Well, the drama is moving into its next phase. Mr. Raju is the in jail here in Hyderabad. He is being treated, according to authorities, as a "Class C" prisoner. I am not sure what that means, but I'd prefer not to find out what a Class C prisoner gets treated like in an Indian jail - ever.
The public outrage and shock is turning into one of quiet fascination. The story will now follow several routes - some people will write a book on it for those seeking many details, some will start to forget about it, others will be angry and continue to speak of it as the tragedy that it is. But, for a while we all stood in equal amazement that such a thing finally happened in India. As India makes herself more of a relevant member of the world community, this kind of thing is almost a right of passage. India has joined the US in its shame around corporate governance and bad business practices that went unchallenged until it was too late.
A coming of age, of sorts....
At the base of the tragedy are the associates of the company. It appears there may not be a way to pay them beyond this month. Many or most of them will be snatched up as time passes. But they will forever have that company's name on their resumes, and that will always cause the reader of that resume to pause for a brief second.
Well, this is the last time that I'll write about Satyam. I'll go back to dissecting life here in India from a personal perspective, but for a few days I, like everyone else, stood in rapt awe and sadness at the Satyam debacle. May it end with some good news for the young and bright people who gave so much for that company.
