[Reader-list] The Speculator and his World

[zainab at xtdnet.nl]

It was a bank holiday. We are to go to our insurance agent’s office to
sign some legal papers. We (mom, dad and me) spent the next two hours in
his office. I am intrigued by his personality and by his business
practices. The objects in his office are interesting as are his thoughts
which he articulates from time to time. In this little piece, I present
his character and his office space and explore changing business practices
in the city.

The Speculator and His World
(Watching the changing practices of dhanda in the city)

He is our insurance agent and we shall call him IA from henceforth. He is
not only an insurance agent. He is also a stockbroker and indulges in
speculation. He has recently got a new office. It is plush. There are four
rooms and each one is equipped with classy furniture, television sets and
the latest gadgets. “I got it designed by an architect. I told him I
wanted something simple, yet classy,” he tells me as I reflect on the
importance of ‘interior decoration and design’ in today’s business
practices in the face of global corporatism.

We entered his office. He shakes hands with all of us. He is dressed in
smart western apparels. Denim shirt, white denim trousers, whiter sports
shoes (perhaps of an expensive brand) and funky silver accessories on his
person – he looks like a rockstar rather an insurance agent. As he speaks
with my parents, I start to look around his room. He has recently been
awarded by a Californian Insurance Group which has partners in India, for
being a credible insurance agent. The award is a kitschy little object. It
is a map of India and on the western side of the map is the Statue of
Liberty – a kind of surreal image. The Statue of Liberty appears like a
version of Bharat Mata imposed on the map of India. I immediately take a
photograph of the award memorabilia.

“Oh, you also have this dictionary in your office,” my mother exclaims
amidst the conversation. She is referring to the Oxford English
Dictionary. “Yes,” he responds, bringing it from the side desk to the main
desk, “I use it whenever I cannot understand a word or two. Otherwise it
stays on the side desk.” He is not highly educated, but is clearly an
instance of the man in this city who has made it big with intelligence,
the right contacts/connections and hard work. The dictionary, I believe,
refers to his regular dhanda practice which now, in the age of globalism
and movement of MNCs, requires him to speak the global language of
business i.e. English. I wonder what kind of newspapers he reads – New
York Times? The International Herald Tribune? I did not ask him.

The conversations continue and my eyes move to the painting which is put
up on the wall behind him. It is definitely a Hussain painting. I ask him
and he responds, “Yes, it is a Hussain painting. I cannot afford to buy
the original. So I bought this duplicate which he makes. It is worth nine
thousand rupees.” Global business practices these days appear to use art
as a symbol of higher understanding and a sense of refined-ness. Just a
few days ago, Bombay Times carried an article about banks purchasing
paintings to put up in their offices. “This creates an atmosphere of
understanding between our customers and us. The painting helps us connect
with them. It creates an atmosphere of warmth,” an executive from a bank
had said explaining why his bank had bought so many paintings recently.
Sure enough, as I look into our insurance agent’s office and in his mind,
it appears to me that “image” is important these days – what image do you
as a businessman present to your customer?

Mom goes off to do some legal work. Dad inquires about the two thefts
which have taken place in his residential colony. “Oh yeah! This is the
case of penny wise pound foolish. Our colony refuses to improve the
lighting system and hire security guards. What to do?” Somehow, the
discussion steers towards the topic of real estate which is a favourite
for dad. They talk of the developments in Bangalore city. “Oh yeah,” IA
exclaims, “check out the apartments and the residential colonies there. It
feels like you are living in America. Truly! It’s amazing. They have
up-to-date security and all facilities within the colony itself.” IA then
speaks of how he is planning to shift apartments. “Yeah, I want to move,
but not in that locality. It is dominated by one caste of people and
despite the fact that we are all the same religious affiliation, I cannot
get along with people of that caste. Not my type,” he adds. He speaks of
religious service which is strongly involved with. And I start to wonder
that despite global corporatism, the underlying identities of religion and
caste are still there, deep within and perhaps stronger now than before.
The boundaries are established and clear!

The conversation moves towards understanding his business practices.
“Centralized control,” he states as summary. He works with small offices
in different cities and exerts control from Bombay. “If anyone acts smart
in any office, you press the remote control from here.”

Thinking dhanda practices in the city – I walk out of IA’s office and am
mulling over business practices in this city. The hawker on the roadside
has his connections with the street dada, the local cops and perhaps even
the local corporator. A real estate agent I once met on the railway
station spoke to me of his political connections and how, despite fears,
he handles the bhailog viz., the underworld. A local businessman talks to
me of his apnawala corporator connections and if I have any problems, he
could simply introduce me to the corporator and my problems will be
solved.

Mumbai City – In the midst of all of this messiness, small fries and big
sharks, the city has survived. Dhanda practices are messy with intricate
and complex connections. And at various levels, people have “influence”
which is what works at the end of the day. As I think about IA and his
business practices, I wonder how global corporatism is defining a new
culture of dhanda, of business. The messiness needs to be eradicated and
centralization brought in. Loose spaces cannot exist. Then, is this new
business culture re-defining the city anew? Is it reducing spaces of
freedom, of the capacity to dream?




Zainab Bawa
Bombay
www.xanga.com/CityBytes
http://crimsonfeet.recut.org/rubrique53.html