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Part 58, Issue # 117 - May 22, 2003
A friend recently
called in and congratulated us on the name of this column. We were naturally
surprised and asked him to explain. He said that we have done a smart thing in
naming this column whose acronym PITII points directly to Pittie who has
captured power in post-Jatia Indian philately. No amount of denying from our
side helped our friend change his mind however for us it was a time for comical
relief.
There is no denying the ground reality that Pittie and company (P Company)
ruthlessly rules philately in India. However P Company refuses to realize that
situation has changed since Jatia has gone and his shoes are too big for them to
step in to as they are no match for his political and other skills.
It is common knowledge in India that the shortest route to a gold medal is
buying it off the jury, be it straight payoff or a roundabout way of buying
useless material at inflated prices from him/her. It is this commercial
operation, the lure of all expenses paid foreign jaunts as jury and
commissioners, and score of other opportunities to make money that is at present
shaken by the actions of PCI members who demand transparency. As one of P
Company's key member, A R Singhee said openly in the last PCI meeting of August
25, 2002 "It is a question of our survival" and he was dead right.
Absolute power corrupts absolutely and thirty-five years of total control on
Indian philately by Jatia and then by P Company has led to absolute rot, mess,
decay, and several cupboards full of skeletons. We are saddened to record that
majority of philatelists active in organized philately today have mistakenly
presumed the examples set by P Company as the way to go about in their
philatelic pursuits.
Except for those who seek favors, not deserved otherwise, others do not support
the P Company. The favor-seekers are known for their fickleness and P Company is
aware of the type of people around them so it is busy doling out favors to all
those who ask for, be it a gold medal, appointment as commissioner, nomination
as delegate/member to various committees. All they ask in return is the proof of
the services rendered and the lower one stoops the higher the reward.
P Company is even inducing somewhat neutral persons by offering such carrots in
the hope that these new inductees will help them strengthen and maintain the
status quo having developed a vested interest.
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