“A Centralizing force”

In the cover story, "A Centralizing force” (Parsiana, December 21, 2005) the chairperson of Central Bank of India has expressed that Parsis gave excuses of aged parents to avoid the hassles of transfers and relocations. While this is true to a large extent, how would she account for caliber, work culture, dedication and more particularly "mobility” of several staff members belonging to Bengal, Bihar besides the so called ‘Reserved’ categories?

While it is easy to run down one’s coreligionists, one needs to introspect why Central Bank, which once stood second only to State Bank of India, came down to the seventh rank. Was this decline due to the "rartaa chana­wala” attitude of Parsis? One also needs to identify the reason why "in this once ‘Bawaji Bank’ there are hardly Parsi faces to be seen now.” While executives belonging to members of other communities and linguistic groups go out of the way to cover up the shortcomings of their fraternity and shield them, unfortunately our bawajis in senior positions wanted to appear judicious by sidelining competent Parsis.

Now that all the rartaa chanawala bawajis have left, mostly in 2001, one hopes that this once premier Bank is able to expeditiously recover its past glory with the competent and hardwor­king non-bawaji staff. PHIROZ J. DUBASH

The history text books in the 22nd century will perhaps define a Parsi as a tribe characterized by a propensity for criticism of its own brethren. How else can one explain the statements in "A Centralizing force?” It is undisputed that Central Bank has an all India presence. If the Bank that once stood next only to State Bank of India has now come down to seventh rank, then how can this decline be attributed to the easygoing bawaji staff who remained posted mainly in offices in Bombay city? The decline in the performance of the Bank would have been an all India phenomenon. Even other public sector banks have had their share of woes but their chairman-managing directors (CMD) did not indulge in community bashing. Most public sector banks owe their origin to specific communities e.g. Canara Bank and Vijaya Bank to Kannadigas.

The outpourings in "A Centralizing force” lead to two inferences. Either the first Parsi female CMD of the Bank has not studied the cause of decline of the Bank or is preparing the grounds for her set of excuses to fall back upon when she would lay down office after a couple of years, should she not succeed in achieving the set goals. The tragic saga in the fortunes of this Bank started in the mid seventies when persons from other banks were made chairmen and managing directors, overlooking the legitimate claims of persons from within and the rest is a chapter in corporate history best thrown in the dustbin.

KERSI S. ICCHAPORIA

The editors reply

At no point of time in the course of the interview did Homai Daruwalla aver that Parsis were responsible for the downslide of the Central Bank. The remark regarding Parsis being "rartaa chanawalas” was in the context of why only a few Parsis are now seen in the higher echelons in the nation’s banking sector.