Nuggets from daily life : A business proposal
of Rs. 300 Crores.
– Kalam’chi (Kalam-‘chi is a GZA Member in pseudonym)
It is a bright October morning and the activity in the bank was in full swing. Diwali is round the corner and it will be the time for franctic shopping by all, duly aided by the endless stream of newspapers and TV ads. Banking hall is full of hustle-bustle of customers, arranging cash for their oncoming shopping spree. The branch manager is having a hectic day with many customers stepping in and out of his cabin.
On such a day two men in their mid 30’s entered the Branch Manager’s cabin. They were simply dressed, rather under-dressed in Chandigarh standards and have no features to trigger any attention or attraction. They sported an air of uneasiness in their gait as if they are trying to gate-crash into a territory to which they do not belong. Such fine-prints of traits will be often missed out by an ordinary person. But his profession had made our Bank manager superirly-abled on these aspects.
The two men started talking of a new business project they will be undertaking and sought bank’s participation to it. They wove a long winding story, with many sub-plots of their proposed business spanning our country and off-shore, with financial implications from Rs. 100 Crs to Rs. 300 Crores. They tried to add best glitters to their story to lure the bank to be in it.
To bank managers, such encounters are of a routine kind. Every day they face such bombardments from 2-3 new business seekers regularly. During such discussions, they keep up a nonchalant face, race thier mind to catch a mental picture of the project in coming ten years, pose some searing questions very innocently whenever they find some gap in the project, the ensuing reply, even if it remains off the mark, does not alter his calm composure but he mentally takes a note of it, to be used later when the project papers will undergo scrutiny and evaluation.
The same script had been played out here also. The discussion ended with a word to submit the detailed proposal, incorporating the few new things that Branch Manager had suggested. After that these two men stepped out of the cabin and went back.
At that instant Branch Manager hurriedly penned a new chapter in the old script. He immediately called his peon and asked him to quickly go out and find out how these two men are travelling back. Two minites later, the peon reported back – they had gone back on a scooter, pillion riding.
Strange ! Persons planning a business of Rs.300 crores in near future is riding scooter today ? Couldn’t even afford a car ? Branch Manager heaved a sigh of relief. His early intuitions have been validated. Now he had firmed up his decision not to jeopardise bank’s money by financing such people.
A credit decision had been crystellised in mind even before evaluation of any paper.