Reflections

I cannot help feeling a sneaking feeling of sympathy for Vijay Mallya. The original success story of the Indian liberalization he was the man who disdained to hide behind the hypocrisy that makes the rich hide under a garb of simplicity and an often fake religiosity. He was never ashamed of the fact that he sold booze and made vast profits out of it. He was like the schoolboy who had found an unexpected horde of chocolates which he wanted to show off to the whole world. When he rode high, he had many fans. The entire media sang his praises, his parties were described breathlessly in Page 3, politicians, Bollywood actresses and media persons rushed to his side and sang hallelujahs about him. Now the poor guy is down and “none so poor to do him homage”. The facts of the matter are simple. He was and is a not a great businessman. While he sold liquor, this was not apparent as the big profits that this business generates covered a multitude of mistakes. Now, we are informed that his ac...