Locomotive Breath

All systems are go now. Lock and load time.



Goals: Neutralising any threats to corporate profitability, our vibrant democracy and the American-oops, Indian- way.


Opportunities: the moolah that can be made by the ongoing pillage of resources in India.


Collateral damage: A billion people, give or take. The environment. Small stuff like that.


Threats: Pesky tribals who worry about their piddly pieces of land. Annoying environmental groups who carp about the decimation of heritage. Doomsday prophets who whine about Climate Change. Naxalites and Maoists. Humanists and other such endangered species. Governments who waver on the road to globalisation and capitalisation, especially before elections.

Biggest threat: Country emerging from stupor with faculties intact.



Action taken:
• Unlimited money, legal and other muscle lined up? Check.
• Capitalism and globalisation sold as the only way to salvation? Check.
• Laws suitably amended for plunder? Largely; work in progress.
• Privatisation polices in line with corporate expectations? Check.
• Industry still blinkered and focused on bottomlines? Check.
• Middle class neutralised? Sensex ticker still mesmerising? Lemmings still stuporous? Check.
• Governments and bureaucracy in pocket? Check.
• Foreign firms with prior experience at managing fallout of greed on board? Check.
• Corporate media co-opted? Check. Other media browbeaten? Not enough.



To Do List
• More of action taken stuff, see above.
• TV anchors to be more self righteous: helps in a billion people letting off steam impotently.
• Government to be persuaded to take the law and order path instead of the equitable one wrt tribals, while solving the Naxalite issue.
• Cultivate more Kodas.
• Beef up PR departments. (Note: Use the term ‘corporate responsibility’ a lot.)
• Browbeat and buy media. (Note: Use model successfully used in the US, UK and Australia)
• Outsource dirty tricks department to companies like Monsanto, if possible, as blaming foreigners works as a good substitute for solving problems. (Note: examine possibilities of the GM and mining lobbies partnering in ongoing plunder)



Conclusion

From Tull: The train it won’t stop going, now it won’t slow down.

Yippee.


Or Yipikaye etcetra. That’s from Die Hard and is more appropriate.
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