The world’s best businesspeople

I donrsquot know what electoral bonds are I thought I did when they were introduced a few years ago but I was never sure and suspect a lot of people felt that way They became harder to understand over the past few weeks because it felt as if the definition changed every other day depending on who was being asked about them Luckily for us because we have a government that believes in transparency over everything else we were informed by one or two ministers that this whole brouhaha over those bonds was just a massive misunderstanding Apparently millions of us had somehow managed to get it all wrong I just laughed at my own naiveteacuteHerersquos what I do know thanks to reports from the few independent media outlets still standing electoral bonds donrsquot mean anything and Indiarsquos businesspeople continue to be the biggest patriots I have ever come acrossWhile a lot of people spent time trying to figure out why so many millions had been handed over to the government for no apparent reason I realised almost instantly that our noble corporate folk had done what they always havemdashplacing a political party over something as unimportant as profit I imagine this was precisely why electoral bonds were invented by another patriot a politician who unfortunately passed away a few years ago and has been forgotten about since then Before these bonds existed there werenrsquot many opportunities for businesses to show how much they cared The reports made me proud to call myself IndianI suppose there were still a few people who refused to acknowledge this Some referred to it as the biggest scam in the history of independent India while others used words like lsquoextortionrsquo lsquomoney launderingrsquo and lsquocorruptionrsquo that have been rendered obsolete since the most honest people in India were elected to power a few years ago It saddened me because all I could see was something pure and heartwarming so many companies handing over large portions of their earnings to the government out of love and affection alone It should have been celebrated instead of questionedWhat surprised me more than anything else was how these companies supported a political party despite being under an enormous amount of stress For example many of them were in the process of being audited by the Enforcement Directorate and income tax departments And yet they found the time and money to show how much they care about things that really matter Even companies associated with gaming and lottery services scrimped and saved to buy those bonds making me optimistic about our collective future Imagine being questioned about the sources of your income but still making sure you donate to a cause you believe is just I saw that some companies also purchased electoral bonds after bagging important contracts related to infrastructure which prompted cynics to wonder about the possibility of quid pro quo arrangements I dismissed them outright as minor coincidences because who has ever heard of kickbacks when it comes to infrastructure projectsI hope the government continues to create new opportunities for companies to hand over their wealth to political parties as a way of saying thanks I also admit to being tempted myself I may give up my life savings to a political party too so they can be used for important things like the procurement of wild cheetahs or the placing of red carpets under the sea for photo opportunities Every little bit we contribute eventually goes towards nationbuilding so we have much to learn from our tireless entrepreneurs and business leadersAnother thing that pleased me was the speed at which we were granted access to this data thanks to the competence and efficiency of a large nationalised bank I often wonder why I havenrsquot opened an account at any of our nationalised banks in decades Irsquom sure they know what theyrsquore doing so I ought to address that issue and secure my financial future by showing them how much I trust their processesThe most important thing we need to take away from this whole lsquoelectoral bonds episodersquo is that our businesspeople need to be protected They have shown time and again that they can be trusted to do the right thing They have always prioritised the countryrsquos needs over their own and for this they should always be rewarded This is why I am openly pleased about so many public assets being handed over to them for safekeepingWhen he isnrsquot ranting about all things Mumbai Lindsay Pereira can be almost sweet He tweets lindsaypereiraSend your feedback to mailbagmiddaycomThe views expressed in this column are the individualrsquos and donrsquot represent those of the paper