• Investment World
• eWorld
• Brand Line
• Mentor
• Life
• Brand Quest
• The New Manager
• BL Club
• Smartbuy

Stocks

• Quotes
• SE Diary
• Scoreboard
• Open-End Mutual Fund

Cross Currency

• Rates
  
  

Shipping

• Ports
  
  

Archives

• Yesterday
• Datewise
• Resources
• In Focus
• In Depth
• Events 2007

Group Sites

• The Hindu
• The Hindu ePaper
• Business Line
• Business Line ePaper
• Sportstar
• Frontline
• The Hindu eBooks
• The Hindu Images

A few years ago, bank employees in the UK were planning how to ensure uninterrupted operations on a one-day holiday that was to come two months later. Such planning and commitment is what makes the Western countries prosper. In a poor country like India, 20 per cent of the population of Tamil Nadu lives on Rs 541 per month, and 25 per cent on Rs 1,000. About 32 per cent of farmers live on Rs 7 per day.

In such a context, bank employees, the highest paid in the country, though the poorest in patriotism, go on strike as and when they wish, threatening the nation and dictating terms to their employers on formulation of policies.

The biggest financial organisations are collapsing in the UK and the US. The global economy itself, it is feared, may collapse by the end of 2009. Despite this, bank employees have merrily struck work. How can these people build a strong nation?

K. K. Lakshmanan Coimbatore

More Stories on : Letters | Financial Markets

Article E-Mail :: Comment :: Syndication :: Printer Friendly Page

Copyright © 2008, The Hindu Business Line. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu Business Line