How do you explain the case of a Railway board member paying a huge bribe to a kin of an incumbent Railway Minister for getting the favor of a supposedly plum posting? Not easy to explain but these words neatly sum up the story – strange but true. The officer was already serving the board as member staff. He wanted more. Though the two positions were not much different in terms of salary and perks. The only difference was in terms of opportunities for cheating. Look where the officer has landed into. This is the intriguing part of the story. Since times immemorial people have been falling prey to wanton pursuits of desire and paying a heavy price. The story draws a parallel from the famous Yudhistra –Yaksha dialogue of the Mahabharata. Of the many questions asked by the Yaksha a very crucial one was, ‘what is the greatest surprise?’ To this Yudhistra replied that the greatest surprise was that people see others dying yet wish that they will not. In the same vein, in the pursuit of wealth through ill gotten means many have fallen prey to unmitigated disaster, yet people continue to do so hoping that they will escape. This is strange. One reason may be the delusion of an invulnerable status. There is need to remember that you will have to pay the price for your deeds. But people don’t and continue falling by the way side in pursuit of wealth and disaster. In fact, this happens because people don’t understand the nature of wealth. The Indian view is rather interesting in this matter. Laxmi, the goddess of wealth, cannot be tamed as by very nature she is restive. It is futile, therefore, to get infatuated by Laxmi. However, if efforts are fair, rewards will follow by the grace of the goddess. But the moment greed and lust starts dictating efforts, Laxmi’ feet turn towards your door and your fate towards disaster. Still people carry on with the futile efforts. Why this happens is not difficult to understand. The confused state of mind leads to the false belief that wealth is permanent. It is not.
In response to one of the articles in this column, a conscious reader had forwarded an email message that is worth pondering over.
In 1923, nine of the world’s wealthiest people met at Chicago’s Edgewater Beach Hotel. Their combined wealth as estimated exceeded the wealth of then US government. Those attending the meeting were:
The president of the largest steel company, the president of the largest utility company, the president of the largest gas company, the president of the New York Stock Exchange, the president of the Bank of International Settlements, the greatest wheat speculator, the greatest bear on Wall Street, the head of the World’s greatest monopoly, and a member of President Harding’s cabinet- an impressive line-up by any yardstick.
Let us find out what happened to them 25 years later. The President of the steel company, Charles M Schwab, died bankrupt. The president of the largest utility company, Samuel Insull, died penniless. The President of the gas company, Howard Hubson, went insane. The President of the New York Stock Exchange, Richard Whitney, went to jail. The Wheat Speculator, Arthur Cutten, died insolvent. The member of President Harding’s cabinet, Albert Fall, was pardoned from jail just to go home and die in peace. The three others namely, the greatest “bear” on Wall Street, Jesse Livermore, the President of the world’s greatest monopoly, Ivar Krueger, and the President of the Bank of International Settlement, Leon Fraser, committed suicide. And why go that far. We have our own Harshad Mehtas and Madhu Kodas.
shashwatchintan 