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‘Cheat Funds’ & Rose Petals : A new culture
Saumen Sarker
‘Cheat Funds’ & Rose Petals : A new culture
PHOTO : Flower petals being showered on Rose Valley MD scamster Gautam Kundu.

Few days back, one Tamil friend working in Wall St Journal asked me jokingly , “why Bengal produces all ‘chit fund cheaters’ like Subrata Roy , Gautam Kundu , Sudipto Sen and not any brilliant personalities like Tagore or Bose anymore ? Why no single Bengali industrialist from Bengal in limelight other than ‘Chit fund” cheaters looting poor people of their life savings ?”

I had a tough time convincing him and others around that I am not from Bengal, no idea why Bengal is in this latest mess, somehow I ducked a bouncer.

However, one surprising new tradition I observed that “chit fund cheaters” love to maintain their demi-god kind of stature, larger than life respect among sycophants, latest trend is showering flower petals to  ‘cheaters’ when they get arrested or being taken in/out of court/thana etc.

Bengal Minister Madan Mitra was arrested by CBI for siphoning Sarada Chit fund money, but Mitra got rose petals in prison van; same goes for Gautam Kundu after ED arrested him.

Sarada Scam accused Bengal Minister Madan Mitra in CBI cusotdy, Rose petals being showered. 

Showering rose petals to brave warriors, kings after winning battles used to be known as India’s ancient custom. Also red color of rose symbolizes love and showering them  considered as appreciation or respect.

Other than that Cricketers winning matches get rose petals, also new bride and grooms and election winning politicians, sadhu baba, monks. But rose petals for criminals ?...kind of weird.

However, Bengal was always seen as pioneer in culture and intellectuality, so it surprised many Indians and NRIs, also my Tamil friend that’s whats this sudden new tradition of showering rose petals to criminal ‘cheaters’ ?

Chit fund companies destroyed millions of families small finance, life savings by collecting money,promising abnormally high returns, very similar of Ponzi schemes by NY based scamster Bernie Maddof who duped millions of investors  in USA’s largest financial fraud.

Bernie Maddof hand-cuffed, no fans or rose petals, just FBI officers escorting this criminal in New York.

Bernie was sentenced a 150 yr old jail sentence; billionaire Bernie transformed overnight into a pauper just like Sudipta Sen and Gautam Kundu. Bernie’s one son commited suicide, another died  later after father’s conviction. Bernie Madoff was much richer than Bengal’s chit fund cheaters but his sin destroyed him.

However in USA or anywhere in India, this is probably first time that crowd showering rose petals to chit fund scamsters  -  rather to deserving CBI or ED officers who arrested them.

In a sum-up of this saga, can we say that Gautam Kundu or Sudipta Sen lucky to be born in Bengal ???

To send your appreciation and comments pl. send email to editor@tripurainfoway.com or tripurainfoway@gmail.com  or post online below.

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