The reason why the Satyam dude did what he did, is cos he must have felt he’ll get away with it. And he probably will, once all the dust settles and the media focus shifts to the next terror attack.
It’s the same reason violent men rape women with impunity. Netas and babus fatten their Swiss accounts. RTOs dish out driving licenses like dog biscuits. Cops turn into paid encounter killers. Rioters burn and loot at free will. Intelligence officers watch T20 cricket matches ignoring warnings. Striking oily men hold the entire nation to ransom. And this list is endless. It’s the same reason… we’ll get away with it.
We either don’t have the laws, or we don’t have the will to implement them, or lack the machinery required to enforce them. Which encourages people to turn into rogues.
Unless we instill the fear of punishment into our collective psyche, unless we believe we WON’T get away with it, we will continue to make a joke out of this nation.
So there’s no point in fishing out the knives for Ramalinga Raju. He is one of us, he only behaved in a way the rest of us Indians do.
The only way forward is to totally re-invent the law in this land. Where justice is done swiftly and proportionately to the crime, and is SEEN to be done.
The question is: the people who should be doing the above are the ones that will get the most hit, so why would they bother?
So let’s quit castigating chors like Raju. We are all Rajus in one form or another.
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17 comments:
Well, things won't change unless we start punishing all the folks mentioned one by one, will they?
On the other hand Raju could get away scot-free by using defence 2.0.
Do check http://www.rameshsrivats.net/2009/01/satyam-chairman-on-trial.html
true
Anil,
What you said is very apt in the indian scenario. We as a nation take the law for granted.. whom i know or am related to is most important... then i am above law. This thinking has to be changed. Cases go on for 20yrs.. what use is delayed justice? Raju will be soon forgotton.... he was just the one who got caught.. bad luck!!
Raju is in an Indian prison. Many business men jailed for fraud have not come out of the Indian prison alive. Rajan Pillai, Harshad Mehta, Dyaneshwar Agashe of Suvarna Sahakari Bank. They all died in the prisons. Jethmalani says Terrorist Kasab's best punishment is a taste of the Indian prisons.
Also all those politicians who grew fat on his bribes will now have nothing to do with this hot potatoe
The new economy boys gave us a glimmer of hope that all that you say Anil is not true about all. There is a different version of reality possible, a cleaner and less cynical one. Raju seemed to belong to that club. For me the biggest jolt is the big question mark on that clean corner of India.
Hi,
Wonderful blog.
Totally agree with this.
There's a raju in each one of us. The extent might differ.
Abhijit
gud one.i want to read milind deora's interview he had promised some changes by jan 09 whats he done since nov 26th?
samreedhi
Hi Anil,
very true. but, what was he thinking when he was doing the misdoing. didnt he fear for his family and his well-being? i think nowadays in this topsy-turvy times of ours people from all strata have lost their senses.
take care
vijaya
"Sure, Anil .. what you say has a lot of truth .. in some (small, petty) way we are all 'guilty' of some 'crime' or the other. Seems to be like this .. "jo pakda gaya .. woh chor ...!" ... Breaking free from this 'chakravyuha' is a challenge that we are up against. Let's keep chipping away at it - we WILL find a better way..."
Nice stuff,Anil.
You are so right.
I live in Singapore where there are such strict laws and equally severe subsequent punishments that there are very few instances of non-abiding citizens.
Wish I could post some of the ministers from here to our beloved country....but would it help?
The "raju"in each of us would probably get rid of them in a hurry.
Jo
Hi Anil,
You hit the nail on the head, spot on.
Come on, How do these guys become so rich. They misuse public funds.
During one of their meetings,A junior Manager (but senior in age) of the number one Engineering giant while talking with his staff said "Yes we are all thieves, including myself, but unless we are caught there is no proof. So do not get caught"
There are so called No 1 Companies, even Government Cos., whose staff get good salaries, yet they offer contracts to whoever gives them the biggest cut, whether the party can do the job or not.
One can write a book on the subject. However here we treat the rich as Gods. So no harm can come to them. India is great.
Cheers.
NAT
Hi Anil,
This is yet another thought provoking stuff u have written. Coming to ur blog is like coming to'Jagrut Galli'(Its a name of a lane here)...Most people sleep over such issues.I was wonering how could you justify what Satyam did....but then u set people to think...keep expressing.
Rita Som
I don't think we are all like Raju's. Why do you blame specifically Indians. What about Price Water House, how can the auditor's get away with it.. No projection in accounts will take place without the involvement of auditors. But big shots will get away. Why do you want to support Raju, if he is guilty he should be punished, no one is above law. Why do people pay bribe, don't give. One should try to change the system not to blame. Madhur Bhandarkar's movie Page 3 and Corporate depict the exact status of Page 3 and corporate groups, it is a nexus. Really a hard one to understand. I have seen cops taking Rs.10/ bribe from the street vendors in Cambridge Road, one of the vendor's told me they even take Rs.1 from ground nut sellers. Print media should cover such things to make the system alright, instead they blame and victimise individuals.. Finally justify with a remark, we Indians are like that, it is an easy excuse to escape.
Thank you once again for your blog.
Rgs
Rema.
We get bothered when we get affected personally... when the barbarians are knocking at our gates. Otherwise we don't really care. The extent of Raju's act caused some of our wealth (invested in the tech funds or even Satyam stock) to erode. The 53000 odd techies employed by Satyam and now facing an uncertain future are our friends and batchmates from engineering and business schools, our neighbours, parents of kids studying with our children. "My God! This is too close home... if it can happen to Ravi next door, it could happen to me. And that we can't allow!" Do we care about drunken millionaires and filmstars mowing down dozens of people? Not really. But some drunken idiot crosses the line by shooting a wannabe model cum part-time-bartender-at-illegal-bar and it hits too close home... that could have been me! And then we start sms'ing like mad and gather with our candles at India Gate with the page three glitterati ensuring media coverage. Raju crossed that thin line. He f*&%ed around with things that affect us directly and so this hullabaloo.
Agree with you Mr. T, that we are all chors in our own way. But the real reason for our collective outburst on some of these choris is not an outraged conscience any more, but the fact that one of the bloody chors has broken the chor code of conduct and stolen from the rest of us chors. "Not done, old boy! Got to discourage this kind of behaviour."
Let us not delude ourselves with wanting not to "make a joke out of this nation". This nation has been a joke for a long time now. What we really want to ensure is that let no one make 'people-like-us' the butt of these jokes.
I agree, we all have a 'Raju' in us, in some form or the other... so distinctly so. But that does not mean we allow that Raju in us to manifest and take over...It also does not mean that we let such people go unpunished!
More than Raju, the auditors- PricewatersCooper should be punished. What the hell were they doing?! One person, in whatever frame of mind or situation, may succumb to cheating the nation, but a firm like PwC? There's no letting that pass!
I wonder how many more Rajus are going to come out of their closet?
Your blog keeps getting better and better! Your older articles are not as good as newer ones you have a lot more creativity and originality now. Keep it up!
And according to this article, I totally agree with your opinion, but only this time! :)
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