A Nation on Ransom

India was witness to some amazing events in these bad days of looming recession. Satyam fiasco is a shock to all and sundry. One of the most revered companies of the country proved to be misusing the reverence it commanded. One wonder what led the leaders of the company to make such mistakes, and only investigations are likely (really...???) to reveal the truth. Investors of the company are most likely to be shocked.
One is reminded of a childhood story, in which one Baba Kharak Singh (बाबा खरक सिंह) asks the robber of his favourite horse not to tell others that he disguised as a beggar to loot the horse. The reason, people will not rely on beggars then on!
Post-Satyam, who will have faith on big names of India Incorporated?
We also saw oil officers going on strike 'for higher perks'. They are arguably, the best paid PSU personnel in India, even as the PSU staff are the highest paid lot in the governmental set up of the country. They know, they hold the lifeline of an economy. Thus they also know they can wreck the ship anytime. Wish they also knew how to keep it afloat.
And then the transporters. If roads are the veins of a nation, transporters are the haemoglobin. They were hell bent to make a nation patient of anaemia. What transporters demanded was ridiculous. If the diesel prices go up, they add it into their cost and charge their clients accordingly, they never come down. Are they really worried of price hike? Then how much of their income do they really show while filing their service tax returns?
In Chhattisgarh, the rice millers were on strike. No one knows why. Once they had been strike when one of their leaders was arrested for fraudulent behaviour. They do commit all sorts of bungling. Still they want more!!?? More of what?
It appears that any body, which is strong enough to arm twist the system can do it at will, for whatever demands, ranging from ridiculous to filthy. They are least concerned about the problem of others, they relish it for that gives them the leverage to arm twist. Nation? One wonders if they have any concern for it?