Shame and Statesmanship

Very recently a British court passed a verdict for the British Government to pay a massive compensation of  GBP £ 13.6 Million to the indigenous Kikuyu people of Kenya. The payment is being made by the British for torture and killing of a large number of innocent people in probably one of the cruelest episodes of the shameful period of colonial rule by European countries. 

The impact of payment is small as compared to the admission of  gross inhumanity inflicted on innocent native people by the leading international power of that time.

Image by Ben Heine

My mind is drawn to another terrible massacre by the British. The response of the British authorities after the slaughter was both arrogant and astounding.  

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It was the 13th day of  April 1919 and the local people  had gathered to celebrate 'Baisakhi' the new year in the holy city of Amritsar. General Dyer of the British army in India then in charge on the scene in a display of power ordered the cold blooded massacre of innocent people, many of them women and children.  More than a 1000 were slaughtered and approximately 1500 people were grievously wounded.

What did the British do after they learnt of this massacre?
There was an uproar of sorts and long debates held in Britain.Eventually for this monstrous act,  General Dyer was felicitated by the British parliament. He was given an honourable discharge, a purse of £ 80,000 pounds and a bejewelled sword inscribed 'Saviour of the Punjab'.  A day that will truly live in infamy, and they gave him an award!

A question that always arises is how could a small country could colonise continents and great countries so far away? A journey into history reveals a common thread for all successful conquests of foreign lands and people. The conquerors all possess the following characteristics.

• They have a clear goal and a grand strategy.
• They are extremely greedy for materials, lands and slaves.
• They are utterly ruthless
• They possess advanced weaponry of the times 
• They have adopted political and war management systems which are superior 
• They are very cunning and adept at the art of deception
• They bribe and use select local people and leaders to control the larger native population

By nature, conquerors have to act and to be seen as ruthless so as to intimidate the majority population into total submission.

We often express outrage at the acts of the British, but strangely overlook the negative and divisive role of local kings, nawabs and 'noble men and women', whose descendants still enjoy great influence and  respect in India. Lured by power, status, and money, the bulk of the military, police and administration of British ruled India consisted of local Indians. Britain  ruled undivided India* with a mere 1500 officers.

Not a single Britisher fired a bullet at 'Jallianwalla Bagh'. Sadly the murderers were 
50 Gurkhu and 25 Baluchi soldiers, all of them Indians. The massacre was ruthlessly carried out with shooting directed above the waist into the thickest of the crowds so that one bullet could kill more than one civilian. The shooting stopped only because the soldiers ran out of ammunition.

Britain itself was almost destroyed by World War II and faced the real threat of being itself conquered and occupied. Emerging from the ruins of theWar, the British had to make a choice to remain either an empire or a democracy.  Britain wisely gave up its dreams of remaining an empire and chose to remain a democracy, because it could no longer justify it's own conduct.

With this apology to the Kikuyu people of Kenya, the British have once again demonstrated great diplomacy, adopting an amazing and strange type of humility.

Great statesmanship requires occasional arrogance and sometimes humility. The acceptance of their crimes and the apology that goes with it, is a tribute to the diplomacy  of the British. This apology ensures  that the British will continue to play an important and leading role in world affairs even in the future.

Maybe the time is also ripe for Britain to formally apologise to the families of those massacred on that fateful thirteenth day of April 1919.

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* Undivided India consisted of what is now India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Myanmar, 

If sincere, great men like Yogi Uncle will come to your assistance.

What is the difference between a Politician and statesman?
The politician has his eye on the next election. The statesman has his eye on the next generation.

What is the difference between a businessman and an Industrialist?
The businessman has his eye on the current year's balance sheet. The industrialist has his eye on building a great institution.

If this be the case then Uncle Yogiraj Makar deservedly is a great Industrialist and a remarkable statesman.

Yogi uncle and his brother Uncle Surindernath Makar, with their sheer hard work, can-do spirit and charisma created one of India's legendary forging companies Hakimrai Jaichand Forgings Company Private Limited (HJ). Initially starting in Bhandup Mumbai, they eventually had several plants in Pune, Chakan, and Faridabad (later the name was changed to Amforge).

In 1981 my brothers and I took the helm as second generation entreprenuers of our family business manufacturing steel forgings. Compared to HJ we were a little company and quite inexperienced in many matters.

When a company is small and budding it needs answers to address many concerns. As is the case with many small to medium organisations we appreciated the need for mentors, to honestly guide us, be it marketing, legal, procurement, management or technology.

We were fortunate to have Yogi Uncle. His knowledge and stature was appreciated by one and all. He was also President of our Industry association at that time. Yogi uncle's noble nature made him our natural choice for guidance and moral support.

When Bajaj Auto the manufacturer of scooters , three wheeled auto-rickshaws and motorcycles started it's meteoric rise, Hakimrai Jaichand (HJ) was supplying all their materials from their Bombay plant at Bhandup. As was the case demand for forgings far exceeded supply. This represented an opportunity for little companies like us to grow rapidly. In a sense we were taking business away from HJ.

An incident will serve to illustrate the statesmanship of Mr. Yogiraj Makar.

Die making in our business was crucial for making good and consistent products. This was an area in which we were weak. We wanted to learn about a certain die making technology being used by HJ and having learnt that that they had invested in a 'state of art' Japanese die making machine.
My brother Parvinder and I thought about several ways to learn about this technology. We deliberated hard and long and even considered various espionage options. Finally we decided that let's try the honourable way and approach Yogi Uncle directly for his guidance.

We took an appointment, and went to meet him at Bombay. Inspite of his busy schedule and senior stature he met us at the appointed time with courtesy and warmth.

We greeted him and touched his feet respectfully as is the customary manner for greeting our elders whom we hold in high respect. He hugged us and made us comfortable, asked about our father and uncle.

He asked, "What is it that you wanted to see me about?"
Then we told him bluntly that we would like to study the new machine that he had imported from Japan to evaluate it and learn what to do.

He broke out into uncontrollable laughter. He calmed down after a while and summoned his secretary and asked him to fetch the General Manager of the plant.
He introduced us to the GM and then instructed him to show us not only the Japanese die making machine but to show us around the facility. He further added that "These are my nephews, be honest with them and answer all the doubts they they may have on on what we do here at HJ."

Overwhelmed and grateful for his magnanimity we looked around. We learnt a lot from that visit and that helped us to shape our thinking and formulate our strategies..

While leaving he placed his hand on our shoulders and said " I like your approach. One day you guys are going to be a headache for us. However courage and hard work must be respected. Good Luck and may God bless you."

This was not the only time that Mr. Yogiraj Makar helped us.
Learning on the job can be frighteningly expensive, on both the pocket and mind.Time and again he would go out of the way to guide and help us and many others like us. Thus bringing solace and knowledge to us all who were struggling in a very tough business. It is the few stalwarts like him that have helped to shape many good things in Indian industry and the Steel Forging industry in particular.

The Panjabi people have a zest for life and magnanimity beyond belief. Uncle Yogiraj Makar is a supreme example of all that is good and wonderful in a Panjabi, in a great Industrialist and a giant of a man. Yogi Uncle we salute you.