67.
I ONLY EAT RAGI MUDDE – GIVE ME CASH
Myself
personally and Our Company Ecotech, we both practice a strict policy of “ Na Khaaoonga, Na Khaane Doonga” to borrow a famous quote from our own dear PM
Narendrabhai Modiji. This roughly translates as “ Will
neither take nor give” any form of
illegal gratification. Simple and straightforward, no frills attached. And which also makes me laugh when I see
pages and pages of sanctimonious and patently duplicitous “ethics policy” of several Multinational
Companies.
Circa
1990, my father moved from Bombay to Dharwad in North Karnataka and set up an
edible oil refining unit in the Belur Industrial Area of the KIADB. Industrialisation was yet to take off in
Dharwad at that time, and it was better known as a lazy, sleepy town with a
salubrious climate. Things today are a little different in Dharwad with a huge
Tata Motors manufacturing facility and a spanking new High court building bang opposite the Industrial Area, across the
NH 4 that connects Bangalore to Pune.
My
father, being a strict disciplinarian and a law abiding gentleman that he was (
I inherit from him several such good traits ) insisted on setting up an
Effluent Treatment Plant ( ETP) for his factory, although I am sure in those
days, the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board ( KSPCB )would have looked the other way with
a little bit of encouragement : I am not sure if the situation is any different
today.
Quite
naturally, having first hand information about my qualifications, competence and
experience my father commissioned me to design and execute this smallish ETP. The Design done, the Regional Office of the KSPCB
after the customary site inspection, approved the scheme and passed the file on
to the Head office in Bangalore “for further process”. The H.O of the KSPCB, at that time was housed on the eighth floor of
the Public Utility Buildings ( PU Bldg) on MG Road. The “subject” was put up to the Technical Advisory
Committee ( TAC ) of the KSPCB which is apex “expert” body which scrutinizes all
ETP / STP proposals. Our design and
proposal sailed through the TAC without further ado. I passed on the good news to my father in Dharwad
and that he could expect to receive the Consent letter from the KSPCB shortly.
That
was not to be. The “File was put up” to
the member Secretary of the KSPCB and was awaiting his Imprimatur. When I
enquired about the delay in the approval process, my friends at the KSPCB advised
me to see the Member Secretary. So I
went to see the M.S.
The
M.S at that time was a jovial little fellow, appointed to his post from another
Govt. Department, unconnected with the subject of pollution and was obviously a
sinecure - a final posting, counting
down the days to his imminent retirement from service.
His
urgency was apparent in the way he came straight to the point and asked “How
much”? Equal to the task, with a look
of surprise on my face, I asked How much what ? I did not want this conversation
to prolong so I decided I should make a small deviation from my avowed policy
of “Na Khaane Doonga” and I invited him out to dinner at the Taj ( Taj
Residency it was called then) at Trinity corner, just across from the PU
Buildings. A small compromise of my
policy no doubt, which I preferred to view as a Farewell dinner to an elderly
gentleman.
The
jovial part of the gentleman came out when with a broad smile on his face he
said “ I am a man of simple tastes. I don’t enjoy Five star fare. I only eat Ragi Mudde – Give me cash instead.”
A
man of simple tastes and high morals I thought to myself as I walked out of his
room not wanting to humour him further.
Learn
More about Ragi Mudde here :
Dr.
Ananth S Kodavasal March
31, 2018
