Death of Sridevi and lessons to be learnt

The death of Sridevi just before she was to have attended a marriage function in Dubai was shocking. The photos in the media showed that she had dressed up for the function and waiting to go. What happened afterwards is not known but the sad news of her untimely death we received. It is reported that she died of cardiac arrest.

She was a glamorous and charming actress who not only acted in the South Indian languages but conquered the Hindi Bollywood filmdom too. She was a finest actress. She was acting with such an effortless ease and playfulness. In her untimely death the film industry has lost an outstanding artist.

May her soul rest in peace. May God give strength to the bereaved two beautiful daughters and family members to bear the loss of the most celebrity member of the family.

I now turn philosophical. Perhaps the sudden and unexpected death of Sridevi would drive home the point which I wanted to make. Many of us during our lifetime wished to do certain things and somehow defer doing them thinking that we can do them later since there is no urgency to do them NOW. Some of the things are so dear to our heart that we don't want to miss them but still postpone them thinking that we will do it ONE DAY. What we don't realize is that ONE DAY, we may miss it eternally and it may not come again. Imagine Sridevi. She would have planned so many good things to do long ago but somehow she would have not done for various reasons. She would have postponed for a future date. Alas! that date never came in her life. Because life ended abruptly.

So, friends, it is HERE AND NOW that we have to finish all the good things we always contemplated to do but not able to do, may be for reasons of lack of time or you would have planned for some day in future. According to me, it is lack of firm will to do that keeps one postponing. Many times we would have wished that we can do. It remained just a hit and run thought. If you have a strong will and conviction and most importantly the realization that life is uncertain, we may take up the things in right earnest.

Just imagine/assume that you live, say, only for a month, a year or for a few days etc.,. Think of the rush of thoughts that flood your mind. You would have so many things you always wanted to do but didn't do. And now you are in a virtually chaotic condition. Instead of reaching this point, let us finish off the good things first especially paying back to society, because we have taken so much from it. Innumerable people would have contributed for our comfortable living. A scavenger, a construction worker, a carpenter, a Mason, a Labourer who works to lay the road, a maid servant, a milk man and most importantly the farmer who toils in the farm without whose sweat we would have died of hunger. We take things and people for granted. It is most appropriate here to recall the words of - Mark Twain who said - Twenty years hence, you will repent for the things you didn't do than for the things you did.

Let us do the good things first and postpone the bad and harmful ones.

K N Krishnan - 9449612446

The PNB fiasco and the credibility of the bankers.

I don't want to get into the the nitty-gritty of the PNB episode. That is for the banking pandits, Supervisor such as RBI, CVC, Finance ministry etc to do the post mortem (what else they can do). Every thing is now water under the bridge.

What is more damaging and disturbing than the loss of the money which is involved in the fraud is the loss of credibility, the trust and the integrity of the bankers. The money can be retrieved but the loss of image in the eyes of the public is very hard to regain. The kind of cartoons, the kind of jokes that are flying thick and fast in social media makes a banker crestfallen, sullied and apologetic. Today's newspaper reports indicting the bank's officials of connivance with the perpetrators of the fraud for a paltry commission is an indication of the levels to which the integrity of a banker has slid, the surveillance weak and the vigilance slack.

This raises doubts if there is any nexus  between the top brass of the bank and the fraudster who has connections to the who is who of the politicians in power. At present and untill now they have found a scapegoat in a lowest grade officer. The amount involved is so astronomical that it can wipeout the institution itself if not recovered in good time. With what the Mallya saga, the huge NPA's story hitting the headlines regularly and people after taking huge loans leaving the county for safe heavens thus leaving the lenders high and dry and to fend for themselves, the banking environment has become increasingly hazarduous and repulsive. Citizens who used to respect the bankers have started to suspect.

We are in such an unenviable profession that - "We are damned if we don't give, we are damned if we give"
The esteem of the banking profession has taken a severe dent. All our contributions in nation building exercise, economic growth of the country and gigantic efforts at social inclusiveness have gone for a toss. Only the negative vibes created by a few unscrupulous bankers will remain in the memory of the public - after all human mind is wired to attract negative things fast.

K N Krishnan.