Chapter 21

A case study

Associate yourself with men of good quality, if you esteem your own reputation; for it's better to be alone than in bad company.  --

George Washington.

When the American Electric Company, Enron came to India, and tried to start an electricity-generating project, I was engulfed by a feeling of extreme uneasiness. Because of the fact that they were in a project, wherein a lot of government departments, political parties and public opinion would play a part. My foreboding was: Oh, my god, these persons would be sent from pillar to post, and made to wipe their nose in the feudal, bureaucratic gutters, and along with that they would have to shield themselves from the Indian social climate of open warmth, and behind the back derision.

The greatest matter of concern would be that every solitary individual would have a feel of the vulnerability of himself or herself, when confronting the maddening mess of the feudal structure. And, they would also see and accustom themselves to the techniques to override the effects of this insecurity. That of going for corrupt practices. Once a person practices this and enjoys it, or believes that this is the right path of salvation, then there are no limits of misdemeanour, it can take one to.

Also the terrible feeling of being in the communication gutter if one does not have enough money can take a real hold on one, as one gets used to the ways of feudal thinking.

The experience of Enron would have been one of moral degeneration, caused by association with persons of mean standards. And it has been their undoing.

They are not the first to be stained by the feudal, corrupting influence of India. Many early officials of the erstwhile East India Company did go through the same route. And they also did bring in its affects into Britain.

And one may remember the corruption, the connection with the feudal nations has brought into the world of sports. When gentlemen take part in sports with a spirit of pure sportsmanship, then sports serve a purpose. Otherwise, all games with feudal nations are a route to get corrupted, and also to spoil the game. One may remember the comments made by Maradona* on the English football team (that the English team always sticks to the rules even when they are losing); it was a comment that never can come about a team from a feudal nation; and one, which will not be even noticed by them. For, in these areas the concept of spirit of the game does not exist. They find no enjoyment in running a thing with a perfection of sublime rules and emotions. And their countrymen also cannot understand the pure rapture that can grip a man of refinement, when he see glory of flawless adhering to rules and conventions in the face of daunting impediments. But an exposure to people, who throw these things to the wind to catch a brief moment of glory, can make the person of refinement be at a loss, as to his right course of action.

One of the terrible affects of association with superior persons with feudal bearing is that one gets mentally subdued by their commanding personality, even though their sense of refinement may be lacking in various details. One sees and gets affected by the very obvious obsequiousness, respect and awe they do command over persons who flock to them to pay homage, and enjoy being in their shadows. The sharp, tingling lower indicant words that they utter with splendid self-confidence can really impress many an Englishman, or any man interacting in English. For, such regimentation can never be achieved in English. And some persons may indeed feel their own unworthiness, in the presence of such majestic human beings.

But, I would caution persons, who no doubt have been in such mental mood, including those from Britain, to refrain from going for an immediate self-depreciating mental mood. For, this grandiose posture is actually a very dangerous social component that can very easily kill an easygoing, yet efficient English social structure, if imbibed and transferred to any English nation. And all impressions of effectiveness of this majestic feudal posture, is defective; for this social program is a very tedious, and unmanageable one; which may not function so easily in the long run or in the immediate absence of the motivating factor; that of the feudal personage.