A CHEAP R.O. SYSTEM

A CHEAP R.O. SYSTEM

This story is about a cheap Reverse Osmosis ( R.O ) system ( as opposed to inexpensive) from an equally cheap vendor of treatment plants.  The story runs thus :

When I moved to Bangalore in the year 1986 and started my business in Environmental control, I used my by now familiar personal profile as an introduction to prospective clients.  An eagle eyed competitor got hold of my credentials, and came calling, offering to collaborate with me, if only he could use my profile in his sales pitches.  His Company was aptly named the East India Water Treatment Company, and by all accounts was no less mercenary or unethical than the illustrious predecessor he took after.  I readily agreed to his proposal and quoted a monthly fee as royalty to be paid to me for permitting him to use my name and credentials as his associate : that was the last I heard from him.

This intrepid entrepreneur, hailing from the North of the Vindhyas, was a flim flam artist par excellence.  He would prey upon the baser instincts, greed and avarice, more than ignorance of prospective clients, with active collusion from equally corrupt officials to sell them lemons for treatment plants.  A couple of examples should illustrate his style of work.

When called by a Chettiar ( Chettiars are the proverbial penny pinchers) owned Company in Bangalore to recommend a treatment plant for their manufacturing unit,  I quoted a certain sum of money as my consultancy fee for designing the Treatment plant.  I learnt a few months later that the scoundrel from the East India Company sold the Chettiar an entire “BlackBox” treatment system for less than the amount I had quoted for my consultancy services !

Not to be caught out, this clever operator also kept inventing new names for his Company every few years, to reappear in a new avatar : Over the years he transformed himself into  the “East Asiatic Company” ,  the “ Asiatic Society for preservation of Environment” and whatnot.  His fixation for the Asian continent still baffles me.

The icing on the cake of his audacious chicanery is best revealed in this classic case of Spy Vs. Spy type story.

DCM Limited, run by Lalas ( North Indian equivalent of Chettiars of the South) placed an order on the East India Company for an R.O System for water treatment, enticed by the ridiculously low price quoted by our con artist.  Now DCM Ltd. ( Delhi Cloth Mills ) started life as a Textile spinning mill in Delhi way back in 1889.  DCM now is a well diversified conglomerate into multifarious industrial activities.  Among other things, DCM make very fine Dhoties., typically made of 3 yards of the finest white spun cotton  ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dhoti )

Having committed to supply the R.O system to DCM at an absurdly low price, East India Company was scratching its head to fill this order, and procrastinating. When pressurised by DCM to fulfill its obligations, our intrepid entrepreneur hit upon a brilliant idea !  He purchased A DCM Dhoti, then proceeded to tightly wind it around a PVC plastic pipe, put together the rest of the accessories needed for the system, and lo and behold ! He delivered the cheap R.O system to DCM Ltd. just in time.

Dr. Ananth S Kodavasal                                                                          July 04, 2011

Footnote :

I understand the O&M Manual supplied with the R.O system proudly but truthfully highlights the very low replacement cost of the “Membranes” used – “Comparable to the cost of a few yards of a fine quality DCM Dhoti “.  As Johnny Cash says “ Only Lies have to be covered up – Truth can run around naked”