even get short-listed because way back in class XII we went through a rebel “gangster rap” phase and got only 68% marks. Boss, if your company itself refuses to hire us, then how can we rise to our true potential as individuals?
We are disappointed.
Next, we would like to have a brief chat with you, chief executive of the major family-owned business conglomerate that has over 100 years of history. Often, we have heard you tell students that the future of India is in our hands. That if we put our minds to it we can achieve anything. That we are as good as anybody else in the world. And that all we had to do was break through the shackles that society and traditional family values put on us.
Very good indeed. Very inspiring. But then why is the post of chief executive in your group of companies hereditary? Your grandfather appointed your father. He appointed you. And now your son is preparing for future leadership positions in assorted nightclubs in Monte Carlo. What about the rest of the people in your company? How will they break the shackles of your family values?
We are disappointed.
Excuse me, where are you trying to crawl off to, you manufacturing and engineering tycoon? You are next. Please come back. You have always been the most patriotic of this lot. For you, everything is about India, India, India. A full 25% of your commencement speech is inspirational quotes from Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru and other freedom fighters. And for you the most important quality you seek in a young person is sacrifice for the nation. Don’t go abroad, you say in your speeches. Stay in India. Help the nation. Forego economic gain, and strive for social justice.
Fine. We will make sacrifices within our limits. But boss, why do you keep moving your factories and investment projects from state to state based on tax cuts and incentive packages? You can also sacrifice a little bit tax for the benefit of the local region, no? Think of all the people in deprived areas whose lives you can change with your business muscle and sustained presence. Pity you are being so petty.
We are disappointed.
Namaste namaste bureaucrat-ji! Tea? Coffee? OK. Your speech about the future of India we enjoyed very much indeed. And the verses you recited from Tamil Sangam literature was very apt for the occasion. You are perhaps correct. Widespread entrepreneurship could well be the only way to create large-scale economic activity. And young entrepreneurs could possibly create the millions of jobs we need each year to employ our ‘youth dividend’. Good points. Well made.
But you forgot to mention one very important point sir. How many copies of our proposal in triplicate does your ministry need along with how much “urgency arrangement surcharge” in order to get the name of our company approved? If you tell us quickly then we can arrange for funds quickly and start our business. We were hoping you would make all this clear during the graduation speech along with the rate card. But you did not.
We are disappointed.
And finally, we have you, director of the institute. Your opening remarks on the role of business education in the future of India’s growth was illuminating and inspiring. However, why not start implementing this education right here? We have always found it amusing to go to the canteen after a lecture on cutting-edge production management techniques, only to stand in line for 20 minutes because the chappati maker is not working properly.
This is most disappointing.
But otherwise overall the class of 2012 has been truly inspired by the speeches all of you have made. We step forth into the real world fully aware of the power of public virtue and private hypocrisy.
Please wish us well.
This is the graduating class of 2012. This year all of you have stunned us with graduation speeches of exceptional quality all over India. Many of us have been touched by your inspirational words.
Usually people like you are so busy, and getting time for a frank tete-a-tete is hugely challenging.
Therefore, we relish this rare chance to give you feedback. Hello! Please keep your BlackBerry on the table, your iPad in your bag, sit up and listen boss. Focus. Come on!
Thanks.
First of all, information technology pioneer, we would like to speak to you. Every two to three months you go around giving speeches at colleges about India and young people and the future and all that. Sometimes you give speeches abroad also. You tell us to think beyond our textbook education, beyond exams and marks, and develop as complete individuals with wholesome personalities. Only then, you said, can we rise to our true potential as individuals and as a nation.
But two weeks ago, during final placements the HR manager in your company was asking only for marksheets and exam transcripts. Some of us with very wholesome personalities did not even get short-listed because way back in class XII we went through a rebel “gangster rap” phase and got only 68% marks. Boss, if your company itself refuses to hire us, then how can we rise to our true potential as individuals?
We are disappointed.
Next, we would like to have a brief chat with you, chief executive of the major family-owned business conglomerate that has over 100 years of history. Often, we have heard you tell students that the future of India is in our hands. That if we put our minds to it we can achieve anything. That we are as good as anybody else in the world. And that all we had to do was break through the shackles that society and traditional family values put on us.
Very good indeed. Very inspiring. But then why is the post of chief executive in your group of companies hereditary? Your grandfather appointed your father. He appointed you. And now your son is preparing for future leadership positions in assorted nightclubs in Monte Carlo. What about the rest of the people in your company? How will they break the shackles of your family values?
We are disappointed.
Excuse me, where are you trying to crawl off to, you manufacturing and engineering tycoon? You are next. Please come back. You have always been the most patriotic of this lot. For you, everything is about India, India, India. A full 25% of your commencement speech is inspirational quotes from Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru and other freedom fighters. And for you the most important quality you seek in a young person is sacrifice for the nation. Don’t go abroad, you say in your speeches. Stay in India. Help the nation. Forego economic gain, and strive for social justice.
Fine. We will make sacrifices within our limits. But boss, why do you keep moving your factories and investment projects from state to state based on tax cuts and incentive packages? You can also sacrifice a little bit tax for the benefit of the local region, no? Think of all the people in deprived areas whose lives you can change with your business muscle and sustained presence. Pity you are being so petty.
We are disappointed.
Namaste namaste bureaucrat-ji! Tea? Coffee? OK. Your speech about the future of India we enjoyed very much indeed. And the verses you recited from Tamil Sangam literature was very apt for the occasion. You are perhaps correct. Widespread entrepreneurship could well be the only way to create large-scale economic activity. And young entrepreneurs could possibly create the millions of jobs we need each year to employ our ‘youth dividend’. Good points. Well made.
But you forgot to mention one very important point sir. How many copies of our proposal in triplicate does your ministry need along with how much “urgency arrangement surcharge” in order to get the name of our company approved? If you tell us quickly then we can arrange for funds quickly and start our business. We were hoping you would make all this clear during the graduation speech along with the rate card. But you did not.
We are disappointed.
And finally, we have you, director of the institute. Your opening remarks on the role of business education in the future of India’s growth was illuminating and inspiring. However, why not start implementing this education right here? We have always found it amusing to go to the canteen after a lecture on cutting-edge production management techniques, only to stand in line for 20 minutes because the chappati maker is not working properly.
This is most disappointing.
But otherwise overall the class of 2012 has been truly inspired by the speeches all of you have made. We step forth into the real world fully aware of the power of public virtue and private hypocrisy.
Please wish us well.
