The Hindu Business Line : If you lend, track where your money goes

STORY so far: When times are tough, it is necessary to keep the flock together. Luckily, staff meetings are few and far between in my company, but held every quarter. There is all that difference when the boss does not consider time spent with employees a waste, because having the most talented people is the most important thing.

Episode 30

Tarun was like a ship without sail and anchor, tossing directionless with his benefactor Govind in jail.

"How is your sister?" I asked him.

"She is fine," said Tarun. "It is all my bil's fault. He didn't pay heed to her advice. If only he were less ambitious, all this would not have happened. He had grand plans of taking over the company."

"Are you still in touch with Sooty?" I asked him in a hush.

Tarun looked around before answering. "He called last night and said don't worry. But that has made me more frightened instead. Sooty asked me for boss's residence address."

"Perhaps the cops are already tapping your line," I said. "I think you should speak to ACP Narendra and tell him about the conversation. It may provide valuable clues, plus keep you in the clear."

"I'll do that," said Tarun, half-heartedly. "Any news about Govind?"

"They're interrogating him," I said. "I spoke to the lawyer to move the bail application. Did Jaanu contact you?"

"B******," swore Tarun. "It was all his idea. Now he is absconding."

"That was expected," I said. "You didn't check his track record. Don't cry over spilt milk. Tell the investigators all that you know. And keep in touch."

Tarun left with drooping shoulders, with anxiety weighing down upon him. It could be a matter of time, I told myself, for things to get sorted out: Govind may soon come clean from behind the bars, Sooty could remain unscathed even if the police were to catch him because he would have a false identity to hide behind, and as for Jaanu, he would be resurfacing in a different corner of the world as a business consultant. But there were more pressing jobs to do at my desk.

*******

First things first, so I cleared the clutter in my inbox, identifying spam from Nigeria and blocking senders of mail that promised `big' things, replying to routine mail that asked for one info or the other, and spending a few minutes to attend to a couple of personal e-mails. I should push these to my other Yahoo account, I told myself, because I don't normally relish doing personal things during time that the company pays for doing office work.

Many may not share my values because it is too common a practice for people to get to office on time to look after their own personal matters, or to even run some business venture using company resources. Aren't we too used to seeing judges' cars parked outside shopping malls, police jeeps ferrying family members to picnic on the beach, and government vehicles causing traffic jam on busy roads?

As if to cut my thoughts on the tracks, the intercom buzzed.

"Swati," it was Gupta at the other end. "Our bankers are coming in today for factory inspection."

"Yes," I said. "That was on the day's schedule."

"Will you accompany them?" he asked, with a tinge of pleading.

"You are the production man," I reminded him. "And Chandru would come because he deals with financing. Why me? I have work here."

"Chandru called in to say he is stuck with the auditors," Gupta said. "Also, he is sending in some inputs for the arbitration proceedings."

"Okay," I agreed, "but you do the talking. I am yet to get a hang of the technical details."

"See, Swati," Gupta said. "They are coming for a routine visit. You can catch up with the file later on."

*******

There were the officers of the lending institution and primarily their purpose was to ensure that there was at least some activity going on with all the money they had lent us.

"You are usually very prompt," said one of the officers. "There is no complaint about the information flow that you maintain with us. Many of our borrowers keep us in total darkness and when we ultimately go to visit them, it is only shock that meets us."

"Such as?" I asked in awe.

"See, one chap borrowed Rs 5 crore," narrated the officer. "To build an engineering college. After he defaulted on three instalments, we drove two hours to his site in some godforsaken place, only to find stray buffaloes on wild grass."

"No classrooms, no labs?"

"He showed us everything," said the officer. "There was the auditorium, canteen, parking lot, fountain, founder's statue, storeroom, classroom, computer lab and almost everything, not in brick and cement, but neatly marked on the ground."

"5 crore to put chalk marks!" I exclaimed.

"And he wanted us to lend him Rs 8 crore more," rued the officer.

"To repay the old loan?"

"No, to finish the incomplete work."

(To be continued)

swati_CA@hotmail.com

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