It was during a visit to an
industrial area near Delhi where by chance I came across a familiar steel
rebar factory. Now abandoned, its gates locked and bent, with not even a guard in
sight. When I asked around, I was told, "Oh, that plant? It’s been
closed for years, the owner’s in hiding." Further digging revealed that
he and his sons were wanted by banks, private creditors, and government
agencies. Their investments in an African plant had also gone belly up.
How the mighty had fallen, I thought.
These
were the same people who caused me months of sleepless nights, using
legal intimidation and a sham arbitration case, appointing their own
foreman as arbitrator. All because I refused to get arm twisted to
reveal my professional secrets. Finally, it was only my well-wishers at
the highest levels of government that got them off my back.
A
clan of arrogant, greedy, egoistic and unscrupulous scoundrels—now
bankrupt and hiding like rats, their factory rusting and falling into
pieces.
I played no part in their
downfall, as it was all their own doing, and nor do I believe much in
karma. But I doubt they've learned anything. They were scoundrels then,
and they’ll likely remain so till the last day they breathe.
However, this episode made me quit consulting on industrial furnaces and leave
the steel industry behind once and for all. Thereafter, I faced years of
unemployment, financial ruin, and the breakdown of my family. Worst of
all, it shook my faith in humanity and in my own knowledge, abilities
and self-confidence to the core. Yet, despite everything, I never
regretted that decision.
It
took another decade to repeat the cycle of clawing up and again
falling, but this time due to trusting government officials, whose words
I have since learnt the hard way, never mean anything, unless it
concerns their bribe or cut. And learning first-hand about the absurd
inefficiency and red tape within government machinery. People who love
to criticize our government have no clue as to how really pathetic
things really are deep inside. So it was back to sleepless nights, an
empty bank account and a Covid lockdown thrown into the mix for added
comfort.
Last year, it was the
"currently most well-known Assamese - Tridip Goswami", a Climate Warrior, then one of the top executives of C-Quest Capital India, the Indian subsidiary of the now disgraced Carbon Credit (out of thin air) Snake Oil firm, who tried
scamming me out of my Biomass Stove design under the guise of testing out prototypes. Now awaiting his trials at
our Supreme Court and the US Criminal Courts for a multi-million Carbon
Credit Scam. And now infected by an epidemic of schadenfreude, many of the same people who snorted at me for calling him a con, have been sending me messages with links of news stories from around the world, almost all gleefully talking or snickering about his forthcoming
So, here I am, still
around, living, working, writing and trying to design and innovate with
whatever means I have. And yes, I just got bamboozled by a car
transporter whom I foolishly or due to lack of time in Delhi, entrusted
to transport my 18 year old heap to Guwahati. Not only they took over a
month, I was overcharged by a third and instead of delivering it at
home they dumped it over 36 km away...never a dull moment and no lack of
reasons for the BP to always remain high...Maybe karma exists after
all...
