"You wouldn't have noticed me at that time. There was a Factory Manager. He was the one who had furnished me the records and helped me inspect the factory. Everything was perfect at that time" said the Inspector.
"It couldn't have been otherwise!"
The Inspector looked at Pramasivam's face, unable to comprehend what he was saying.
"You will expect that every thing should be perfect, won't you?" said Paramasivam.
"Oh, you mean that. Let alone being perfect, in many factories, even basic regulations are not being followed properly. Only in a few places, rules and regulations are being followed to a reasonable extent. Even in those places, record keeping won't be satisfactory. I have seen perfection only in very few factories. Yours was one among them" said the Inspector.
"Thank you."
"Didn't you notice that I used the past tense? What I said was about how things had been, when I came here last time. After me, a couple of inspectors have visited your factory. They have also pointed out several lapses in the observance of government regulations in your factory. Now, the lapses are much more. Record keeping is particularly poor."
Paramasivam remained silent.
"During my last visit, the Factory Manager had ensured that all regulations were meticulously complied with. He had also maintained the records well, I don' remember his name, though" continued the Inspector.
"Kannan."
"Yes. Kannan. Now I remember. He was a nice gentleman. Is he not working here now?"
"No. He has left" said Paramasivam. 'After he had left, every thing left me' he told himself.
Kannan, who had an education only up to the high school level, joined Paramasivam's firm as an Office Assistant. By his sheer dedication, hard work, sincerity and proactive functioning, Kannan had earned Paramasivam's trust within a couple of months.
After a few years, Paramasivam made Kannan the Factory Manager, entrusted the responsibility of running the factory entirely to him and focused his attention on expanding his factory.
After deciding on the expansion plan, Paramasivam recruited Velayutham, an Engineering graduate and entrusted with him the responsibility of executing the expansion project. He also designated him the General Manager of his firm.
Though Velayutham was specifically appointed for implementing the expansion project, he tried to dominate Kannan, making use of his position as the General Manager of the firm.
However, Kannan didn't make any attempt to take up this issue with Paramasivam.
Once, Velayutham complained to Paramasivam about Kannan, alleging that Kannan was getting kickbacks on the purchase of raw materials for the factory and that he was swindling a considerable sum of money every month, by overstating the expenses.
Paramasivam didn't ask Kannan about these allegations. However, he made discrete enquiries with some of the raw material suppliers and satisfied himself that the allegations were not true.
One of the suppliers told Kannan about Paramasivam's enquiries and remarked, "You are a man of integrity and you have been serving your firm with sincerity and dedication. But your proprietor suspects your integrity!"
After a few months, Kannan tendered his resignation from the firm. Paramasivam tried to pacify him and dissuade him. But since Kannan was firm in his decision to quit, after his integrity has been doubted, Paramasivam accepted his resignation and relieved him.
'Velayutham and Kannan have not been getting on well with each other. The expansion project is important for the firm's future. Therefore, Velayutham need to continue. In a way, Kannan's quitting the firm is a blessing in disguise, since the constant friction between Velayutham and Kannan will be a hindrance to the implementation of the expansion project" thought Paramasivam, though he felt sorry about losing Kannan.
Unexpectedly, the expansion project had to be abandoned in the middle, due to changes in the market conditions. The entire expenditure incurred on the expansion project had to be written off as a loss incurred by the firm. This created a severe strain on the firm's finances and shattered the morale of Paramasivam.
After the expansion project had been abandoned, Velayudham quit his job and joined another firm.
The huge loss suffered by Paramasivam's firm on the expansion project had a toll on the firm's existing business too.
Paramasivam realized how his losing an able administrator and a good person like Kannan had such a devastating effect on his business.
Paramasivam's attempts to bring Kannan back didn't fructify.
"Since things were perfect in your firm during my previous visit, I don't want to take any severe action on the lapses I find now. You will receive a notice from my office listing out the lapses. Please get them rectified. I or someone else from my office will come for inspection again after two months. If the lapses still persisted at that time, there would be no alternative to taking legal action against you" said the Inspector.
'Well. When you come here the next time, this factory may not even be in existence!' thought Paramasivam.
Section 2
Assessing Before Acting
ninappAnai nINgum thiru.
Verse 518
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